James Whittaker
Sep 19, 2024 · 7 min read
James Whittaker
Sep 19, 2024 · 7 min read
What Is The Ambitious Exec Program?
If you're a Director, VP, or C-Suite executive looking for a fulfilling, high-paying role, here's the truth:
Most executives go about their job search all wrong — thinking that they can rely on job boards and recruiters like they did in the good old days. But for seasoned executives, this “traditional” approach is almost a dead end.
Stick with me for a few minutes and I’ll reveal exactly why this is, as well as teach you my 3-step Reverse Job Search Method that has helped more than 3,000 professionals shrink the time frame to landing new executive roles over the past 6 years.
Now, I know why you’re reading this: You’re tired of rejection letters, you’re frustrated that the right executive-level roles aren’t showing up online, and you’re sick of getting stuck with low-level recruiters who never put you in front of a real decision-maker. That’s either your reality right now, or you fear it’s just around the corner.
The Reverse Job Search Method
The Reverse Job Search Method provides the systems and frameworks that solves these problems, and I’ll tell you how in just a second.
Let’s start with job boards: they’re flooded with competition, making success incredibly challenging.
You probably already know this. But what you probably don’t know is how job boards make their money – they make it through clicks on job ads and the number of applications they can generate. Job boards literally profit from all that competition – that’s why, on average, there’s 250 applications for every single posting.
No one benefits from this, not the companies posting the jobs, and not you. And it’s exactly why most of the best executive roles never make it to job boards.
Stay with me and I’ll tell you where all the best executive roles actually are to be found.
But first I’ll tell you where they’re not to be found – they’re not with individual recruiters.
Many executives think that if they find the right recruiter, that they can sit back and relax and the recruiter will do all the work – that the recruiter will go out and find a job for them.
But that’s a myth.
Are You A Recruiter?
No. Recruiters don't work for you. They’re paid by companies to find candidates. That means they’ll ghost you the moment a more perfect candidate comes along. To them you’re a commission check. You’re a payday not a person.
Worst still, individual recruiters only have access to a tiny fraction of the roles available. So while thousands of opportunities might be out there for you, working with one or two individual recruiters means you'll never see them.
So if your job search is focused on finding the right recruiter, I’m afraid it’s going to take a long, long time unless you’re very lucky.
And to me, relying on luck is not a great strategy.
The thing is, although job boards make money by creating competition for jobs and recruiters don’t and will never do the work for you, that’s not even the worst part of this.
The worse thing is that many executives truly believe that the solution to their job search problems lie in beating that traditional system – so having a “better” resume to overcome all the job board competition or the “right recruiter” to open doors for them.
That strategy is like putting brand new tires on a car that doesn’t have an engine. Sure, it looks good, but you’re not going anywhere.
No, the real problem is that most executives don’t realize that 80% of the best roles are never advertised.
The Hidden Job Market
These roles exist in what’s called the hidden job market — it’s by far the most valuable pool of opportunities out there. And if you’re not tapping into it right now, you’re missing out on the best roles that could absolutely transform your career.
The hidden job market is where you should be focusing all your efforts.
But most people don’t even know about it, let alone how to access it. And it’s not like you can just jump online and tap into this hidden job market. And you certainly can’t go asking a recruiter.
There’s only one way to access it — referrals.
It’s the truth – there was even a recent study by the recruiting software company JobVite which revealed that with a referral, you have a 57.1% chance of getting hired. Without a referral? It’s just 6.4%. That is an incredible difference.
And it makes sense when you think about it - there’s a reason referrals work so well in the executive hiring game.
Not only do referrals make the best hires and that’s why companies love them, but logically, let’s use a real life example: who do you think a Chief Marketing Officer would choose for that coveted VP role — would it be one of the 400 people who applied online with a faceless resume, or would it be the candidate who was personally recommended by another VP with a glowing endorsement?
It’s obvious. That’s the power of a referral.
And that’s why if you want rapid success in the executive job market, if you want to shrink the time frame to securing your next executive role, you have to focus your efforts on getting referrals to unlock the hidden job market.
But I can almost hear the big question brewing in your mind right now: how on Earth do I get a referral if I don’t know anyone at the companies that I want to work at?
Well that’s exactly what the Reverse Job Search Method does, through a suite of systems and frameworks. It’s so powerful I even wrote a bestselling book on it. But since you’re here… let me explain.
The first step in securing those referrals is determining with laser precision exactly what your next role should be, the role that will give you the impact, fulfillment and earning potential that you deserve.
Then you need to determine why you’re the most valuable candidate for that type of role.
You need to convince a decision-maker why they should take you seriously out of the hundreds or even thousands of other people in the market that are vying for the job that should rightfully be yours.
This is why step one of the Reverse Job Search Method is so important – that intersection between the ideal next role and why you’re uniquely valuable for that role – that’s part of the secret sauce to rapidly securing referrals, and ultimately your next career-defining role.
We Call That Intersection Your Executive Story
And a great Executive Story is like a personal brand on steroids.
Now for step 2.
We’ve established that the best roles aren’t on job boards, and a single recruiter won’t get you there either.
The real key to unlocking an almost unlimited supply of opportunity is by knowing the right people and connecting with them at the right time.
But we all know that traditional networking is slow and tedious, and that’s why you need to automate the process.
Our Proprietary "Referral Engine"
Here at The Ambitious Exec we’ve developed a much faster, more scalable approach which saves you vast amounts of time in doing this: we call it the "Referral Engine".
This process uses the best technology in the market and a personalized strategy tailored to your industry, helping you access virtually every decision-maker and executive recruiter in your field.
It’s how our clients quickly start having valuable conversations with the decision-makers that matter, and securing interviews at the places they’re really interested in.
How to Secure Multiple Interviews and Offers at The Same Time
Now the last part, step 3. Once you’re talking to those decision-makers and they see the value in your Executive Story, you need to create leverage.
Leverage means securing multiple interviews and multiple offers at the same time. Now you might ask, well why is this important?
It’s important because leverage gives you options — the option to have multiple opportunities to choose from, so you can select the best company that aligns with your values, and the role that aligns with your personal and career goals.
Plus, with multiple offers, you’ll have a much easier path to negotiating the one offer you do choose, with some of our clients seeing a 20% to 30% increase in their salary.
These three steps are why the Reverse Job Search Method consistently accelerates the executive job search from many months or even years, down to mere weeks or just a few months.
It’s how you eliminate job search pain and frustration, and see much better results.
So instead of trying to figure everything out yourself — what role to pursue, how to update your resume, endlessly scrolling job boards — the Reverse Job Search Method is how you get results faster and with significantly less manual effort, by rapidly increasing your job search IQ.
What Are The Next Steps?
So now you know what we do, and why it works. Let me ask you a question: As a busy executive, do you value your time?
Maybe you’ve been searching for months. Maybe even years. Maybe you’ve failed multiple interviews and you don’t really know why.
How much time have you already spent, or do you fear spending, on a job search that might ultimately end in failure?
Now instead, imagine eliminating all that frustration by having a clear roadmap to follow. The systems and frameworks that will give you a step-by-step process to follow in your job search.
That’s what I can offer you today.
If you’re ready to stop wasting time and want to truly take control of your job search, schedule a call with one of our senior career advisors. Click the button below, and we’ll discuss how our process can work specifically for you.
We only work with clients we know that we can help, so we’ll ask you to complete a short application, and then during the initial call we’ll assess your goals and make sure we’re a good fit to work together.
And yes, we’ll work with you on your resume, LinkedIn profile, interview prep — all the things that make up a successful job search. But what sets us apart as a company is the Reverse Job Search Method that we’ll help you implement.
Everything we do is personalized to you and designed to fast-track your success.
So even if you’re not sure whether you’re ready to make the next big move right now, or whether you need help with your job search, schedule a call anyway. We’ll put together a game plan that works for you.
So click that button below, schedule your call, and let’s get started.
And when you speak with one of my senior career advisors, there’s two key things you’re going to learn, and it’s really the bedrock of what we do with our clients and why we’ve had so much success:
Number 1 is volume: many executives fail because they don’t have the time to uncover all the opportunities out there. With over half a million executive-level openings at any given time, and with over 80% of them in the hidden job market, you’ll see how our Referral Engine process is designed to help uncover these hidden opportunities with the least amount of manual input from you.
Now second is Ramp Time: most executives we see spend many weeks or months stuck in “preparation mode,” rewriting their resume and endlessly scrolling job boards. Our process shrinks this ramp time from months to mere days. We hit the ground running to get you results fast.
This combination of volume and speed is why our clients consistently and quickly land the roles they want.
If you want to see rapid success in your job search, click the button below, schedule a call, and we’ll show you exactly how this will work in your situation.
There’s a reason you’re still here with me, reading this article. You want to make a change. So go ahead and click the button, schedule a call, and let’s get started.
So instead of trying to figure everything out yourself — what role to pursue, how to update your resume, endlessly scrolling job boards — the Reverse Job Search Method is how you get results faster and with significantly less manual effort, by rapidly increasing your job search IQ.
This website is operated and maintained by The Ambitious Exec. Use of the website is governed by its Terms Of Service and Privacy Policy.
The Ambitious Exec is a career consulting and training company that helps people learn the optimal approach to securing a new role. We do not sell a business opportunity. We do not make specific earnings claims, efforts claims, or claims that our training will make you any money or provide any specific result. All material is intellectual property and protected by copyright. Any duplication, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited.
Testimonials appearing on this site are collected or recorded via survey text submission, email text, video, or interview. They are individual experiences, reflecting real life experiences of those that have chosen to work with The Ambitious Exec. However, they are individual results and results may vary. We do not claim that they are typical results that clients will generally achieve. The testimonials are not necessarily representative of all of those who will be a client at The Ambitious Exec.
The training provided is general in nature, and some strategies may not be appropriate for all individuals or all situations. Guarantee disclaimer: if you become a client, we will work with you for a period of up to 12 months to secure your next role. In our experience, this exceeds the time required to complete a successful high-level job search. Salary increase statistic disclaimer: by reading or using this website or purchasing any product from us, we in now way claim or guarantee that your salary will be improved or that you will earn any money.
Statements and depictions are the opinions, findings, or experiences of individuals who generally have purchased education and training. We track satisfaction of services by voluntary surveys.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the website author and do not reflect the opinions of any other company, entity or individual. Furthermore, this website is not in any way affiliated or endorsed by any company, entity or individual that is mentioned on this site.
The Company may link to content or refer to content and/or services created by or provided by third parties that are not affiliated with the Company. The Company is not responsible for such content and does not endorse or approve it. The Company may provide services by or refer you to third-party businesses. Some of these businesses have common interest and ownership with the Company.
The Ambitious Exec - 4845 Pearl East Cir Ste 118 Boulder, CO 80301
We use cookies to help improve, promote and protect our services. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use.