Research
The State of Executive Job Search
A working study, updated as the data changes, of how Director-to-C-suite roles are actually filled. We wrote it because the advice most executives receive still assumes a market that posts its jobs.
What the study covers
Where roles are filled
The share of senior roles filled through referrals, retained search, direct approach and internal moves versus public postings, and how that share changes with seniority.
How long searches take
Typical search length by level and function, and why sporadic activity loses to a managed campaign over that distance.
How shortlists form
How retained firms build a shortlist in two to three weeks from people they already know, and what that means for anyone not on their radar.
What replaced the application
The direct-approach and reverse-recruiting models now doing the work the application used to do at the top of the market.
Sources
The study draws on the LinkedIn Workforce Report, Russell Reynolds' 2025 executive-search research, published executive-search industry benchmarks for 2026, and the engagement data of iCareerSolutions, the founding firm of the National Reverse Recruiters Association. Related reading is published by the NRRA: Why executive roles are never posted and How executive shortlists form.
Get a copy
Email us and we'll send the current edition. No form, no follow-up sequence.
Send me the study