Executive recruiters are usually overwhelmed with applications. Most resumes are difficult to read, and up to 95% of applicants are not right for the job, so it takes time to figure out if the executive is worth an interview. Due to a variety of hiring complications related to COVID, The Great Resignation, and then the mass layoffs that started in December 2023, the hiring world is in chaos, with great and terrible stories on both sides of the hiring desk. The hiring process is longer than ever before because hiring is expensive, so companies want to hire good matches who will actually stay at the company for a while. This takes time.

A gap in your employment is not necessarily a turn-off. Recruiters understand that COVID caused a lot of employment issues from 2020-2022 and that there have been mass layoffs since December 2023. If you demonstrate your unique leadership impact and results clearly on your resume, then hiring teams won't care as much about the gap.

Not necessarily. Having a lot of connections (in-person and on LinkedIn) definitely helps, but many executives have landed fantastic positions through executive job boards like Indeed, ExecuNet, and Ladders. Your next great job can come from anywhere and therefore entails a multi-faceted approach. There is no one trick or path to landing a great job.

So, take as many paths as possible to employment: alert friends, talk to colleagues and friends on LinkedIn, search out executive recruiters, and review job boards (and set up job alerts)

When you hear “ATS compliant resume” or “ATS resume,” that refers to a resume that will get through the company’s hiring software and into the hands of people. The ATS helps the recruiters and hiring teams filter out inappropriate and unqualified candidates.

That filtering process does NOT factor in your resume template, colors, graphics, or typeface. The ATS doesn’t read those parts, only the text. The ATS is designed to find resumes based on specific search criteria. It’s a binary search; you’re either in or you’re out. Someone on the hiring team can automate searches for keywords or someone can use the search bar to manually find specific skills. Either way, if your resume doesn’t have the keywords the way that the hiring team searches, you’re out, even if you think that your resume is strong and you’re perfect for the job.

For some older ATS systems, graphics, template, and ornate formatting could cause complications and could keep your resume from ever being seen.