Executive Layoffs

Executive layoffs bring distinct challenges. The process of regrouping to explore the market and land a new role has shifted dramatically in recent years and few executives are prepared to navigate an effective search. Technology has changed the hiring process significantly, many networks have become dormant, and signals of candidate quality such as tenure lengths, gaps between roles, and salary have become more tenuous.

Unaware of Market Conditions

Many executives have been poached or promoted throughout their careers and have not actively searched for a new role for years (sometimes even decades). This means many executives are unaware of current job search best practices.

Applicant Tracking Systems and auto reject messages may cause concern among Executive job seekers. Most auto reject questions relate to location or required qualifications, such as credentials. Applicant Tracking Systems also data mine resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and other submissions for keyword hits relevant to the role. Many job seekers can become distracted by keyword hits and scoring on these dashboards, but at the executive level, we see more emphasis on relationships and building a case for how you can impact an organization. Plan to network, earn internal advocates, and follow-up on opportunities to position yourself as a candidate of choice as opposed to trying to score 100% on these platforms.

The market has shifted dramatically in the past 5 years due to the rise in candidate volume. Outreach to hiring authorities grew during Covid, leading some executives to use blocking tools on their emails. Remote hiring accelerated video interview technology or the use of Zoom for preliminary interviews. Video interactions require a different level of nuance and interaction than in-person communications.

Mastering your professional presentation on video is now paramount. Practice introducing yourself, sharing your branding statement, functional areas of expertise, and proposed impact. A video introduction may be expected, whether in a video interview or in a pre-recorded form that you submit to decision makers.

AI tools have attempted to accelerate the application process; however, most often this simply bloats candidate pools with underqualified candidates and blandly uniform (sometimes even carbon copy) resumes. AI tools often prevent you from standing out as a distinctive candidate. In this way, AI can sometimes stall your search. AI can be helpful for interview prep, generating keyword lists, or gathering your thoughts in early stages of content development, but it needs to be seriously edited, customized, and infused with your distinct voice, metrics, and value offering before submission.

Another significant change in the market are salary ranges. Salaries ballooned post-Covid. The white collar recession and more recent layoffs are resetting expectations. While salary transparency laws can provide some guidance in terms of salary expectations in your field and region, there is still a wide range of variability that can impact a candidate’s perceived value. If you ask for too little, then hiring authorities may assume you’re not the high-caliber candidate they need. If you ask for too much, then you may price yourself out of an offer. Preliminary research and offering a range instead of a hard number can help executives navigate the offer stage of the hiring process.

New Channels of Communication

Few executives are accustomed to a multi-channel job search. Plan to extend outreach and follow-up across several channels — social media content and messaging, application portals, voice notes, brief video recordings, and more will supplement more traditional channels like networking, email, and phone calls. Familiarize yourself with the social media channel(s) common in your field.

Social Media usage and preferred platforms vary widely, but you can expect LinkedIn as a proof point at the very least. At the bare minimum, you will be expected to maintain a professional profile. LinkedIn can also be used as a lead generation engine. This requires populating the fields more intentionally, leveraging newer features, engaging with target companies and potential colleagues, and possibly even creating your own content.

Dormant Network

Many executives many find their network has become dormant. Executives can reactivate their networks by sending a message, setting up a conversation, writing a recommendation, or adding value in some other way. Quickly expand your network by asking for introductions and more names to book more conversations, if your contacts are comfortable sharing them. Introductions and recommending additional contacts are the most valuable activity in your job search, so try to capitalize on the goodwill you have earned by asking for connections and conversations.

Often, people make the mistake of only networking UP. In this case, some executives find that key players may have changed industries or even retired. If you need to start fresh, consider tracking down potential contacts through websites like theorg.com or LinkedIn. You can research org charts, determine to whom you would report, and begin building a relationship based on shared goals.

Longer Tenures as an Executive

Some executives have been working with the same employer for decades, which can lead to concerns about the executive being entrenched or stagnant. To offset this concern, be ready to showcase adaptability and a history of development. 

If the organization has navigated a series of transformations, speak about the change in your resume, LinkedIn profile, networking conversations, and interview answers. This will help impart to hiring authorities that while the name may have stayed the same, your role and the organization did not.

Another avenue to showcase how your skillset and contributions have evolved is to discuss training, professional development, credentials, and involvement in professional organizations. Your commitment to honing your skills will build confidence among decision makers that you are resilient and can swiftly adapt to a new role and new organization.

Brief Tenures as an Executive

Market disruptions, economic changes, shifting priorities and board strategies can all accelerate C-Suite and Executive turnover. Average C-Suite tenures are getting shorter (https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-02-05-gartner-hr-survey-reveals-more-than-half-of-csuite-leaders-are-likely-to-leave-over-the-next-2-years#:~:text=CHROs%20Play%20a%20Critical%20Role,Source:%20Gartner%20(October%202024)), but we continue to see more interest in candidates with 2+ year tenures. 

Candidates with a tenure of less than one year will want to be able to speak to the measurable impact they delivered and the missions they accomplished to showcase the value beyond timeline.

Executives with several brief tenures may wish to streamline their work history to avoid being flagged as an opportunist, poorly qualified, or priced out of contention.

Longer Gaps Between Executive Roles

Executives are more likely to experience longer gaps between roles. Many executives exited and re-entered the workforce during and after the pandemic and the white collar recession has prolonged job searches. Sometimes executives are pulled back into the company they are departing with retention bonuses to ensure a clean hand-offs, which can further prolong the search process and drain the exiting talent.

On a more positive note, departing executives often take advantage of severance packages and some executives opt for a career break before taking on another demanding role. High-level candidates may face higher levels of burnout, as they often devote several years to climbing the corporate ladder with few real breaks.

For these reasons, and many more, we are seeing the time between roles extending for executives. Unfortunately, longer gaps between roles can make it more difficult to secure your next role. A recent study found callback rates dropped by one half to one third once gaps extended beyond two years. (https://hbr.org/2024/07/research-resume-gaps-still-matter)

In addition, candidates may find it tougher to negotiate competitive compensation with a gap. Research indicates candidates with no gaps see an average increase in comp of 22%, whereas candidates with a gap gravitate more around the 14% range. Interestingly, this disparity was not seen in organizations with less than 1,000 employees (https://hbr.org/2024/07/research-resume-gaps-still-matter), so candidates with a gap extending beyond two years may want to consider targeting small and medium-sized organizations.

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Smooth Executive Transition

Executives new to the job market bring a whole new world of talent. Leveling up your knowledge of the modern search practices can help smooth the transition and make exploring the market exciting as opposed to intimidating. Learn about the new technologies used in hiring practices at your level. Be prepared to articulate your brand and value offering across several channels, then reactivate and expand your network. Hone your messaging to ensure the signals you are sending emphasize your impact and expertise, while addressing potential concerns like tenure lengths or gaps to improve your prospects.