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VPIT and Enterprise Systems

How Dave landed a Head of IT role after 300 applications, 36 interviews and a layoff mid-search

Role landed
Head of IT
Interviews landed
36

Dave came to us because his role had stagnated, not because he had to. Then he was laid off while the search was already running, which turned a considered move into an urgent one. He landed a Head of IT role at a midsize company based in San Francisco.

The numbers, and what they actually mean

Some 300 roles, some 35, 36 interviews. That's like 10, 12% conversion.

Worth putting that in context rather than leaving it as a boast. The wider market runs at roughly 3 interviews per 100 applications. At 10 to 12%, he was converting three to four times better than that, on the same underlying resume and the same person.

He does not pretend it was comfortable

It was a roller coaster.
There were many ups and downs along the way, many interviews landed, many conversations happened.

And on a role that fell through:

Glad that I didn't get that role, because it wasn't quite right.

His honest read on readiness

The most useful thing he says is about himself rather than about us.

I think this was a process that I had to go through. A lot of it was maybe I wasn't quite ready when we started.

A search of this length is partly interview reps. He is explicit that having the right process, mindset and preparation is what made the difference by the end, and that he wished he had started sooner.

It's a hard process to go through. You need to make sure that you have someone like this with you.

The search in numbers

  • Around 300 applications, 36 interviews, a 10 to 12% conversion rate against a market norm nearer 3%
  • Laid off partway through the search
  • Head of IT at a midsize San Francisco company
  • Level: VP. Function: IT and Enterprise Systems

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