Lauren Ward never expected her first job out of college to become the foundation for a thriving career coaching business. But three years after leaving Meta, the Detroit native has helped more than 300 job seekers land roles at major tech companies through her firm, Lomentum Careers.
Ward, who holds a bachelor of business administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a master’s degree in Integrated Design, Business, and Technology from USC, started at Facebook in 2019 when she was fresh out of college. Her family’s roots in Detroit trace back to the Great Migration, when they moved north from the South after World War II.
“When I was at university, I was doing senior recruiting, and I only really had one other offer at a consulting firm based in Detroit,” said Ward, 28. “When I saw the opportunity at Meta arise, I couldn’t say no. It was the best offer from the best company that I had available.”
Inside Meta’s Startup Culture
Ward worked in many spaces during her time at Meta, including quality work on Facebook Stories, prepping Facebook Reels to launch in North America, and performing parity development work on Instagram Reels. In starting her career, she noticed that her experience revealed a common misconception about the tech giant.
“The biggest misconception is that everybody assumes because Meta is this multi-billion dollar company that everything runs according to plan, so everything is smooth and efficient,” Ward said. “It’s actually more like a startup culture with so many products and verticals that each one essentially acts like its own company.”
She noted that this decentralized structure means decisions are made at the product level, with little crossover between departments. It is essentially “a group of mini companies all within a big conglomerate.”
Identifying Market Opportunity
Ward’s transition from Meta employee to entrepreneur began while she was still at the company, serving on interview panels. She recognized a gap in the market for specialized coaching tailored to big tech interviews.
“Given my experience interviewing potential employees, I realized I could offer useful insight to candidates that they may not necessarily get from a recruiter,” she said. “With product management interviews, there’s a very specific way that you have to prepare specific frameworks, outlines, and delivery are what interviewers are looking for.”
Ward moved to Atlanta in August 2022, and started Lomentum Careers six months later. Ward has focused exclusively on product management roles, developing frameworks for product sense questions, questions requiring analytical notating, and leadership assessments.
Tearing Down Hiring Barriers
Ward’s insider perspective revealed what she considers the most critical factor for success: strategic alignment with company priorities.
“Having very strong strategic alignment, understanding the company, what they value at the moment, where they’re dedicating resources for upcoming quarters, and being able to speak to that in your interview answers is really helpful,” she said.
She emphasizes that successful candidates must balance granular analysis with big-picture thinking, adapting quickly to changing circumstances that are common in fast-paced tech environments, and particularly product.
Success Stories and Compensation Impact
One of Ward’s most rewarding coaching experiences involved a client who landed a $300,000 offer as a Level 6 product manager at Meta after starting with no interview experience.
“He came in with low self-confidence, and confidence is a big piece in acing these interviews,” Ward recalled. “I started him from scratch, and because we had practiced so much and I prepped him in all the right areas, he was able to land that offer.”
Ward stresses that interview performance directly impacts compensation, making proper preparation crucial for maximizing earning potential.
Evolving Hiring Landscape
The career coach has observed significant changes in the hiring process, particularly regarding artificial intelligence. Companies now screen for AI-generated application materials, automatically rejecting candidates who use such tools.
“They have screens for that now and they’ll just toss you out if anything feels like it was AI, or if there’s any invisible watermark that says AI,” Ward warned.
She advises candidates to avoid AI resume generators and instead focus on networking and internal referrals, which she considers essential given the volume of applications major tech companies receive.
Advice for Non-Traditional Backgrounds
Ward encourages candidates from non-traditional tech backgrounds, noting that major companies value diverse perspectives and critical thinking skills developed outside computer science.
“Big tech loves non-traditional backgrounds because they want employees equipped to frame experiences and solve hard problems through not only technology and computer science, but how you think critically,” she said.
Her recommendations include developing side projects in target areas of interest, working with industry professionals for insights, and writing cover letters that clearly explain career pivot motivations.
Future of Tech Recruiting
Despite AI’s growing influence in hiring, Ward believes human expertise remains irreplaceable. She views AI as a tool that enhances rather than replaces human capabilities in both job seeking and recruitment.
“AI is going to be a tool that helps us do our jobs but not necessarily replace them,” she said. “I would take the same approach across the board, even as it relates to hiring and job seeking.” Ward even owns her own AI firm ,Buildhouse.ai, a secondary business venture that connects customers to AI builders who optimize, build, and implement AI solutions for small and medium-sized businesses in Atlanta. Recently the company led a workshop at this year’s Atlanta Tech Week, teaching junior and associate product managers how to apply AI in their daily workflows.
Ward continues to update her knowledge of hiring practices through client feedback, recruiter insights, and industry networks, ensuring her coaching methods remain current with evolving tech industry standards.