Search Strategies
- Andy Mowat
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 12
Before you start searching, make sure you have clarity on where you are focused. Without it you won't capitalize on each conversation you have and will waste cycles and your network.
Below are a number of search tactics you can use. We recommend picking 2 strategies to focus on - don't rely on just one.
Follow mentors: If you get a chance to work with a great team / manager again, jump at it because it dramatically reduces your risk and ensures you know what you are stepping into. But... often this strategy isn't available....
"I don't know how to sell myself. Every role I've gotten so far in my career has come through connections and following former colleagues." Top GTM Leader
"So many of my mentors have retired / gotten out of the game so following them is no longer an option." SVP of Sales
Back-Door: Use job boards to find open roles but don’t apply to jobs online. The noise is too much, you won’t stand out.
Drafting: Find the select few people doing the role you want today. Build deep relationships with them as they will get hit up by recruiters. You want them to refer you in to recruiters with “I’m not interested but you should really talk with (your name)”
Target List: Having a target list of companies you are proactively networking into gives you a strategy you can always be working on with your network
Recruiters: Recruiters can, if you have the right background, be amazing source of actionable roles. Knowing how to work with both of the following roles and position yourself is something I’ve spent a lot of time researching / building tactics on
Target companies with change. Understand the role you would work for if you are hired (i.e. Head of Revops —> CRO). Watch which companies have just hired that role and target them proactively. Connect with execs before roles are created to craft your role together.
Investors: Venture and Private Equity investors in companies have deep relationships with those companies and want them to succeed by finding the right talent. You can often meet with people who invest 1-2 stages earlier than you are focused as they will have companies that have blown up.
Whispered's Role Database: For Pro Members, Whispered provides the deepest database of unposted senior roles, anywhere. But, as we tell every member, this shouldn't be your only strategy. You can't sit back and wait for roles to come to you. Even with Whispered, you need to leverage your network.
The right strategies for you depends on your background, connections and the types of roles you are looking for. For people we collaborate with on their search we are happy to advise on where you should focus
Notes on Job Boards
VC Job boards are just aggregations of their portfolio company job boards. They don't have the real unposted roles. You aren't likely to find executive roles there for the same reasons they aren't posted elsewhere.
