If you and I had been friends for awhile, this is something I’d want you to know: there is a much larger executive job market than the one you can see, and I’d want you to have access to more of it.

What interests me most are the advantages other senior executives say they gained when they reached this part of the executive job market.

Again and again, they describe experiences like:

Some describe dramatically expanding the reach of traditional networking. Others emphasize the research, targeting and introductions that helped them get in front of people they simply would not have reached by themselves.

Most senior executives already know networking matters.

The issue is not whether you should network.

The bigger question is:

How do you do it at scale and still remain professional?

You can reach out one person at a time.

You can ask former colleagues for introductions.

You can research companies, executives, private equity firms and board members.

But doing that consistently, intelligently and at enough scale to materially expand your opportunities can become a job in itself.

When you apply to a posted executive job, you may be one of many qualified executives trying to get noticed.

But when the right conversation is created before or outside a formal posting, the competitive picture can be very different.

You may be one of a small, select group being considered.

And sometimes, you may be the only one.

After more than 50 years as an executive recruiter, I’ve developed relationships with a select group of trusted professional colleagues.

Through those relationships, I have access to a specialized executive job-search resource that focuses on uncovering opportunities tailored to the individual executive and the specific criteria of that search.

They are not general career coaches or counselors.

Their work is highly focused: researching the market, identifying the organizations and people most likely to have a reason to talk with you, and helping create those conversations.

Instead of waiting for opportunities to appear, the process begins with you -

Then the work becomes identifying the companies, executives, investors, board members and other decision-makers where there may be a reason for a conversation.

At this point in my career, I’m careful about what I recommend and who I introduce.

I’ve seen enough job-search programs, career services and recruiting approaches over the years to know that promises are easy to make.

What matters to me is what happens in practice.

The experiences senior executives have reported - including access, relationships, conversations and opportunities they may not have reached on their own - are why I became comfortable making selected introductions.

That said, an introduction is exactly that: an opportunity to explore whether the approach is right for you.

Every executive search is different. Results can vary, and no service can guarantee a particular opportunity or outcome.

If we both believe it may be worth exploring, I’m comfortable making the personal introduction, as I have for other senior executives interested in learning whether this approach could be right for them.

One reason I’m comfortable doing that is the number of detailed recommendations and testimonials from senior executives on the provider’s LinkedIn profile. If we mutually decide to proceed, I encourage you to read them for yourself, ask questions, understand the process and investment, and decide whether the approach is right for your own situation and expectations.

This approach is not for every job seeker.

It makes the most sense for senior executives whose next move is important enough - financially and professionally - to justify a more serious search.

As a general guideline, I’m most interested in speaking with executives at about the $250,000+ compensation level, particularly those pursuing:

It is also more likely to be useful if you have already learned that simply applying to posted jobs is not producing enough of the right conversations.

Let’s have a short 20-minute conversation.

It won’t be a sales call. And it isn’t an interview.

It’s simply a chance for us to talk about where you are now, the kind of opportunity you want next, what you’ve already been doing, and whether this resource may be worth exploring further.

If I don’t think it is appropriate for you, I’ll tell you.

And if you decide it doesn’t feel right for you, that’s perfectly fine too.

Either way, we’ve had an opportunity to meet, learn a little about each other, and perhaps add one more worthwhile relationship to each other’s professional network.

If we both believe it deserves a closer look, I’ll make the personal introduction.

From there, you can learn considerably more about the resource, how the process works, and decide for yourself whether you want to take it any further.