He saw the layoff coming: 26 interviews and a Senior Director role

Here’s a man I’d never play chess with:

After many years at the same software company, one of our clients had watched a new CEO come in, a new leadership team take shape, and eventually almost the entire C-suite had changed.

He could see where things were heading, so he started his search while he was still employed.

For the first 3 to 4 months, he handled it himself and managed to get just two interviews.

Then he joined us. And a few weeks later, he was laid off.

The right role, not the first one

That could have turned the search into a panic-driven exercise, but we already had the process running. The goal was still the same: find the right Senior Director or VP-level opportunity rather than simply get him into the first company willing to talk.

He was very clear about that from the beginning:

“I'm confident about getting some interviews but getting the right role in the right company is very important to me.”

So we went broad on the market while staying disciplined about the quality of the opportunities.

300+ applications and constant follow-ups

The team submitted 300+ targeted applications, reached out to recruiters and hiring teams, and kept following up when the first message didn't get a response.

That persistence became one of the biggest drivers of the search.

As he told us later:

“Constant follow-ups, that is something that you guys are good at... I'm assuming that it's all because of the follow-ups that I got most of the interviews.”

Within four months, he had 26 interviews, from large enterprises to fast-growing tech companies.

Eventually, he accepted a Senior Director role at a well-known company, with a significant step up in total compensation.

After accepting the offer, he told us:

“There was no way I could have applied to 300+ jobs. I definitely would not have had that much amount of time.”

What it takes to land a Director-level role today

If you’ve been asking yourself what it takes to land a Director-level role in the modern market, there’s your answer.

Finding the opportunity is one thing. Applying, reaching the right person, following up, tracking every conversation and staying prepared across multiple processes is a completely different workload.

He started looking because he saw the writing on the wall. By the time the layoff actually came, he already had a search working in his favor.

If you're a senior technology leader considering a move and want someone to take the search off your plate, book a call with our team.