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When to have the comp conversation and what to say in those discussions is critical When to have the conversation If you are talking with an early stage company , you may want to have the conversation earlier to ensure you are on the same page so you aren’t giving them too much “free consulting”. One way to phrase it is "I'm conscious we've had a few conversations so far, I wanted to make you aware of my expectations around comp. While it's not my number 1 driver, this is important for us to discuss and I want to ensure we're on the same page” If a later stage company, focus on being the preferred candidate (and having leverage) before talking comp. Bigger companies have established bands so they won’t be incredibly off-base like early stage companies can be. If the comp conversation hasn’t been had before making a “presentation” this is a good time to suggest it. i.e “I’m really interested but before we take the next step, shall we make sure we are thinking similar on compensation” Ideally, Do NOT tell the recuiter/hiring manager what you are looking to make- rather get them to first tell you what the job pays. “At some point in the process, when you become the preferred candidate, you should notice the nature of the conversation with the hiring manager/recruiting team switch from transactional to a candid conversation. This is where the hiring manager will be available to speak with you on a frequent basis.” Matthew Parker Who to have the conversation with Be strategic about who you talk comp with: Target having the dialog with the hiring manager, they are more empowered to adjust budget but often recruiting teams will want to discuss earlier Beyond cash and equity amounts, if you aren’t talking to the CEO / working on a role that would report to the CEO, you will hit a dead-end as only the CEO has the ability to approve and these non-cash items will require board approval For established or late-stage companies, often it is best to discuss compensation with the recruiter/ HR. Even though they are just messengers, they can serve as a reality check and can minimize harsh feelings that might occur during negotiations. How to have the discussion You want to push on compensation aggressively but not risk it blowing up an opportunity you are excited about. Here are some ways to position the conversation: Convey Excitement:  "I am excited about the role we are talking about” “I love where we are headed” Convey the value you bring: If they understand why they need you you will have more leverage Convey the Focus on Success: “I want to make sure we are set up for a long-term relationship with aligned incentives” Make Clear Nothing is a Deal-Breaker: “If anything I am asking for is a deal breaker, let’s agree to chat as that is not my goal here” Cash (Salary and Bonus) Posted Comp is Just a Guide: Companies will post crazy broad ranges in their job listings because they are no legally required to put in salary but don’t want to be constrained. If the range is obviously too low then it is probably too junior but if you find yourself in the mid-point, don’t worry too much about the posted range. The more senior the role, the smaller percent of your compensation is your salary, with a much greater amount being annual or long-term grants which are not contained in the postings. A job with a salary posting of $200k max may end up with Total Compensation in the high six figure if annual and long term (stock) pay are included. Know the comps: When you are discussing compensation with a company, it is a great opportunity to reconnect with a top recruiter you have chatted with in the past. Update them on your search and ask their thoughts on comp. This both gives the recruiter information on your search but also engages them. And… recruiters often know comp ranges for other roles they have placed. Talk to friends in similar roles to benchmark as well Here are some good public benchmarks Focus on the band / level first: Ask for bands to understand how they are placing you, your negotiation range. If the band/level is not right, negotiate / get aligned on that first - make sure you are looking at the scope of this role the same. Push out the comp discussion: Focus on becoming the preferred candidate first. Then you will have more leverage Once you say what you are looking for, the offer will never go higher than that. Ideally do not say what you are looking for. Your goal is to have the company tell you the range for the job. If a recruiter is involved, they will often ask about comp early to ensure they are bringing candidates in range. You can position as “comp won’t be a reason I decline”. Try to focus the comp discussion directly with the company Be clear in what you are seeking: Be extremely clear with what you need, are looking for and ask them to meet it vs. negotiating Equity Increasingly it is important to evaluate the health of the cap table. Are there so many preferences in their equity that you can never make money? I tend to (once cash comp is reasonable) focus on negotiating hard on equity for a few reasons: Shows you are passionate about the company You can always get your cash comp up later but it is hard to move up equity comp How much can you negotiate on equity 30% above the offer is generally reasonable Questions to ask on equity: How much equity: A good approach is “how much equity is at work” Equity at work is the concept of “how much equity do you have to start that could grow based on performance of company” Recruiters/companies use this concept to benchmark how much equity you get As a rule-of-thumb, target the equity at work to be 4x your annual salary (researching if this is the right benchmark) 👀 Valuation 👇 is a critical factor in how much equity at work you have. When was the last valuation that you using (date, amount). There are key data points for valuation Last raise: if this was in a different market be careful if they use this 409A: a private company valuation which companies have to do annually. Secondary: If a company is mid-to-late stage, it will may have a secondary market. If you get this it can be a valuable negotiating point. Your stake: Portfolio/startups will often offer a percentage of the company in equity. The greater the Company’s valuation, the smaller the percentage. Make sure you understand the overall value of the company and the value of the percentage offered to you. What is the vesting schedule: What happens if there is an exit/IPO? Here is a dirty secret. Your vesting doesn't start when you are hired but when the board approved your equity package. If the company is later stage, this will average ~60 days (the time to next board meeting). This may be hard to negotiate when joining but you definitely cant' negotiate it when you leave;) Preferences: If it is mid-to-late stage, you can get detailed cap-table with preferences on Forge Policy on refreshes: Many companies are bad at refreshes later on equity + giving more equity if you get promoted. Post IPO companies typically will have structured refresh policies while earlier stage won’t. Things that if you are focusing on a very senior role you can ask for Exercise window on options: From a ‘legal’ standpoint, a company can give you an exercise window 10 years from the day the option vests. Most companies default their option agreement to “if you leave for any reason, you have 90 days to exercise or you lose them”. A company CAN give 5 years. It costs a company NOTHING to extend your exercise window but it could be meaningful to the individual (late stage, private → shares are expensive and potentially illiquid). Typically companies won’t extend much beyond 6 months 83b: have to redo offer letter + other agreement for early exercise Other items For these items, these are generally only seen when: You are at a smaller, more risky company You will be reporting directly to the CEO You have leverage (you are being pulled out of an existing role, you are being asked to relocate, you have existing similar package) Try to have the discussions below BEFORE you get the offer letter. Once you get the offer letter some of this can be hard to get in later What you can negotiate Signing Bonuses: Generally companies have leeway here (they rather this than more salary). They can pretty much always do these to close the deal. These are almost a no-brainer if you are relocating. It is very reasonable and common practice for Companies to provide signing/bonus to make up for equity/bonuses you are leaving behind. A signing bonus may be a way to deal with internal equity issues if you are looking for greater compensation then peer positions Severance: Length: Target min 3 months to 6 months (series A 3 months). An umbrella approach is 24 months of severance starting from day 1 (i.e. if you leave after 1 year you get 12 months of severance). Start Date: Triggers minute offer letter signed (offers sometimes get pulled before start date) Amount: Equals base pay at time or highest pay you have achieved Triggers: If termed or leave for “good reason” (legal term) comp is lowered job is changed substantially you are forced to relocate Health insurance: Make sure this is included, with co-term with severance Pro-rata: Get agreement to be paid out pro-rata bonus/ equity if terminated Non-compete: Not allowed in some states…. most companies won’t budge. If you are fired they can require you to sign as part of a severance agreement If you don’t sign severance package then non-compete in offer letter is more wishy-washy Relocation: If someone is trying to get you to relocate you have a lot of leverage as it is moving your life/family. More Personalized Comp Guidance 🔆 If you are in the negotiation stage and on our premium plan, feel free to slack #searchoutloud to get input.  You only get one chance to negotiate your comp. We recommend Ezra Singer (who helped with the content on this page). He is a former senior HR leader who works with executives negotiating compensation packages > $500k (in cash and equity). Best time engage him is before you start talking to the recruiter/company (recommended) or when you get an offer He is great at guiding you through the negotiation process and role-play See some amazing testimonials here and feel free to reach out directly. Tell him you found him via Whispered Do you know how to pick the right company and role?

When you are interviewing, companies don’t tell you all the information. While the Company Database gives you powerful insights, when you go deeper in the interview process, you will want to ask direct questions to ensure you have as much information as possible. 👌🏼 Don’t forget to add what you learn to the Company Database to help other executives! Questions you should be asking What does the company’s GTM model look like? Do they have Product Market Fit Do they have Channel Market Fit Is Top of Funnel Working? What channels are working and can they scale top of funnel Where are the biggest limitation(s) in their funnel. There always is at least one What is gross, net retention. Companies with gross retention under 85% will struggle to scale. Companies with over 120% net retention are well positioned. Is the space attractive? Are there barriers to entry Is it a mature space: Ask “of the last 100 customers you have added, how many were new to what you do vs. switched from competitors?” If the % that are switched is greater than 25%, it is likely maturing quickly (and the breakout period is over) How is the company positioned financially? Is the company profitable? If not, what is runway? What is last valuation. Is IPO or acquisition still on table or have they lost all the options but IPO (tougher place to be but happens as valuation goes up) How efficient is the company? You can judge the efficiency of a company by revenue per employee. Ideally companies are >$150k at Startup/Early stages and >$250k by Mid/Late stages Is the culture a place you want to work? What is the CEO like (personality wise, tech/GTM focus…) as a company always takes their culture from the CEO Is the culture "product / sales / ....." led Is there lots of turnover at senior levels Is the senior management team experienced or doing it for the first-time Is the org structure in place for you to succeed? What dependency functions will you work closely with? How is your boss to work with? The user manual approach is a great way to diligence this Is this a new role or a backfill? Who can help you diligence a company? Don’t just talk with people on your interview panel. Triangulate and get lots of data points to help you make the right decision, including: People you interview with: Come prepared with hard questions. A great way to start the interview is “Feel free to start with your questions, but I’ve got lots of questions I’m excited to ask too”. Come prepared and never run out of questions;). Don’t hesitate to ask if there is someone you want to meet. If there is someone you will be working with closely but who isn’t on the interview panel it is good to ask why not. (particularly, make sure you meet your boss’ boss) Whispered: Use the community and also Whispered's Company Insights with contributions from hundreds of executives. Backdoor references: Use LinkedIn to find people who used to work at the company (Use the “Past Company” filter in a “People” search) Network references: As you start to get deeper with a company, share the company you are talking with when you are speaking with your network. Often they will know someone there who can help. Do you know how to pick the right company and role?

As we gain experience, there are fewer roles that fit our skills and we lose the energy for big cross-functional / managerial roles. Eventually you start asking “what is next?” and want more control over your destiny and lifestyle Career 2.0 is defined as what do you do once you stop doing big cross-functional executive roles but want to keep working and making money. Overall Considerations Before you take the plunge on Career 2.0, here are some things to consider: What gives you energy? While many of the flavors of Career 2.0 sound good intellectually, you need to be careful not to work your way into a job you don’t want Do you like to sell? Some of the solo options for Career 2.0 require you to be selling yourself Do you like to roll-up your sleeves? If you are going to be running some businesses, you may have to get your hands dirty "It is extremely puzzling that in a world where a lot of people can cover the basics (food and shelter) they still spend the grand majority of life doing things they don’t like doing.  I think a lot of it comes back to not really understanding what your true desires are.   I think most people wish that they like things they don’t actually like.  I think a lot of people wish they wanted to make more money than they actually do.  …. Most people are in denial about what they really want." Jeremy Giffon on Invest Like the Best podcast (link to key part) Do you want to sell time or impact? Some Career 2.0 roles revolve around selling your time. Fun article on AI trends here Do you have health care covered? Until 65 you have to take care of this yourself. If you don’t have a spouse whose career provides this, are you ready to cover it yourself? Are you ready to commit? Once you take the step to Career 2.0 it is difficult to return to full-time work. Folks in many of the paths below report their skills (and networks) get stale if they step out for too long. Flavors of Career 2.0 Below are the traditional flavors that people think about when they start thinking about their career 2.0. We are writing deeper article on each and will add them as they are complete: Fractional / Consultant :  Providing advice on your area of expertise typically by the project or by the hour. VC Operating Partner :  Advising portfolio companies on your area of expertise Coach : Helping others on their journey. Typically charging by the hour. Boards :  Sharing your advice with other executives Search Fund:  (coming soon) Buying a business Investor:  Investing in great companies Thought Leader: Creating content and courses around your area of expertise Recruiter:   Leveraging relationships to help companies find great talent Use these flavors as starting points, not manuals. Most people find their Career 2.0 not by picking one of the standard flavors but by finding a variation on one. Whispered has been that for us. To find your Career 2.0 DO NOT overthink it. Don't create a powerpoint. Just find something you are intrigued by and start working on it. By moving forward, you will discover new insights and paths constantly. At the same time, be thoughtful. Sometimes when you make your passion for job, it can become less fulfilling. "Making something a business is a great way to hate that thing. If you surf to relax on Saturday mornings, that is very different than being required to wake up at the break of dawn to take cantakerous ibankers surfing". Tim Ferris ( see podcast full discussion here ) Don't know what you want in your next role?

The value of writing While many people encourage daily posting on LinkedIn to boost your followers, the type of writing I have found particularly valuable is longer-form articles. I believe writing is a great unlock for people’s careers and often advise folks who report to me or I mentor to start writing because it can: Create and catalyze dialogs with others who share your passion for a topic Think through ideas around a topic in a more structured way You share knowledge with others (in a scalable way) Establish you as a someone knowledgeable on the topic Build your reputation/personal brand My process People often struggle to create content.  Sitting down to create an article feels intimidating and often you don’t know where to start, so they just don’t do it. I have discovered that breaking it up into stages works well.  I use the following process 1. Inspiration:  Have an idea, add it to my board with a quick sentence Often when I am on a call, I will write down ideas to come back to later Podcasting is a great way to push yourself to articulate ideas in your head.  When your podcast is published listen to it and you’ll find a few great ideas Take a walk and listen to great podcasts while walking. It is a great way to clear your mind and get inspiration LinkedIn is a great source of ideas.  Read others’ posts and share a comment.  That comment could be an article 2. Ideation:   Create a google doc and add a few more ideas in adhoc way 3. Outline:   When the doc has enough content, set aside 30-60 mins to outline.  No pressure to actually write coherently, just structure my ideas "If you are going to write, make yourself a writing session. How long are you going to write? Don't just sit down with an open-ended session. You've got to control what your brain can take. You've got to know when it is going to end. You have to have an end time to your writing session." Jerry Seinfeld on creating a system for writing ( see full discussion on Tim Ferris' Podcast ) 4. Draft:   Set aside another 30 mins to write a rough draft 5. Post (Optional):   Share a short version of your article in a LinkedIn post.  The comments can provide new insights and also generate people for the next step 6. Refine with Input:  Engage a few people knowledgeable on this topic for feedback.  This provides a few benefits: Improve your article with input from experts Source great terrific quotes (makes articles more engaging) Reinforce your relationship with these people 7. Publish:  Publish the article (don’t forget to tag the people from the step above;). I don't have a strong view on where to publish (medium, linkedin....). I don't write frequently enough or on a single topic to do substack. Personally I like publishing long-term articles on LinkedIn  💡Tip:  I have found that AI is a powerful tool when you are drafting.  If you are having trouble wording something, try asking Chat GPT for suggestions.  Ways to leverage your writing I write articles on topics I speak about frequently and therefore regularly share these links with people including: People I advise :   Give a clear playbook they can build on Peers:   To continue to pressure test and refine my thinking People you manage/mentor:   Make advice on the soft-skills actionable Podcasts :   Frame the topics we can talk about Other Tactics Link between your different writings. That way when a person finds one of them, they can self discover the depth of your content Distribute through a newsletter / substack. It helps increase how many people see your content Other inspiring pieces on writing Article by  Nir Eyal  on  tactics to make the time to write  (time boxing, the importances of getting comfortable with discomfort) Podcast by  Sam Hinkie  around the  power of writing to help others understand your thought process  and engage with you Sarah Guo on  how writing led to an amazing new dialog Andrew Chen on how he met Marc Andreesen by writing Kyle Poyar's playbook for writing . If you don't subscribe to his content, do! Do you know how to build your brand?

The true story on company culture, performance and leadership isn’t posted.  It is whispered. This puts you at a disadvantage.  Why the back story is so important The average tenure for a PE/VC-backed GTM executive is 17 months .  Many executives learn things in the first few months that would have changed our decision to accept. Every (company) bullsh*ts on interview process. Nobody tells you actual problems. (They say) “everything is great… it is butterflies and unicorns. We have so much opportunity.     When you sign on the dotted line and, 6 months in, they say F*&( you, you are not performing and guess what.. they just moved on to next shiny thing they think will solve all your problems but you are are stuck with it on your resume with a failure point that you have to explain for the rest of your professional career.  Why did you not work out at that company? It is (perceived as) your fault even though you were not given the right transparent information and you weren’t potentially even setup for success in that role in the first place." Elena Verna on Unsolicited Feedback @ 8:02 in podcast Deep insights on companies can prevent you from making career-killing mistakes and allow you to focus on the right companies for your career.  Executive level-insights include: Company growth and burn/profitability Senior leadership dynamics M&A strategies Upcoming strategic shifts And much more Why these insights are so hard to find However… these insights aren’t easily available today: While Glassdoor / Blind provide insights into company culture this is generally from a more junior perspective. Companies keep this information confidential Investors rarely talk negatively on their portfolio companies Insights that matter to executives are only shared with top executive candidates However many executives don’t know the right questions to ask Typically executives keep a spreadsheet during their search but then throw it away "I am not a professional candidate. It is hard to find all the insights around a company I am looking to join and dodge bullets I cannot see. Whispered's company insights helps me quickly learn about the real culture and trajectory of a company." Whispered executive How we can whisper insights to help each other Whispered has built a database of confidential executive-level company insights with information from: Executives:  Whispered makes it easy for executives searching for their next role to access and contribute to the Company Insights Database . Investors:  Investors share information on their hot companies to attract talent.  In addition, they share companies they loved but weren’t able to invest in . Contributors:   Hyper-connected individuals who want to pay-it-forward contribute to Whispered’s database. Do you want to make the right decision on the next step of your career?

People want to help you.  So you need to be prepared when people ask: “How can I help?” If you've written a  career thesis , that provides a great foundation but you can use the format below to articulate clearly how folks can help.  This format described below: Articulates the type of roles you are looking for Engages people in your search and makes it easy to learn from them about people or companies you should look into. The format of this doc matters because people are busy. This is not a résumé but rather a doc that can engage people want to help you. You need to make the ask in a format that engages them and drives them to action. The Format Here is a sample format   that has been refined with talent partners and recruiters . It is optimized to make it easy for people to help you with: Elevator pitch about you: What you are great at and why you are looking? Try to really make this pop and be memorable? What is the 1-2 things you want people to remember about you? How people can help you: Target companies: What companies are you looking to learn more about or meet people at? When you share your target company list , people become dramatically more helpful! Ask for suggestions: In general, it’s more effective to ask what companies you should consider, vs. asking for introductions to specific people. Example Intro Blurbs:  Write a short blurb that it’s easy for people to copy and paste. We've observed when you call it “ways others have introduced me” it allows you to toot your own horn more. "It is hard to describe yourself as a badass rockstar but other people probably do. So frame it in their words" The Value you drive: This is what companies are trying to understand about you - quickly. Try to have these bullets speak to a pain your future boss has that you can solve. Keep this short, include metrics and ideally link to articles, to reinforce. Target Company/Role: Be specific about the roles and companies you’re interested in - even if you’re not 100% sure. See this page for how to get that clarity. How to Use Your 1-Pager Don’t send it to people before you meet them. (This might even nudge someone to opt out of the scheduled meeting!) This document is designed to be sent AFTER you talk with someone who wants to help you. Other Tips When you talk about the company stage you’re focused on, we recommend using employee (FTE) ranges (i.e. 500-1500 employees), rather than funding stages or revenue . It’s an easy stat to find on LinkedIn and more intuitive for most people. Give your 1 pager a title that pops. We recommend “(Your name) - What’s next!” as an effective and engaging title. You can use a google doc for your 1 pager but, to make it memorable, try bit.ly to simplify the URL - for example https://bit.ly/yourname . Do you know how to find your next role?

If you are a senior executive and wrap a full-time role, you’ll often hear from your network “You should go fractional”.   We find people just leaving an executive job often get this advice. This article provides a deep-dive into the considerations around “going fractional”.  It is part of a broader series by Whispered  on Career 2.0 options . What is a fractional executive? Fractional executives are senior leaders who share their expertise across multiple client companies.  There are many different flavors of fractional executive… we’ll use the term “fractional” to refer to all of these in the article. Chart credited to fractionals united This article focuses on executives looking for a long-term Career 2.0  as a fractional executive.  You can also leverage the fractional approach to “try before you buy” a full-time role.  This can be particularly effective for roles where personality match is so critical (i.e. CMO working for CEO) For strategies on your next full-time executive role, visit Whispered’s Career Guides . “For me personally, doing consulting and fractional work is really great and enabling the flexibility of taking on other projects, but it’s also affording me the chance to look for the right next operator role.”  Brandon Bussey Considerations on the role “Well, it is not all chocolate and rainbows. As is the reality of most things, it [being a fractional executive] is way harder than it looks (most businesses are).”  Neil Weitzman , as written with Scott Barker  in GTMNow Pros:  There are a number of reasons why becoming a fractional executive is attractive: Control of your own destiny:   Nobody can fire you, you can build equity in something you control No Assholes:  You get to choose who your work with Bye bye bureaucracy:  No need to spend time on politics, process and driving cross-functional change Pattern Recognition:  Build frameworks from seeing many different businesses and models and apply those Higher (potential) compensation:   Imagine charging a high-hourly rate and keeping all of it.  In addition, there are the potential tax advantages (writing off expenses….) Giving Back:  Share the deep insights you’ve developed over your career Cons:  A few challenges people don’t realize with fractional executives You are the product:  It is very different to sell a piece of technology vs to sell yourself. You have to sell:  You need to sell to eat and fractional execs can spend 50% of their time on business development rather than projects.  If you don’t enjoy selling, think hard before going fractional. Unpredictable nature of the work:   You don’t know how busy you will be 3 months from now. Limitations on driving impact:  You aren’t fully part of the team and don’t get to build the deep relationships needed to drive success.  So either you are just advising and not implementing OR you are working to implement without the deep cross-functional foundation. You only make money when you are working:  You sell by the hour / week / project now.  At the exec level, we recommend selling on a monthly retainer basis. Skills and Experience Get Stale:   You aren’t getting your hands dirty with current technology and tactics. Companies will focus on hiring people with the best / most relevant experience. “When you're doing fractional work, you have projects slip, people who don't pay you on time, and that sort of stuff, so staying focused to the point where you're overbooked is really important.”  Fractional Exec Ways to Get Fractional Work Before you go fractional, make sure you have enough of a brand and experience to be valuable to clients. “You can’t just say this is what worked for me one time.  Get to at least a VP level position first and then repeat your role across enough instances so that you can provide the pattern matching.”  Elena Verna You have to have a funnel to generate new work.  If you don’t, fractional will be tough and the selling becomes a bigger and bigger part of the role: Convert your full-time recruiter inquiries into fractional  “I’m not looking for full-time but would you consider fractional” 10%+ will say yes Speaking  at conferences and on podcasts Writing  and creating content .  Build a content loop.  Give away your knowledge  and monetize operationalizing it.  Make sure you reply to every comment… it provides more content ideas Customer Referrals:  Deliver amazing value, especially early and customers will share Freemium Offering  provide one hour workshops or webinars.  These drive a lot of word of mouth and venture firms will often promo you to their portfolio VC relationships  where you have a strong dialog with a partner and nourish it can often lead to regular work Consider Joining a Marketplace:  Marketplaces take a decent cut but can provide leads.  Some good marketplace examples include: GigX , FractionL    Cold Outreach:  Unless you build a great funnel, you’ll have to do warm/cold outreach Consider Joining a Brand:  Unlike solopreneurs, teams can help you with the top-of-funnel for a fee (typically 33%).  There are teams for almost any speciality for example: Sales Xceleration , yorCMO Setting Yourself Up for Success Qualify the work: Make sure you are taking clients (especially early) where you are confident you can provide value.  It will drive word-of-mouth Watch out for project scope creep.  Companies will want to use you as much as they can. Especially if you are good at what you do. Making sure you align up front on deliverables and how to measure success. “Charge at least 2x your regular base pay today because you won’t have bonus, benefits….”  Neil Weitzman Be clear on your super-power and build your brand: Stand out by niching down on your value proposition Build your brand and network Understand your target ICP deeply Additional Resources Some additional resources on fractional careers A great article on “How to become a fractional executive”  by Scott Barker & Neil Weitzman from GTM fund 2 terrific podcasts from Elena Verna on the business of being a fractional exec: Elena on Unsolicited Feedback  - talks about pattern matching, how to differentiate Elena on Behind the Craft  - talks about content loops, different consulting package types, workshops Some good fractional communities Fractional Pros Pavillion Fractionals United Fractional Executive

We hear this constantly.  We've used it ourselves It unfortunately rarely works! Executives reaching out to their network often make a version of this ask. Unfortunately recruiters , talent partners and connected folks - while they generally want to help - virtually always tune this request out. “Make it easy on the other person.  When you talk to someone who has a lot of connections it is actually hard if you say ‘I’m kind of open to anything’ That is the least useful thing to say….. ”    Nick Mehta  on Who Got Me Here podcast Why doesn’t this work? Because it is too vague and lazy.  You haven’t: Been clear on what you are looking for Communicated the unique value you bring to a company Been specific on companies you are interested in Made the ask simple for your connection Been memorable What works better? You have to do your homework.   Get clear on the role you are focused on Understand the stage of company you are targeting Build a list of companies you are interested in Articulate your focus and unique value in a way that is memorable You need to be specific and make it easy for the person to think of connections they can make.  Some specific strategies include: Be clear :  Be clear in the role and type of company you are interested in Be specific:  Share a list companies you are focused on  - it will prompt ideas from people around connections they have at those companies Be memorable:  Niche down on your focus and nail the talk track  on your super-power.  Emphasize it with stories. Give first:  Try to figure out who you can connect the person with or how you can help them on their journey “It is really good to be specific because then people remember.  If you say to somebody ‘oh I’m just excited to work at a hot company’ that isn’t really helpful because… who isn’t?!”  Nick Mehta  on Who Got Me Here podcast

As you explore your career 2.0 , being on boards is something many executives consider.  It is a great chance to collaborate with other senior executives and give back.  Being on boards is generally a small part of a broader late-career portfolio rather than a full-time job.    Considerations Here are some key considerations as you think about being a board member: Pros Network:   You work closely with other top executives on important topics.  These collaborations are deep (often 1-2 days together at a time) so you build strong, lasting relationships Learning:  You see executive discussions and understand strategic company decisions.  You also get to see what it is like on the other side of the table.   Working with another CEO helps you appreciate how other executives approach complex challenges. Giving Back:  You get to share your knowledge and expertise Cons: You aren’t likely to get cash rich:  Unless you are on the board of a public company or very large private company (these can pay in the mid-six figures), board fees for private equity companies generally range from less than $30k to $65k annually while VC boards are most often compensated with equity.  And many boards require you to make an out of pocket cash investment.  Don’t look at boards to fund your lifestyle, but if you pick the right breakout company  you could make great equity returns. Time Commitment:   Make sure you are ready to commit for 3+ years (typical board term) and can give a full day (+travel) at least 4 times a year.  Committee service may require additional remote and/or in-person commitment.  Boards are high-commitment and you should treat them as such.  If you are in a full-time job this commitment may be too much and you should clear with your company first.  Also be careful not to get stuck on a board of a company that isn’t going anywhere… leaving part-way through your term is not looked well upon. Legal regulatory risks :  Even though not frequent, directors can be held liable for issues with a company’s governance, reporting and other decisions.  Hence make sure there is D&O (Directors and Officers) Insurance, especially with public companies where any shareholder can sue.  Other Notes: If you are an investor, you can get added to lots of boards (it is part of your job) but be aware that you generally can’t monetize these boards or join boards not affiliated with your firm. For larger companies, you want to think about committee assignments as well.  Most companies have three committees at the minimum:  Audit, Talent & Compensation and Nomination.  Depending on the nature of the company, there can be ESG, Risk, M&A, or Capital committees.  Checking out director’s competency matrix – often available in Investor Relations site – is a good research.  Nike’s corporate governance site (link here ).  Also see Take 2’s director competency matrix at the bottom of the doc As you add more than one board, pick wisely for future boards.  You only have a certain number of slots.  In the US, overboarding is defined as serving at 4 public companies.  (Helpful resource here ) Come ready to serve, not just sit on a board.  One of the mistakes operators make often as they transition to advisory roles is to be too prescriptive and too focused on execution.  One experienced director once said, “head on, hands off.” “I have worked closely with two public company boards as a member of the senior management team and serve on a private company board. I am inspired by directors who show up to serve by diligently learning the business, remaining objective, leading productive inquiry, and fostering leadership in others.”   Kristin Anne Torres Mowat  from Board Members: To Serve or To Sit? What profiles do boards look for Boards are typically not something you do early in your career and increasingly (and for good reason) diversity is important.  Here are some of the key traits boards are looking for: C-Suite Experience:  There is a lot of pattern recognition that is important for boards.  If you have served as a CEO before this is valuable because you have worked with boards and lived the challenges boards and CEOs collaborate on. Diversity:  Only in recent years has this become a positive but if you are a strong senior leader with diverse background, this will make you an attractive board candidate. Industry Expertise:   It is important for private company boards to bring a deep understanding of their industry.  You should focus on boards in industries you know well.  Generalists will struggle here so unless you have specialized skills listed below, highlight your industry expertise. Specialized Skills:   Some committees on boards require specialized skills that are in short-supply in conjunction with the other traits above.  These include financial experience for the audit committee and cyber security experience.  In addition, companies may have specific strategic needs . Prior Board Experience:  Getting your first board role is difficult.  Once you have one, you can broadcast that and you pop up more on board searches.  So see below 👇 on how to hustle for that first board role. How to get on boards Getting on boards is NOT easy.  It takes hustle, persistence and focus.  Below are some tactics we have learned from friends on boards.  These are in (rough) order of how effective they are: Work in a high profile exec role:   Work in a senior role at a super hot late stage company that goes public or at a top tier public company and you will get on the radar for great board roles since you’ve lived through many of the key topics boards face. Meet other board members:  They get called for boards and can refer you. Build relationships with executive recruiters:  Executive recruiters  often have a side specialty in boards.  Board searches don’t pay much for them but they help recruiters build relationships with senior leaders. Build relationships with investors:   Companies often need independent board members with specific expertise.  Investors  are in great positions to nominate independent board members. Build relationships with CEOs:   Advising  a company is a great way to start developing your first board role.  Start by asking “how can I be helpful”, then become an advisor and build a relationship with a CEO Board Diversity Organizations:  There are many organizations now that help companies increase diversity on their boards.  If you fit, get involved with them Let people know you want to be on a board:  This sounds simple but many people keep their desire for a board to themselves.  Here are some ways to broadcast your interest: Take calls with executive recruiters.  Even if you aren’t looking for a role, if their firm does board searches, let them know you are interested in a board role Share your board interest / current roles on your LinkedIn profile Articulate the value you bring to a board:  Be explicit in conversations and your LinkedIn bio to highlight the traits you have that are desirable to a board. Start with a non profit board, including industry groups:   While companies and executive recruiters don’t view these the same as company boards, if you are on a non profit board you can broadcast your board experience and build relationships with others who serve on both non-profit and for-profit boards.. Network:  Here is a great article on how to build your network by giving  first. Board bio:   Prepare a high level summary.  Note that it's a much more distilled version than a resume.  Helpful tip from Egon Zehnder here Other Resources Here is a terrific article by Allison Pickens on how companies should hire for boards NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors):  website Stanford Directors’ College:  website WCD (Women Corporate Directors):  website Santa Clara University Women’s Corporate Board Readiness:  website   Struggling with your Career 2.0 vision? If you want help thinking through your options, we have partnered with some career coaches  who specialize in helping you get clear on your next step.

A powerful hack for your search is to build a list of companies you are interested in.   You will be surprised at how this simple tactic changes the dialog in your search and helps your network: Better understand where you are focused Quickly think through their conections for introductions they can make More easily introduce you When you have your account list, you will more quickly find connections to companies and accelerate your search. I want to help but when executives aren't specific I struggle. You get 2 minutes of my brainpower. Make the ask specific." Top Seed-Stage VC Some specific tactics with your company list Here are several tactics we’ve found highly effective to leverage your company list: Share your 1 pager  / company list after a call.   It gives the person a simple ask and prompts them to think of connections they might otherwise not Highlight 1-2 example companies in conversations with recruiters .   They often make connections for top candidates to companies they don’t have active searches for.  It is a great excuse for them to nurture relationships Share a few portfolio companies on your list with talent partners .   They love to hear which of their portfolio companies candidates are interested in.  This often prompts them with ideas of connections they can make and they are very open to sending your resume to a company.  You’ll often find this sparks deep insights from them about the company’s trajectory and leadership.  These are great to add to the Company Insight Database  and the dialog builds your relationship with the talent partner. How to build your company list Get clear on the criteria  for your target companies Start with a small list.  Target 10-15 companies to start.  You don’t need an exhaustive list.  The goal is to show a thoughtful set of companies to guide suggestions of people who want to help you.   Build your initial list from Whispered’s Company Insights Filter by employee size Further narrow by Geo and Space Prioritize breakout companies Review descriptions and confidential insights Add to the list from conversations:  It is amazing to observe but when you list a few companies it gets people’s minds thinking and you’ll often leave a call with 3-5 new companies to research and potentially add to your list.  After sharing 1-2 companies you are interested in (see below), always ask “What other companies do you think could be interesting?” How to leverage your list Below are some scalable ways to use your company list Put on your 1 pager :  Link to your target company list to highlight how you are focusing.  Airtable is great because you can create one public view to share - and another view with more info, just for yourself.  Integrate into your talk track : Have 1-2 companies to cite as mnemonics to help people understand and remember where you are focused.  A great tactic is to use a sample target company to highlight the value you drive. “When I spoke to recruiters during my last search, I’d consistently highlight my excitement to work at Zapier.  I’d explain how my experience with high-velocity, data-driven companies would accelerate their sales model.  After a few weeks, someone in my network connected me to the CEO of Zapier and we had a great discussion.”  Whispered executive Network in to companies on your list: Don't worry if there is an open role. We've consistently seen companies create roles for senior executives who have a sincere interest in the company and can communicate the value they bring. As you research who you know at a company you'll also be surprised at how many people you can check in with that you hadn't thought about beforehand. Use your interest in the specific company as an excuse to reach out. "For each company that you are interested in, write a really nice email explaining why you are a really good fit for that company and send that to the person that you know and then they can just forward that on." Nick Mehta on Who Got Me Here podcast

Companies reach out to us regularly with help on roles.  As Whispered isn’t a recruitment firm (we help executives) we don’t do searches for them.  But we can help with: Introductions to Whispered executives Suggestions of other executives in our network Guidance on how to structure a role for success Introductions to recruiters specializing in their role / search We’ve observed that few companies immediately engage a recruiter but these are the key moments where it makes sense. When you start to think about a key executive role This is an amazing time to engage a recruiter.  This can help you avoid many of the mistakes described below.  Additionally they can outreach / find passive candidates and keep the search confidential (see all the reasons not to post an executive role )  When you lack internal capacity for an executive search During high growth times (i.e. 2020/2021) many companies were growing faster than their internal recruiting teams could keep up.  This was coupled with a lack of talented candidates on the market, limiting the quality and quantity of inbound executive candidates. When you want to fill a role fast Recruiters (particularly the big firms) have deeper candidate databases where they maintain relationships with active and passive candidates. They can move quickly and aren't constrained by internal deadlines. When you want to see a broader candidate pool Internal recruiting teams are often stretched then.  They are screening tons of inbound applications while at the same time trying to manage processes, close candidates and outbound at the same time.  When companies have unique roles and want to broaden the talent pool, recruiters excel here. “Recruiters are in the market every day, actively talking to candidates across their specialty and can give a good gauge on candidate sentiment and what they are seeing in the market currently.   Sometimes our clients have a very clear picture of what they need, what they think they need, or what their VC has told them they need. More often than not, they are surprised by a candidate they would not have even thought to look at. That’s where recruiters can be especially valuable, riffing off of the original idea of the perfect candidate to find someone who may be better in the end.”  Steve Leppert , Founder Collaborative Talent When you are hiring a new executive role If you are seeking a senior executive for a role you just created, it may be time to retain an executive search firm. When an executive search falls outside your area of expertise, an executive search firm can plug the knowledge gap with its domain know-how. When you have tried and failed Many companies try searching for executive candidates internally first.  If they fail to find and close the right candidate, this is a common time to engage a top executive recruiter.  Some of the reasons executive searches fail include: Compensation:   Companies want to pay lower than market.  Recruiters can help with benchmarks Over-restrictive criteria:  Some companies only want candidates who have worked at X and Y companies.  Recruiters can guide on other backgrounds.    Ineffective recruiting process:  When companies don’t know the problem they are solving with a hire they often design obstacle courses to assess candidates.  Recruiters can guide the requirements early and advise on the right interview approach. Unique executive dynamics:  Often there are unique aspects within your leadership that make it hard to hire.  Recruiters can hold top executive candidates hands through the process. Brand challenges: If your company has a bad reputation in the market it may be hard to source directly. Recruiters can reach out anonymously and engage candidates in a process. They can also speak positively about your company in a way that is difficult to do yourself. Run out of candidates:   If you have exhausted your network of connections for possible referrals, it is time to access another network. Executive search consultants are among the most well-networked people in the business. Are you ready to engage a great recruiter? Whispered maintains a directory of top recruiters by seniority and areas of expertise. Learn more about how Whispered can help your company find great talent .

When you are thinking about your career, it is important to: Be clear on what stage is your “sweet spot” Communicate that clearly to others This table helps you clarify what stage to focus on.   When you are communicating your stage focus to others, we recommend using FTE ranges because people typically don’t know the financing or revenue details of a company Stage Round Revenues FTEs Focused on Typical Roles Hired at Stage Startup Seed <$1M 5-30 Product-market fit "Head of" roles (typically director level) Early A <$3M 30-80 Channel-market fit VP of Sales Early B $5-20M 100-200   VP of Marketing Mid C $15-25m 150-400   CRO, VP RevOps Mid D $25-100m 400-1k   CMO Late E+ $100m+ 1k+     What stage fits you? Startup (Everyone has a dog and someone makes cookies every Friday)   Hungry generalists who are uncomfortable being bored and secretly enjoy a little chaos. They probably did poorly in school (despite their high test scores), but instead got really into arcane subjects like Russian History.    Early (There's too many dogs. How can we decide who gets to bring a dog in? Also, who ate all the friggin cookies that clearly had my name on them)  Can the person succeed in chaos/lack of structure? The person needs to be willing to wear multiple hats, work hard, iterate, fail fast, pivot, etc. None of this intimidates them…they thrive in it.  They flourish in lack of structure, are resourceful and scrappy and can develop processes and drive operational efficiencies.  They can juggle multiple buyer personas and KPIs.    Mid (We can't bring dogs in anymore because of the "chocolate incident". Somebody writes a negative review on Glassdoor about how there used to be cookies) can this person take lessons they learned and develop repeatable processes for scale?  As the company is maturing, there are more leaders and departments so this person will need to have the ability to work cross departmentally and be flexible/welcoming to feedback.  Executive team that can scale globally and through an acquisition is important, so things get more complex. Many of your early-stage leadership can't hang here, so you'll need to figure out what to do with them.  Late (There is now an "Official Cookie Policy") Bureaucracy kicks in. People have to be good at advocating and communicating business strategy with clear business cases/justification. There’s a lot of managing up/managing sideways/managing down, etc., more so than at the earlier stages.  It starts to take a long time to get things done here. Departmental silos and knowledge gaps start to materialize. Don't know what you want in your next role?

Recruiters and talent partners focus on A talent .  They only want candidates who they are confident will resonate with clients / hiring managers.  If candidates don’t present well, it will reflect badly on the recruiter so they rarely take chances. We love helping candidates present better Whispered works with A level executives but we also love helping executives with strong skills/background who need a little help in how they present themselves.  It adds diversity to the candidate pool and gives a helping hand to those who can quickly leverage the coaching to create new career possibilities. Areas where we’ve found we can successfully “polish” a candidate include: Guiding them on career clarity Focusing them on a specific role Ensuring their focus aligns with their background Guiding them on how to be positive   Helping them nail their talk track Helping them understand how to collaborate with recruiters Teaching them how to ask the right questions Recruiters also recognize that candidates can stand out with a little tactical coaching.  We’ve shared this “polishing B candidate” approach with recruiters and it deeply resonates with them too.    You only get one chance to impress recruiters and companies so make sure they see you as top talent right away.  Check out the articles linked above to see where you can improve.  And, if you think you can be an A (or Polishable B candidate), we invite you to submit your career thesis to Whispered.  We will give you direct feedback on where you can improve and share how Whispered can help. Candidates We’ve Found Our Model Doesn’t Work For On the flip side, there are certain traits that Whispered has found aren’t quickly coachable.  These include: Lots of short stints at companies No experience at recognizable companies Lack of demonstrated growth (in level and scope) Not articulate Not open to feedback Not intellectually curious Seeking a career transition   (you can definitely leverage Whispered's tactics to make a career transition) "It's very hard for these candidates to break through - and often times requires a reference from someone notable or who has strong experience at recognizable companies.  In other words, you'll need people vouching for you to stand out if you have any of the above limiting you." Top VC Talent Partner Whispered evaluates candidates early during our process.  We give candid, direct feedback that we hope will quickly improve how candidates present themselves.  However, if we don’t think we can help with our style of coaching, we will share that upfront.   Need more personalized coaching? For these candidates, we often recommend more engaged career coaching (see the differences between Whispered and career coaches ) to help you have the best chances of landing that great next executive career.

Before you start searching, you need to get clear on where you are focused.   It makes everything in the search easier. Company Stage of Company: Think through which stage is right for you and also if you are looking for a breakout company or something slower-growing. Space: What industries are you interested in? Which do you want to avoid? See Whispered's theses on different spaces informed by deep dialogs with venture investors. Location: How important to you is the company location? Are you interested in hybrid or remote work? Business Model: Are there nuances to a company’s business model that match the value you are good at creating? Finding this can help narrow which companies you’re focused on and help match your abilities to a role. There are a LOT more criteria to evaluate a company on but, at this stage, stay simple. You only need to identify a few high-level descriptors that will help you search with focus. Once you have your target company profile, put it into practice by building your target company list and communicate it to your network . Role If you can determine what roles you’re most interested in, it’s easier for your network and potential companies to understand what you’re looking for. Don't be a generalist. You should, especially as you become more senior in your career, focus on a role that plays to your super-power(s). "The other group that is tough for us to help is people who aren't specialists in the core areas - eg not VP Sales, VP CS, VP Product, etc. People who a jack of all trades may be amazing but it tough for them to get traction in their searches." Top VC Talent Partner You can have more than one target role, but we’ve found that it is effective to externally focus on a single role that you are best fit for. See the example 1 pager for how to convey this effectively to people If you are struggling to get your target role (either because of a competitive market, holes in your background, or coming off a less-prominent role) here are some tactics: Take a role that is one step down from your experience (in a bigger company) to get back in the game. Focus on emerging roles where there are less competition (i.e. ~10 years ago Customer Success was an emerging function and you could become a leader in it quickly. Similar with AI today;) The best path is not always linear. In this article by Bret Reckard , he talks about how sometimes moving from a larger scope role to a smaller high-growth company can be a great strategy. An Effective Format (w/ Examples) If you can get your company and role focus tight, it is amazing how it crystalizes the conversation and help with those you speak with. Here are a few effective examples: CS Leader RevOps Leader Don't know what you want in your next role?

At whispered, we love helping people in their careers.  In this article on career transitions , we talked about the value of “always having a working thesis (for your career)”.   We've found this approach to be especially powerful for people at more senior levels where roles aren't typically posted . Many people can’t articulate their ideal next role, but a working thesis can help you by: Clarifying where you are focused Making it easier for others to help you "Focus matters. It unlocks everything. If I ask you to name 5 white things, it can take a while. But if I ask you to name 5 white things in the refrigerator it is easier. Give yourself and others who want to help you the clarity!" What is a working thesis? A big part of searching for your next role is to be clear with yourself and others. "If you don't put yourself in a box, others will do so for you." Leading VC Talent Partner A working thesis is a short summary of where you are headed next in your career, what unique values you drive and why you are focused there. A career thesis doesn’t replace your resume or LinkedIn and you won’t share it broadly, just with those who know you personally and are willing to help you in your search.   So, don’t spend time repeating your work history, instead just link to your LinkedIn as reference. Your career thesis should succinctly articulate the following: The problem(s) you solve for companies (frame in terms of your super-powers that bring the most value to companies you are seeking to work with) The type of roles you are looking for with clear function/level (As you develop career clarity, feel comfortable having 2 roles you are interested in. As long as you have conviction on each, it is ok to be open to different types of roles.) Target company profiles (size, location, specific industries/sectors you are most interested in) How do you get started? A career thesis should be able to be drafted in 1-2 days max.  Don’t overthink it.  This is not a plan for the rest of your career, just your current best thoughts on your next step.  This will empower you to start conversations with people close to you who can help you quickly refine it. The clarity from writing a career thesis is critical to focus you. It will help you take the first step It will help you have a filter to prioritize your research on companies to target It will help you know which people to focus your outreach on If you are still stuck Reflect back on where you did your best work See our article on how to get clear on the company and role you are focused on See a template on our 1 pager article  (this is essentially a tightly refined thesis that you can share out We've partnered with a great career coach on a package designed to help you quickly get that clarity . Are you sure you want a full-time job? See Career 2.0 options How do you put your career thesis into action?

The more senior you get, the more frequently you’ll find that open positions are never advertised to the general public. As a general rule of thumb, the closer to the executive ranks a job is, the less likely you are to see it posted on an internet job board or in the classified sections. This dynamic feels frustrating to many of us senior execs looking for our next role, but there are good reasons why companies and recruiters don’t post roles.   Here are just a few Backfilling:  The company is replacing someone on the team and wants to start the search early.  They haven’t told the existing executive yet. “Confidentially (I'm not sure who at the company knows), they'll be looking for a VP of Customer Success and a VP of Marketing.”  Talent Partner Competition:  Job postings, particularly senior ones, can reveal a lot about a company’s strategy. Experience vs. Skills: With senior roles, the soft skills are often as critical (or more so) than the specific experience. These are hard to codify in a formal job description Evolving Role:  If a role is new and still evolving, the company may not be ready to define the job title or responsibilities.  They often want to meet candidates and refine the position.   Additionally for fast growing startups, the job may be changing during the application process. “Please keep this hush hush, as we do not plan to publish and really want to focus on being strategic in our search for this new hire.”   In-House head of GTM recruiting Recruitment team bandwidth:  There is a burden to sort through job applications.  Companies want to do the right thing and respond to everyone - it is important from a brand perspective.   “Most listings for exec positions receive thousands of applications.  We default for senior roles to searching directly”  In-House Exec Recruiter LinkedIn has changed the game:  Instead of getting overwhelmed (see above), companies can target executives with the skills they need. “That (sifting through hundreds of applications) takes time. It makes the recruitment process very slow and expensive. It also burns hundreds of great candidates who put in a huge effort to apply, but don’t succeed because they don’t quite fit this particular role. Now imagine if I start the process by contacting ONLY people who already have what I’m looking for  (which I can see from their LinkedIn profile).”  Richard Triggs ( see full article ) Recruiters Don’t Want Candidates to Circumvent Process:  Many companies use recruiters to keep roles confidential but also recruiters want to control the quality of candidates they refer.  Learn More about "Whispered Roles" If roles aren't published, they are whispered. Whispered allows recruiters and companies to confidentially (and confidentially) share roles with a select group of executives. OR

You talk to candidates every day and while many are A candidates , others need coaching to get there. Some areas candidates struggle with: Can’t get clear on role  they are focused on Haven’t thought about stage of company  they want to work at Don’t know target companies Aren’t articulate in interviews Some candidates can’t be coached to success given their job history or how they present themselves but many can, with a little coaching.   “There are lots of candidates who on paper look great, but have never had to really sell themselves in an interview process.”  Top Recruiter Many recruiters and talent partners we’ve talked with attempt to coach candidates because they: Recognize the patterns that are easily fixable and want to help Want to build relationships with good candidates that can lead to long-term relationships and future searches Want to help candidates by sharing their experience Why you can't invest the time to coach But the payoff from this coaching isn’t there: You don’t have time Coaching a candidate to success can take a few calls You haven’t built the content to support coaching   Without the resources to share, you will need to spend a lot of time coaching people live You don’t get paid for it In fact, charging for coaching may actually be a conflict of interest with our clients In addition, given your role as gatekeeper for the role the candidate is interested in, your feedback often won’t be received well Since you are judging them, many candidates use feedback as a way to try to get a second chance and may argue over feedback rather than be in a receptive mood We’ve all had experiences where candidates were resistant to feedback and even responded with anger You can’t be as direct as you need to be as it could create more anger/resentment, which means to successfully coach someone will require even more time You don’t know how and when they like to get feedback Feedback can hurt your relationship with candidates, exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve with coaching Whispered was built to help candidates Now there is a better way to help candidates who need coaching. Share Whispered  which helps candidates by providing:  Free career guides and detailed action plans for every stage of the search A direct approach to feedback allowing us to give the soulful feedback candidates need “I think candidates who take advantage of resources and free coaching is the first indicator that you truly have a B candidate that can and wants to be an A.”  Top Recruiter With its free content and proprietary databases, Whispered can inflect a candidates career and polish B candidates into As .   Candidates will appreciate learning about Whispered from you.   You will achieve the goals you had with coaching candidates: Building a relationship with them Helping them on their journey

This article includes tips on navigating the interview process. First Screening Call On the first screening call, you will want to come prepared with your Talk Track and some initial Diligence questions but also here are some good questions to ask when you first talk to the recruiter. What is the DNA of the company (engineering, product, sales/marketing)? Why is the role being opened? Is the role a backfill or a new role? What is working with the team right now vs. what problems are you looking to solve? Where is the process? Interviewers You should always be prepared with questions. Many executives leave room for you to ask questions and if you have none it is a big red flag for most as it highlights a lack of intellectual curiosity and engagement in the process. Do your homework and ask questions based on what you have learned and what questions you have. "Don't ever ask the CEO 'What keeps you up at night?' That means you literally did no homework for this interview and you are asking the most generic question you can ask to a leader". Nick Mehta ( see terrific podcast with Nick on careers and interviewing ) After each round of interviews Recruiters (both internal and those at the company) will ask you “How did the convos with X and Y go”. Try to have a prepared phrase or two for each person you met (i.e. one thing you learned from speaking with that person, be positive). Companies use each touchpoint to evaluate culture fit. They work to build rapport outside of the formal process and are looking to understand 'Is the person we are interviewing the same person who will show up the first day?' In-House Recruiting Leader Always follow-up with a thank you email summarizing key points and framing next steps. When a candidate doesn’t do this, hiring managers may question their ability to manage up . Follow up quickly. This highlights how proactive you are to work with Do you know how to leverage recruiters, talent partners and investors in your search?