How a senior search runs
- Any timeStay readyProfile, LinkedIn and wins kept current, so a call doesn't start a scramble.
- FirstDecideThe role, level, scope and companies you want, and your number.
- NextTell peopleFormer managers, peers and people who worked for you, one at a time.
- AlongsideRecruiters and rolesSearch firms that place your function, and the posted roles that fit.
- ThenInterviewsScreen, interviews about the work, then senior rounds and references.
- LastThe offerThe whole package in writing, one ask with a reason, then decide.
The search, step by step
Each step has its own guide. Read this page for the order, then open the guide for the step you're on.
Stay ready before you need to
Keep your profile, resume, LinkedIn and a log of your wins current while you're employed. A search that starts from an up-to-date profile starts weeks ahead.
Decide what you're looking for
The role, level, scope, industries and location you want, and the number you'd sign at. Write it as one sentence a friend could repeat to someone else.
Work your network first
Start with people who've seen your work. Ask for advice and introductions, not for a job, and make your ask easy to forward.
Talk to the recruiters who place your function
Search firms often hear about roles before they're posted, and some never are. Give them the same target, range and story every time.
Interview, then negotiate
More rounds and more people deciding than in earlier searches. Each round, and the offer, has its own step below.
Your network versus applying
Do both, but not equally. Applying is quick and easy to measure; a conversation with someone who knows your work is slower and usually goes further.
Start with people who've seen your work
Former managers, peers and people who reported to you can vouch for you in a way a resume can't. Write to them one at a time, not as a group.
Ask for advice and introductions
"Who should I talk to?" is easy to say yes to. "Do you have a job for me?" is easy to say no to.
Make it easy to forward
Send a short note they can pass on without rewriting it: the role you want, one line of proof, and how to reach you.
Apply where it fits, with a referral when you can
Posted roles still get filled. Before or after you apply, find one person at the company who can put your name in front of the hiring manager.
Keep a list
Who you talked to, what they said, and when to follow up. A senior search runs for months, and follow-ups slip without one.
Working with executive recruiters
Recruiters can put you in front of roles that are never posted. How they're paid shapes how they work.
Retained or contingent
A retained search firm is paid by a company to fill one specific role, often as its only recruiter for it. A contingent recruiter is paid only when a hire happens, and may send your resume to several companies. Ask a contingent recruiter to check with you before your resume goes anywhere.
Their client is the company
A recruiter can be a real help, but they're paid to fill the role. Be honest and consistent with them about your level, pay and other processes; they compare notes with the client.
Be easy to place
A clear target, a current resume, a pay range and your availability. A recruiter can pitch a sharp profile to a client in a sentence.
Ask what they know
Why the role is open, who decides, the range, how many candidates are on the shortlist, and the timeline. They often know more than the posting says.
Stay in touch between searches
Reply even when a role isn't right, and suggest someone who might fit. Recruiters remember who helped them fill a search.
The interviews and the offer
A senior process usually has more rounds than earlier ones, and more people with a say.
The screen
Your two-minute story, why this role, and logistics. Ask for their range before you name a number.
Interviews about the work
How you'd run the function: decisions, trade-offs and results. Each function tests it differently, so practice the questions yours gets asked.
Product sense rounds
Product leaders get asked to design or improve a product out loud: users, problems, a choice and how you'd measure it.
Case or presentation rounds
Some senior processes add a case, a working session or a presentation to the leadership team. Structure first, then the answer.
Your questions for them
You'll meet peers, your future team and senior leaders, and each round deserves its own questions.
Senior rounds and references
Meetings with the CEO, peers and sometimes the board, then references. Line up references early and tell them what the role needs.
The offer
Base is one line in the package. Equity, level, sign-on and scope often have more room.
Where senior roles come from
Your next role
Your network
- Former managers and peers (highlighted)
- People who worked for you
- Investors and board members you know
Executive recruiters
- Retained search firms
- Contingent recruiters
Applying
- Company career sites
- A referral on a posted role
Being found
- A LinkedIn profile recruiters can search
- Talks, posts and work people can see
A strong answer, line by line
The questionA note to a former manager, asking for help.
Hi Sam, it's been a while. I saw the launch in Lisbon. Congratulations, that was a hard one.
A real reason to write, about them first.
I'm starting to look for my next role: VP of product in fintech or payments, ideally owning a P&L.
One sentence they could repeat to someone else.
Would you have 20 minutes in the next couple of weeks? I'd value your read on the market, and on anyone I should talk to.
Asks for advice and introductions, not a job.
If it's easier, here's a short summary you can forward as is.
Makes the introduction one step for them.
Say this, not that
Weak: “Let me know if you hear of anything!”
Strong: “I'm looking for a VP of product role in payments. Who's one person you think I should talk to?”
A specific ask gets a specific answer.
Weak: “I'm open to anything senior.”
Strong: “VP or head of product, fintech or B2B software, remote or New York.”
A clear target is easy to place and easy to pass on.
Weak: “I've applied to dozens of roles and heard nothing.”
Strong: “I'm focused on ten companies, and I'm looking for a way in at three of them.”
A short list turns a vague request into an introduction.
A note your contacts can forward
Short enough to forward without editing. Fill in the brackets and send it with your ask.
[Your name] is looking for [role] roles in [industry or domain], [location or remote]. [One line of scope and a result, for example: Led product for payments at a mid-size fintech, six teams, three new markets.] Happy to share a resume: [email or LinkedIn URL].
Worked examples
A recruiter from a search firm calls about a role that isn't quite right.
A strong answer- Thanks them and asks a few questions about the role anyway: why it's open, the level, the range.
- Says clearly what would be right: "VP of product, payments or fintech, with a P&L."
- Suggests someone in their network who might fit this one.
- Asks to stay in touch, and sends a current resume.
A common miss"Not interested, thanks," and the call ends in a minute.
Recruiters run many searches. Helping with this one, and saying what you want, puts you first in line for the next.
Your role was eliminated in a reorganization, and a recruiter asks why you're looking.
A strong answer- One plain sentence: "My role was eliminated when the company merged two divisions."
- One sentence on what got done: "Before that, we launched in three countries."
- Moves to what's next and why this role fits.
- Doesn't apologize or criticize the company.
A common missA long account of the reorganization and who decided what.
A role being eliminated needs no defense. Short and factual lets the conversation move to the work.
You're in three processes, and your first choice is moving slowest.
A strong answer- Tells the slower company where things stand: "I'm in late stages elsewhere, and you're my first choice."
- Asks what their timeline looks like and whether it can move.
- If an offer arrives first, asks that company for a few days to decide.
- Never invents a deadline or an offer.
A common missAccepts the first offer to be safe, or bluffs about an exploding offer.
True information lets your first choice speed up, and asking for time is normal at every level.
Common misses in a senior search
Waiting until you need a job
A network you only contact when you're looking is slower to help. Stay in touch while you're happy where you are.
Applying to everything
A long list of applications spreads your attention thin. A short list of companies you'd join gets better introductions and better preparation.
A vague ask
"Let me know if you hear of anything" gives people nothing to act on. Name the role, the level and one company.
Telling different people different numbers
Recruiters and hiring managers talk. Keep your target range and your story consistent everywhere.
Questions people ask
How long does an executive job search take?
Longer than searches earlier in a career, as a rule: there are fewer roles at each level, more interviews in each process, and more people deciding. Plan in months, not weeks, and start before you need to.
Should I use an executive recruiter?
Yes, alongside your network. Search firms often hear about roles that are never posted. Find the recruiters who place your function and level, be clear about what you want, and stay in touch between searches.
How do I find executive jobs that aren't posted?
Through people and search firms. Tell former managers, peers and people who worked for you what you're looking for, ask who else you should talk to, and keep your LinkedIn profile current so recruiters can find you.
Should I tell my employer I'm looking?
Usually not until you've accepted an offer. Keep your search to people you trust, and read the privacy note on LinkedIn's Open to Work before you turn it on.
Is LinkedIn useful for an executive job search?
Yes. Recruiters search it by title, skills and location before they reach out, so a current, specific profile brings the calls to you. It also tells people you contact what you've done before they reply.