Thinking about retiring? How one VP landed a $1M+ offer instead

This client went from earning $1.3 Million to $300K and was wondering whether to retire altogether when we first spoke.

He had spent nearly 18 months casually looking for his next opportunity without much to show for.

From Microsoft and Oracle to consulting

He'd previously held senior leadership positions at Microsoft and Oracle, earning between $700K and $1.3M annually. But after decades in technology, he'd slowed things down and moved into consulting.

There were good reasons for that decision. Consulting gave him flexibility, and more importantly, time with his son, who was going to leave for college soon.

Once he did, though, our client started missing the kind of work he'd spent his career doing. He wanted to lead large engineering initiatives again, build something meaningful and enjoy going to work.

His current VP role paid less than $300K, and the opportunities he was finding weren't particularly exciting.

When his network ran dry

He'd occasionally send out resumes, reach out to former colleagues and search through LinkedIn. But after a year and a half, he wanted to start seeing results.

“I have mined all the contacts I have through LinkedIn and my friends and colleagues I have known over the years and the list ran dry.”

He told us the biggest help he needed was getting in front of an actual hiring manager. And he had been looking to outsource this effort to industry experts. Another provider had already quoted him a hefty upfront fee without offering much reassurance, and he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about spending more money on an uncertain outcome.

One look at his market told us we could offer him a guarantee, so we did.

Rebuilding his resume and running the search

We spent time understanding his career, the engineering organizations he'd led, and the kind of impact he wanted to make next.

Our team worked on rebuilding his resume and positioning him for senior engineering opportunities. Meanwhile, we began identifying relevant openings, reaching out to hiring managers and running the search.

He later told us he'd been about 50% skeptical of the resume work itself.

Then he saw the first draft and told us:

“I was blown away.”

What followed was equally important. After interviews, we'd discuss what went well alongside what needed improvement. He later said that balance helped him become more confident and less critical of his own performance.

A VP of IAM Engineering offer

Over the next five months, he interviewed with companies including NetApp, Walmart, HubSpot, Amazon, HP, Visa and Salesforce.

And eventually, he secured a VP of IAM Engineering offer with $400K+ base and over $1M in total compensation.

Looking back on the experience, he said:

“I couldn't have done this on my own.”

He'd spent over 25 years building an extraordinary career. Getting back into the job market after slowing down required some help, and I'm glad we could give him that.

If you're a senior technology leader considering one more big chapter in your career, my team can help you explore what's out there.