This is a set of ideas, advice, and questions I put together for several friends that have asked for advice in how to structure their job search and negotiate/evaluate offers.
Starting your search
- Have a specific role/company in mind. You cannot just be looking for "a great role at a great company." Get specific about the job title, industry, company size.
- Know your story: Have a quick bio you can tell people. Give your specific target. Talk about why that target is important to you.
- Know your value prop: Have a clear idea of how you will add value. Tie it to enterprise value (more revenue, more profit, faster growth).
- Get in touch with recruiters but do not count on them. They are very title-focused.
- Say "yes" a lot, but communicate honestly. Go on every interview, take every meeting. Share accurate timetables, requirements, and comp expectations.
- Target specific companies: Based on your role/company profile, pick 5–10 ideal companies. Know your value prop for each.
- Work the funnel: Write each company name on a sticky note and make a kanban — Targeted, Introduced, Discussing, Selected as Candidate, Negotiating, Hired.
- Expect the process to take a while. Hiring execs takes bandwidth and comes with lots of risk for the company.
Evaluating an offer
Things to know about the role: Will you like what you are doing? Will you be good at it? Does it move your career in the right direction? Do you have a clear idea of what success looks like? Who will you depend on to be successful? Will you have what you need (budget, autonomy, support)?
Things to know about the company: How does this affect your career story? Is the business model sound? Is this a need-to-have for customers or a nice-to-have? Is the plan achievable? Is the problem big enough and interesting? Is there an exit strategy? Where is the company strongest and weakest?
Things to know about the industry: Are there external trends that will grow the industry? What competition will you face? Which adjacent industries are affected? Will those industries want to help or hinder this business?