The Three-Verticals Method: How to Go from "I Could Do Anything" to Knowing Exactly What You Want

Tom was a Senior Manager at Deloitte. Seven years in. Strong performer. Promoted on time. Worked across healthcare, financial services, retail, and tech.

When people asked what he wanted to do next, his answer was: "I could do strategy, operations, product, maybe chief of staff. Healthcare is interesting, but so is fintech. Also looking at corporate roles and startups. Really I'm just exploring all my options."

He spent four months "exploring." Applied to 60 different roles across six different functions. Got three phone screens. Zero offers.

The problem wasn't that Tom wasn't qualified. The problem was that "I could do anything" is the same as saying "I don't know what I want." And hiring managers don't hire people who don't know what they want.

This is the generalist curse. Consulting trained you to be adaptable across industries, functions, and problem types. That's your strength. But when you try to translate that into a job search, it paralyzes you.

You can see yourself in ten different roles. You could probably succeed in all of them. But you have no framework for choosing, so you apply to everything, position yourself for nothing, and land nowhere.

What you need isn't more options. You need fewer, better options. And you need a decision-making framework that gets you from "I could do anything" to "here are the three specific things I'm targeting" in under two weeks.

That framework is the Three-Verticals Method.

What the Three-Verticals Method Is (And Why Three Matters)

The Three-Verticals Method is a decision-making framework for narrowing your job search from infinite possibilities to three specific, clearly-defined targets.

A "vertical" is a combination of:

• Role type (what function: strategy, operations, product, chief of staff, etc.)

• Industry or sector (where: healthcare tech, fintech, consumer, enterprise SaaS, etc.)

• Company stage (scale: startup, growth-stage, public company, corporate, etc.)

Example verticals:

• VP of Strategy at Series B/C healthcare tech companies

• Director of Operations at fintech startups (Series A/B)

• Chief of Staff at enterprise SaaS scale-ups (200-500 employees)

Why three?

One vertical isn't enough. If you're only targeting one very specific thing, you're limiting your pipeline too much. It'll take forever to find the right opportunity, and if it doesn't work out, you're back to square one.

Five verticals is too many. You can't position yourself effectively for five different role types across five different industries. Your LinkedIn, your resume, your outreach, they all get diluted. You end up looking unfocused, which is the same problem as "I could do anything."

Three is the sweet spot. It's narrow enough that you can position yourself clearly and build real expertise in each vertical. It's broad enough that you have multiple paths forward and enough pipeline to make progress quickly.

Why Consultants Struggle with This More Than Anyone Else

If you're reading this thinking "but I really could do a lot of different things," you're not wrong. Consulting trains you to be a generalist. You've worked across industries, solved different types of problems, adapted to new contexts every 3-6 months.

That adaptability is real. But it becomes a liability when you're job searching because:

Problem 1: You Have No Forcing Function

Inside consulting, someone else made targeting decisions for you. Your staffing manager or the partner assigned you to engagements. You didn't have to decide "should I take this healthcare project or this retail project?" You took what was available.

Now you're on your own, and there's no forcing function. No one is telling you "you're staffed on fintech strategy roles for the next 90 days." You have to decide yourself. And in the absence of constraints, you keep all options open, which means you're making no decision at all.

Problem 2: You're Afraid of Closing Doors

Consultants are trained to keep optionality. You've been told your whole career that being a generalist is valuable, that you can pivot across industries, that you should avoid getting pigeonholed.

So when you're supposed to narrow your search, it feels like you're closing doors. "If I say I'm targeting healthcare tech, does that mean I can't do fintech? If I focus on strategy roles, am I ruling out operations?"

The irony is that keeping all doors open means none of them actually open. Hiring managers need to see focus and conviction. When you say "I'm exploring a lot of different things," they hear "this person doesn't know what they want, they're going to take the first offer they get and leave six months later."

Problem 3: Analysis Paralysis

Consultants are trained to gather data, build frameworks, analyze trade-offs. That works great for client problems. It breaks down when the problem is your own career.

You start researching every possible role type. You make spreadsheets comparing comp, growth potential, work-life balance, skill development. You talk to 20 different people and get 20 different opinions.

Six weeks later, you're more confused than when you started because you have more data but no decision-making framework.

The Three-Verticals Method fixes all three problems. It forces a decision, it allows you to keep multiple paths forward without being unfocused, and it gives you a clear framework for choosing instead of endlessly analyzing.

How to Build Your Three Verticals (Step-by-Step)

Here's the process. It takes most consultants 7-10 days to go from "I could do anything" to three clear verticals. Not months. Days.

Step 1: Dump Everything You're Considering

Start by getting every possibility out of your head and onto paper. No filtering yet. Just list:

• Every role type you've thought about (strategy, operations, product, chief of staff, corp dev, etc.)

• Every industry or sector that's interesting (healthcare, fintech, consumer, SaaS, etc.)

• Every company stage you're considering (startup, growth-stage, public, corporate, etc.)

This should take 15 minutes. The goal is to externalize the noise in your head so you can see it clearly.

Example from a real Deloitte Senior Manager:

Roles: VP of Strategy, Director of Operations, Chief of Staff, Product Manager, Corporate Development

Industries: Healthcare, Fintech, Consumer Tech, Enterprise SaaS, Retail

Stages: Series B/C startups, Growth-stage private companies, Public companies, Fortune 500 corporate

That's 5 roles × 5 industries × 3 stages = 75 possible combinations. Way too many to target effectively.

Step 2: Apply the First Filter – Your Strengths

Now narrow based on what you're actually good at, not what sounds interesting.

Ask yourself:

• What types of problems did I solve best in consulting? (Strategic planning, process optimization, go-to-market, organizational design, etc.)

• What engagements did I enjoy most? (Not which clients were most prestigious, but which work energized you)

• Where did clients specifically ask for me again? (This is signal: partners and clients request you for certain types of work because you're good at it)

This filter eliminates roles that don't match your strengths.

Example continued:

The Deloitte SM realized: "I'm best at strategic planning and go-to-market work. I'm terrible at deep operational execution and process improvement. I liked the strategy engagements way more than the operational ones. Clients pulled me back for growth strategy, not cost reduction."

Result: VP of Strategy and Chief of Staff roles make sense. Director of Operations and Product Manager don't match his strengths. Corporate Development is a maybe.

Now it's 3 roles × 5 industries × 3 stages = 45 combinations. Still too many, but we've cut it in half.

Step 3: Apply the Second Filter – Your Interests

Now narrow based on what you actually care about, not what you think you're supposed to care about.

Ask yourself:

• Which industries did I find genuinely interesting in consulting? (Not which ones looked good on your resume, but which ones made you curious)

• What problems do I want to keep thinking about for the next 3-5 years? (You're going to be working on this every day. Pick something you won't get bored of)

• What topics do I read about or follow even when I don't have to? (This is honest signal: what do you consume when no one is making you?)

This filter eliminates industries and sectors where you'll get bored.

Example continued:

The Deloitte SM realized: "I read healthcare and fintech news on weekends. I don't care about retail or general enterprise SaaS. Consumer tech is interesting but not something I'd want to do full-time. Healthcare and fintech are the only two I'm genuinely curious about."

Result: Healthcare and Fintech are in. Consumer Tech, Enterprise SaaS, and Retail are out.

Now it's 3 roles × 2 industries × 3 stages = 18 combinations. Much more manageable.

Step 4: Apply the Third Filter – Your Constraints

Now narrow based on practical constraints that matter to you right now.

Ask yourself:

• What's your risk tolerance? (Startup equity vs. corporate stability, does this matter to you or your family?)

• What's your comp requirement? (Be honest: what's the minimum you need given your financial situation?)

• What's your lifestyle preference? (Do you want 50-hour weeks or 40-hour weeks? Does company stage correlate with that?)

• What's your timeline? (Do you need to land something in 60 days, or do you have 6 months to be selective?)

This filter eliminates combinations that don't work given your actual situation.

Example continued:

The Deloitte SM realized: "I have a kid and a mortgage. I can't do early-stage startup comp and risk right now. I need $180K+ base minimum. I want to work 45-50 hours, not 60-70. That means Series B/C or growth-stage private companies, not Series A and not Fortune 500 (the pace would drive me crazy)."

Result: Series B/C and growth-stage companies are in. Early-stage startups and Fortune 500 corporate are out.

Now it's 3 roles × 2 industries × 1 stage = 6 combinations. We're almost there.

Step 5: Force the Final Choice – Pick Three

You now have a short list (probably 5-8 combinations). Your job is to pick the three that feel most right.

This is the hardest step because there's no perfect analytical framework. You just have to choose.

Here's the decision-making heuristic that works:

Vertical 1 should be your "Hell Yes" option. If this exact role at the right company came along tomorrow, you'd take it immediately. This is the bullseye.

Vertical 2 should be your "Strong Yes" option. It's not quite the bullseye, but it's close. Maybe it's a different role type in the same industry, or the same role in a different industry. You'd be excited about it even if it's not the first choice.

Vertical 3 should be your "Solid Backup" option. It's still something you'd be happy with, but it's the one you'd choose if Verticals 1 and 2 didn't pan out. It keeps your options open without diluting your focus.

Example continued:

The Deloitte SM picked:

Vertical 1: VP of Strategy at Series B/C healthcare tech companies Vertical 2: Chief of Staff at Series B/C healthcare tech companies Vertical 3: VP of Strategy at Series B/C fintech companies

Notice the pattern: his first two verticals are the same industry but different roles. His third vertical is the same role but different industry. That's smart. He's not spreading himself too thin.

These three verticals are narrow enough that he can position himself clearly ("I'm targeting strategy and leadership roles at growth-stage healthcare tech companies, with some focus on fintech"). But they're broad enough that he has multiple paths forward and a healthy pipeline.

Total time for this process: 9 days. One week of reflection, two days of refinement.

How to Use Your Three Verticals (What Changes After You Pick Them)

Once you have your three verticals, everything about your job search changes. Here's what you do differently:

Change 1: Your LinkedIn Gets Specific

Before Three Verticals, your LinkedIn probably said something generic like:

Senior Manager at Deloitte | Strategy & Operations Consulting | MBA

That tells hiring managers nothing about what you're targeting. It's consultant noise.

After Three Verticals, your LinkedIn says:

Deloitte Senior Manager → Strategy & Chief of Staff Roles | Healthcare Tech & Fintech | Series B/C

Now a VP at a Series B healthcare tech company looks at your profile and thinks "this person knows exactly what they're targeting, and it's roles like mine."

Your LinkedIn summary should explain your three verticals explicitly. Not in a robotic way, but as a clear statement of what you're looking for.

Example:

I've spent seven years at Deloitte building growth strategies for healthcare and financial services companies. I'm transitioning to industry and specifically targeting three types of roles:

1. VP of Strategy at Series B/C healthcare tech companies

2. Chief of Staff roles at Series B/C healthcare tech companies

3. VP of Strategy at Series B/C fintech companies

I'm most excited about applying consulting problem-solving frameworks to long-term strategy ownership and execution. Open to conversations with founders and executives in these spaces.

This level of clarity is rare. Most consultants say "exploring opportunities in strategy and operations." You're saying exactly what you're targeting, and that makes you memorable.

Change 2: Your Outreach Gets Personal

Before Three Verticals, you were sending generic messages:

Hi [Name], I'm exploring strategy roles in tech and would love to chat about your experience at [Company].

That's forgettable. You're one of 20 consultants sending similar messages.

After Three Verticals, your outreach is specific and credible:

Hi [Name], I've been following [Company]'s work in embedded lending for healthcare providers. I spent 5 years at Deloitte working with health systems on payment strategy, and I'm specifically targeting VP of Strategy roles at Series B/C healthcare tech companies like yours. Would love to learn more about how you're thinking about strategy and growth.

This message works because:

• It shows you've done research ("embedded lending for healthcare providers")

• It connects your background directly to their problem space

• It states your target clearly ("VP of Strategy roles at Series B/C healthcare tech")

• It doesn't ask for a job, it starts a conversation

The response rate on messages like this is 30-40% for consultants, compared to 5-10% for generic outreach.

Change 3: Your Resume Gets Tailored

Before Three Verticals, you had one generic resume trying to work for every role.

After Three Verticals, you have three tailored resumes (or one resume with three versions), each optimized for one vertical.

For Vertical 1 (VP of Strategy at healthcare tech companies):

• Your resume leads with healthcare engagements

• Your bullet points emphasize strategy development and go-to-market

• Your skills section highlights healthcare domain expertise

For Vertical 2 (Chief of Staff at healthcare tech companies):

• Your resume leads with cross-functional project management

• Your bullet points emphasize exec communication and organizational work

• Your skills section highlights operational execution and stakeholder management

For Vertical 3 (VP of Strategy at fintech companies):

• Your resume leads with financial services engagements

• Your bullet points emphasize payments and lending work

• Your skills section highlights fintech domain expertise

Same core experience. Three different framings. Each one positions you perfectly for that specific vertical.

Change 4: Your Conversations Get Easier

Before Three Verticals, when someone asked "what are you looking for?" you gave a rambling answer:

I'm pretty open. I've done a lot of different types of work, so I'm exploring strategy, operations, maybe product or chief of staff. Looking at healthcare, but also fintech and consumer. Really just seeing what's out there.

The person listening thinks: "this person has no idea what they want."

After Three Verticals, when someone asks "what are you looking for?" you give a tight, confident answer:

I'm targeting three things: VP of Strategy at Series B/C healthcare tech companies, Chief of Staff roles in the same space, or VP of Strategy at Series B/C fintech companies. Healthcare is my first choice because I spent five years at Deloitte building strategies for health systems, but fintech is a close second given my financial services background.

The person listening thinks: "this person knows exactly what they want and has thought it through."

That confidence changes the entire dynamic of the conversation. Instead of them trying to figure out if you're a fit for anything, they're immediately thinking about specific people they know in those three verticals.

Common Mistakes When Using the Three-Verticals Method

Even when consultants try to implement this framework, they often make mistakes that undermine it. Here's what to avoid:

Mistake 1: Making Your Verticals Too Broad

Some consultants pick "verticals" that are still way too broad:

• "Strategy roles at tech companies"

• "Operations roles at startups"

• "Chief of Staff roles in healthcare"

These aren't verticals. These are still categories. A vertical needs to be specific enough that you can name 20-30 companies that fit the criteria and start reaching out to them.

Too broad: "Strategy roles at tech companies" (there are 10,000+ tech companies)

Specific vertical: "VP of Strategy at Series B/C SaaS companies focused on healthcare verticals" (there are maybe 50-100 companies that fit this, and you can make a list)

Mistake 2: Making Your Verticals Too Similar

Some consultants pick three verticals that are basically the same thing with minor variations:

• VP of Strategy at Series B healthcare tech

• VP of Strategy at Series C healthcare tech

• VP of Strategy at growth-stage healthcare tech

This is just one vertical with three different phrasings. You're not giving yourself multiple paths forward, you're over-indexing on one specific target.

Your three verticals should have meaningful differences. Same role, different industry. Same industry, different role. Different stage. Something needs to vary meaningfully.

Mistake 3: Changing Your Verticals Every Two Weeks

Some consultants pick three verticals, spend two weeks on them, don't see immediate results, and then pick three new verticals.

This is thrashing. You never build momentum in any vertical because you keep restarting.

Give your verticals at least 60 days before you change them. It takes time to build visibility, have conversations, and make progress. If you're changing your targets every two weeks, you're always starting from zero.

Mistake 4: Not Actually Committing to Them Publicly

Some consultants pick three verticals in private but never actually communicate them publicly.

Their LinkedIn still says "exploring opportunities in strategy and operations." Their outreach messages are still generic. They tell people "I'm pretty open to different things."

If you're not willing to commit to your verticals publicly, you haven't actually picked them. The whole point is to position yourself clearly so that the right opportunities come to you. That only works if you're explicit about what you're targeting.

What to Do If You're Still Stuck After Following This Process

Some consultants go through the Three-Verticals Method and still feel stuck. Usually it's because of one of three issues:

Issue 1: "I Don't Know Enough to Pick"

You say "I don't know enough about these roles/industries to decide which ones I want."

The fix: You don't need perfect information to pick your verticals. You need enough information to make a directional choice, and then you refine as you learn more.

Pick your best guess based on the information you have. Commit to those three verticals for 60 days. Have 10-15 conversations. You'll learn fast whether those verticals are right or if you need to adjust.

Analysis paralysis is procrastination dressed up as diligence. Make a decision and learn by doing.

Issue 2: "I'm Worried I'm Picking the Wrong Thing"

You say "what if I pick these three verticals and miss out on something better?"

The fix: There is no "wrong" choice as long as you're making an informed decision based on your strengths, interests, and constraints.

Picking three verticals doesn't mean you're locked in forever. It means you're focusing your next 90 days. If you get 60 days in and realize one vertical isn't working, you can swap it out for something else.

But the cost of not choosing is way higher than the cost of choosing "wrong." Not choosing means you make zero progress. Choosing means you learn fast and can course-correct.

Issue 3: "All Three Verticals Feel Like Compromises"

You say "none of these feel like the perfect fit, they all feel like I'm settling."

The fix: If everything feels like a compromise, you're probably holding out for a fantasy role that doesn't exist or is incredibly rare.

Your verticals don't need to be perfect. They need to be good enough that you'd be excited to take one of these roles if it came along, and good enough that you can position yourself credibly.

If you're three months into your search and still waiting for perfect clarity, you're stuck in analysis paralysis. Pick your best three options and move forward. You can always refine once you have real conversations and offers to evaluate.

What Success Looks Like (Real Examples)

Let me show you what this looks like when people actually execute it.

Example 1: BCG Manager → Director of Operations

Background: Priya, Manager at BCG, 6 years across retail and consumer goods.

Her Three Verticals:

1. Director of Operations at DTC consumer brands (Series B/C)

2. VP of Strategy at DTC consumer brands (Series B/C)

3. Chief of Staff at consumer tech companies (growth-stage)

What Happened:

Month 1: She updated her LinkedIn to clearly state these three verticals. She reached out to 20 people from her network who were in consumer brands or consumer tech. Ten responded, six turned into calls.

Month 2: She identified 30 companies across her three verticals. She sent direct messages to hiring managers at 15 of them. Five responded, three turned into exploratory conversations.

Month 3: One of those exploratory conversations turned into "we're actually opening a Director of Operations role next quarter, let's stay connected." Another contact from her network reached out: "I saw your LinkedIn post, my company is hiring for a VP of Strategy role, want an intro?" She interviewed, got an offer, accepted.

Total time: 11 weeks. Three clear verticals. One accepted offer.

Example 2: Deloitte Senior Manager → VP of Strategy

Background: Marcus, Senior Manager at Deloitte, 7 years across financial services and healthcare.

His Three Verticals:

1. VP of Strategy at Series B/C fintech companies

2. VP of Strategy at Series B/C healthcare tech companies

3. Chief of Staff at fintech or healthcare tech companies (Series B/C)

What Happened:

Month 1: He built a list of 50 companies (25 fintech, 25 healthcare tech) that fit his stage criteria. He spent 10 hours researching each vertical to understand the competitive landscape and key problems.

Month 2: He started engaging with content from VPs and founders at companies on his list. He wrote two LinkedIn posts about trends in embedded lending and healthcare payments. One post got traction, three VPs from target companies commented and DM'd him.

Month 3: Those three conversations led to referrals and introductions. He interviewed at five companies (three fintech, two healthcare tech). He got offers from two fintech companies. He chose the one where the problem was most interesting.

Total time: 13 weeks. Three clear verticals. Two offers to choose from.

Your Next Move

If you're stuck in "I could do anything" mode and you need to get focused fast, here's what to do this week:

Day 1-2: Complete Steps 1-4 of the Three-Verticals Method

Dump all your options, then apply the three filters (strengths, interests, constraints). Get yourself down to 5-8 possible combinations.

Day 3: Pick Your Three Verticals

Force the final decision. Hell Yes, Strong Yes, Solid Backup. Write them down. These are your targets for the next 90 days.

Day 4: Update Your LinkedIn

Change your headline and summary to clearly state your three verticals. Be explicit. Make it easy for people to understand what you're targeting.

Day 5: Build Your Target Company List

For each vertical, list 15-20 companies that fit the criteria. This gives you a concrete list of places to research and reach out to.

Day 6-7: Start Reaching Out

Send 10 messages to people in your network or directly to hiring managers at target companies. Lead with your vertical, make your positioning clear.

Within 7-14 days, you'll see the difference. Conversations will feel easier because you're clear about what you want. People will start making introductions because they know exactly where to send you. Your job search will have direction instead of drift.

The Real Value of Three Verticals

Here's what changes when you actually commit to three verticals:

You stop feeling paralyzed by options. You have a framework for saying yes to some things and no to others.

You stop sounding unfocused in conversations. People understand what you're targeting and can actually help you.

You build real expertise in your verticals fast. You become the person in your network who knows a lot about Series B healthcare tech or fintech operations or whatever you've chosen. That makes you interesting and memorable.

You start having the right conversations with the right people. Instead of scattered outreach to everyone, you're doing targeted outreach to people who make decisions in your exact verticals.

And most importantly: you make progress. Instead of spending six months "exploring all your options," you spend 90 days building real momentum in three specific directions, and one of them turns into an offer.

The generalist curse is real. But the fix isn't to stop being a generalist. It's to be a generalist who knows how to focus.