Transitioning from Consulting to Big Tech AI Roles – Advice & Insights?

senior Data Scientist at PwC2 months ago

Hi Taro community!
I’m Advait, currently working as a Senior AI Engineer at PwC, leading applied AI initiatives in the Contract and Compliance space. My experience spans 8+ years across data science, ML pipelines, and full-stack AI SaaS development.

I’ve built end-to-end systems involving AI workflows, document intelligence, financial reconciliation, and GenAI-based contract analysis using tools like Python, LangChain, Azure OpenAI, and Power BI.

I’m now aiming to transition into a Big Tech role (Microsoft, Google, or Adobe) focused on AI product engineering or applied data science. I've been using leetcode and datalemur for preparation.

I’d love your advice on a few fronts:

What are the key differentiators Big Tech hiring managers look for in a candidate from a consulting background?
How should I balance my prep between python, SQL depth, system design, and real-world project articulation?
Any suggestions on how to present AI/RAG projects most effectively in interviews or Taro mock reviews?

Looking forward to learning from your experiences.

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Discussion

(3 comments)

1
Alex Chiou
•Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
2 months ago

What are the key differentiators Big Tech hiring managers look for in a candidate from a consulting background?

I don't think there would be anything specifically different they look for when it comes to consulting candidates. I imagine the main thing they would protect against actually is making sure that the candidate has owned projects for long periods of time. Consulting candidates are generally treated as riskier as consulting engineers often don't own projects on super long time horizons, which is commonplace in Big Tech.

How should I balance my prep between python, SQL depth, system design, and real-world project articulation?

It depends on your weaknesses. In general, I recommend doing a bunch of interviews first to understand where you have strengths and where you have gaps and then triangulate from there. Follow the advice here: https://www.jointaro.com/course/ace-your-tech-interview-and-get-a-job-as-a-software-engineer/order-matters/

Any suggestions on how to present AI/RAG projects most effectively in interviews or Taro mock reviews?

In general, follow the advice from the behavioral interview course: Master The Behavioral Interview As A Software Engineer

Maybe this can help as well: Ace The Machine Learning System Design Interview
- 0
  senior Data Scientist [OP]
  •PwC
  2 months ago
  Thanks, Alex, for sharing your insights — I’ve just started following the content you’ve suggested.
  I’m also curious to hear your thoughts on how crucial DSA preparation is for data science and AI roles.
- 0
  Alex Chiou
  •Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
  2 months ago
  
  I’m also curious to hear your thoughts on how crucial DSA preparation is for data science and AI roles.
  
  "AI roles" is a broad term. Some AI folks are deep in the math and research while others are effectively specialized back-end devs. The DSA will vary based on what part of the spectrum you're on.
  
  For data science, DSA should be pretty light though. But as always, it varies a lot based on company.