Signal & Leverage

Most executives wait until the offer discussion before putting their negotiating hat on. It's too late. 90% of your ability to influence the offer you receive comes before that conversation. Executives are always negotiating, and most don't realise it.

If you're having a lot of first-round interviews that aren't progressing and you can't figure out why, this one's for you. Ross breaks down 5 practical things executives can do right now to change the way they interview — from shifting the dynamic with your interviewer, to telling your story at the right level, to the common mistakes that keep coming up over and over again. Drawn from 15+ years on the hiring side of the table and thousands of executive interviews.

Most executive roles are never advertised. So if you're spending your time searching and applying, you're fishing in the wrong pond. In this episode, Ross breaks down why so many talented executives struggle to attract opportunities, the real cost of staying invisible in your market, and the three things you need to do to get the right roles coming to you instead of chasing them.

Most executives can tell you everywhere they've been but not where they're going. In this episode, Ross breaks down why a lack of career clarity quietly undermines your positioning, your visibility, and the quality of opportunities that come your way — and shares the three questions that help senior leaders find their sweet spot in the market.

Benchmarking can be incredibly helpful to give executives' outside perspective and a steer on offer expectations. But it can also limit what they could earn. We discuss the pros and cons, and how to do it effectively.

Most executives take the wrong approach to compensation and negotiating offers. The 20% bump most expect when making a move is actually costing you thousands, maybe millions. We share how you should really think about compensation and unlock a new level of earning power over your career.

Ross talks about 'Crossing the Table' - an interview technique that almost guarantees you'll get the job. Put yourself in a market of one, turn your interviewer into an advocate, and create urgency to move forward with you.

This question comes up in nearly every interview. It seems straightforward and yet a lot of executives trip themselves up. We discuss how we can get the interviewer to answer this for us and talk themselves into why we're right for the role.

Contrasting with last week's episode, Ross discusses how executives should position themselves for later-stage, corporate opportunities.

Ross shares how positioning yourself for early-stage opportunities is fundamentally different to later-stage or corporate opportunities. He shares how to position yourself in a way which resonates and provides immediate clarity to decision makers.

Ross shares a lesson he learned himself recently in confidence - what it actually is, how you get it, and how you use it. This is particularly relevant to executives moving into a new company or making a step up in their career. 

Staying in your role for too long or too short a time can really hurt your career. In this episode, we peel back the layers and talk about how headhunters and CEOs really look at this, the questions you should be prepared to answer, and how to know when the right time to make a move is.

LinkedIn is undervalued by the vast majority of executives when it comes to career moves. We reveal why it is so important, how to leverage it to get more opportunities, and avoid the mistakes nearly every executive is making.

We discuss the mindset executives should have towards compensation, how to negotiate the right package, and where candidates usually let themselves down here.

Feedback is the map that gives you directions to the job you want but can't yet get. Most executives do not prioritise feedback as they should, they don't know how to get it nor what to do with it once they have it. Get Ross' insights on how to extract honest, direct feedback from interview processes and use it to zero-in on the development you need to make in order to land your dream job.

Daniel had been a VP Sales for 7 years, struggling to make the step up to C-level. He was looked over when his company needed a new CRO as they hired externally. He kept losing out on CRO opportunities to candidates already at that level. Deep-dive into how to position yourself to compete against candidates with more experience and to make that breakthrough step up in your career.

The tech industry is going through two fundamental shifts concurrently - mass adoption of AI and restriction of capital. This will have major implications for which tech companies are successful and how executives should think about building their own careers.

Ross explains the difference between a recruiter and a headhunter, and how to leverage them in the most effective way possible to land your dream role.

We talk about how start-ups and corporates differ in how they think about and approach hiring executive leadership roles. Understanding the differences is key to knowing how to position yourself.

Learn how to tell your background story in an interview in a way which captures your audience's attention and keeps it. Avoid the common mistakes executives tend to make and learn what to do instead. 

Learn about why you are likely massively undervaluing LinkedIn in your career search.

We share the top 5 mistakes executives make in interviews and discuss how to avoid them.