Newsletter

Most people start a senior search by protecting a number. The comp they're on, the level they've reached — those become the floor, and the search turns into a hunt for roles that clear it. Reasonable. Also backwards. When the level is the target, you aim at the label. You filter for the title, screen for the band, and end up interviewing for roles you can technically do at a company you'll technically tolerate. You clear the bar. And six months in, you're running the same sea

"I keep getting to hiring managers and stalling out." I hear some version of that every week. And on its own, it tells me almost nothing. Here's why. Say your direction's settled — you know the role, you know the industry. That same role still shows up in the market wearing wildly different shapes. A 25-person seed startup and Stripe might both be hiring the exact title you're going for, in the exact space you've picked. They are not the same conversation. Stage, size, who yo

You've known since winter. You updated the resume, had a few conversations, told yourself you'd really get going once the launch shipped, the reorg settled, or some other milestone outside your control arrived. It's June. You haven't really started. I don't think that's procrastination, and I don't think it's fear of rejection. Most senior people I talk to are avoiding something more specific: the length. A senior search runs six to nine months on a good day — no deadline, no

A lot of the people on my calendar right now aren't looking yet. They're "getting ready." The real search starts in September — once summer's done, the holidays are out of the way, and they've had time to sort themselves out. I get the instinct. September feels like the proper starting line. New quarter, everyone back at their desks, roles opening up. But here's what usually happens between now and then. "Getting ready" turns into tinkering. A new resume bullet in July. A few

There's a specific kind of paralysis that hits senior Amazon leaders when they start interviewing externally. It's not that they don't know what they've done. They know exactly what they've built, the scale they've operated at, the decisions they've owned. The problem is that at Amazon, they never had to explain it. The system did that for you. Your level, your scope, your org chart position — it all spoke before you opened your mouth. The people you were trying to impress al

Everyone’s talking about how hard the market is right now. Tech stocks are down. Hiring feels slower. The headlines make it sound like nobody’s moving. And yet — in the last 12 months, 10 of my 24 US clients have landed new roles and the rest are still in active searches at various stages. Same market. Same economy. Same headlines. So what’s actually going on? The patterns from inside my practice I started tracking something simple: time from locked personal brand to accepted

Last week I wrote about why capable people stall mid-search — how most of the time it's not a tactics problem, it's a compression problem. The direction isn't tight enough for effort to compound. A few of you wrote back and said: I've made the decision. I know what I'm going after. It's still slow. So this week I want to talk about what comes after the decision. Because that part is less obvious than people think. And it's where a lot of senior searches quietly lose weeks. Th

You can usually tell when someone is serious about changing roles. They’re not dabbling. They’re not “just looking.” They’ve updated their resume, started conversations, maybe even landed a few interviews. And yet — progress is slow. Or inconsistent. Or weirdly fragile. This is the point where most people assume the problem is tactical. I need better interview prep. ​​ I need a stronger resume. ​​ I need to apply to more roles. But after working with hundreds of senior candid

Big tech taught many of us that being “fungible” was a strength. You could move between teams. Your scope could change with a reorg. A new leader could look at your background and say, “We could use someone like you over here.” That worked because the system did the translation for you. Everyone shared the same language. Everyone understood leveling. Everyone had a mental model for what different roles actually meant in practice. You didn’t have to explain the problem you sol

One of the trickier moments in a job search looks like this: Things are finally moving. Conversations are warmer. Your name is circulating. And instead of feeling calm, you start thinking: “Should I be doing more?” ​​ “Should I broaden this?” ​​ “Am I being too narrow?” That impulse is understandable.It ’s also where a lot of people quietly derail themselves. The mistake I see at this stage When early momentum shows up, people often respond by expanding : More roles More titl

Every December, clients start asking: “Should I squeeze in a certification before January? Will it help my job search?” Sometimes the answer is yes. Most of the time, the answer is: it depends on what story you’re trying to tell. Here’s how I coach clients through this decision. 1. Quick certifications only pay off if they reinforce something you're already strong in A weekend or 3–5 hour certification can absolutely add credibility - ​ but only when it formalizes work you al

I recently had a wrap-up conversation with a client - someone whose search took longer and went in more directions than he expected. He landed a role he’s excited about, and while I’m over the moon for that win, the real story (I think) is in what the process taught him. His search wasn’t straightforward - there was clarity work, networking, timing, and a lot of figuring out what actually felt right. Here’s what he shared: 1. “I had to put my own oxygen mask on first.” He’d b

If you’ve worked in big tech for any length of time, this week probably hit close to home. The Amazon layoff news is rippling through teams and communities everywhere — even for those not directly impacted. It ’s heavy. And it brings up a familiar mix of emotions: relief, worry, guilt, and the quiet question of “what if I’m next?” If you’re reading this from the other side — maybe you’ve already gone through one of the previous rounds of layoffs, or you left before the cuts —

(so you can help them immediately see how you're the answer to their problem) If job posts make you think “I could do totally do this...

Problem: Referrals help you stand out amongst applicants - but waiting for one stalls momentum.​ Why it matters: Shortlists often fill early. Many referral systems only add a flag in the ATS. Speed + clarity gets you seen.​ TL;DR: Apply first. Then send the same 2–3 sentence blurb to either (a) a hiring manager/recruiter or (b) a warm contact to forward/flag. Company referral policies vary—ask your contact how they’d like to handle it. Timing rule: Warm contact who repli