Can you guess the number one reason executives do not get that ideal opportunity? It may shock you.
The executive level is unique in that the supply and demand is not in your favor. There are fewer opportunities above 250K than below and these opportunities are not “a dime a dozen.”
As an executive, your competition is not the unemployed. Your competition is the well-qualified. Executives do not get recruited based on availability but rather qualification. Just because you decide to go on a job search does not mean opportunities appear. The odds are more likely that an opportunity will show up when you are not even looking.
I have recruited through three recessions, and I have noticed that the senior level people who are always in demand, despite the economic climate, are the ones who are always ready. When an opportunity knocks, the window for that opportunity can be very small to get in.
Sometimes it is chance encounter with a big PE executive or an executive recruiter reaches out to you – those windows can be as short as 24 hrs.
The odds are more likely that an opportunity will show up when you are not even looking.
Day in and day out, there is always a lot on our plates. There are lots of priorities screaming for our attention. Only about 1% of the people I talked to have truly prioritized always being ready even when things are going great and there is no sign of a storm ahead.
ANSWER: The number one reason executives do not get that next ideal opportunity is because they were not ready when it knocked.
ABR: Always Be Ready
