Your Executive Job Search Starts Today
- Norma Dávila, Ph.D., CPRW, CPCC
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
Recently, a client asked me a question I hear every year around this time: "Norma, should I pause my job search during the holidays? No one's really hiring in November and December anyway, right?"
I understood where he was coming from. The conventional wisdom says hiring slows down during the holidays. Decision-makers are out of office. Companies have frozen budgets until January. It feels logical to want to take a break and restart fresh in the new year.
Pausing your executive job search right now could be one of the most expensive decisions you make this year. And here's something else: reputable recruiters are sharing that companies are actively preparing to hire in Q4 2025 and Q1 2026. If you pause now, you'll miss this entire hiring wave.
This Market's Timeline Reality
Executive job searches currently take between 6 and 18 months from initial outreach to offer acceptance. Not weeks. Not a few months.
Let's break down what that really means. If you're hoping to land a new role by Q2 and you pause until January, you're not restarting your search in the new year. You're pushing your target landing date into the second half of 2026.
There's more. On average, every month an executive remains out of work costs $29,000 in lost compensation. Do the math on an 18-month search, and you could be looking at over $500,000 in lost income.
Even at the shorter 6-month mark, that's $174,000 in capital you could be directing to work for you, whether that's growing your investment portfolio, funding major family expenses like college or elder care, or bolstering the financial runway for your next chapter.
You might be financially comfortable waiting. The real cost is the opportunity advantage you're handing to those who keep moving.
Understanding Extended Timelines
Several factors are driving these prolonged timelines:
Multiple stakeholder approvals: C-suite and VP-level hires now routinely involve board members, executive committees, and cross-functional teams. Each layer adds weeks to the decision cycle.
Extended due diligence: Companies are scheduling additional interview rounds to de-risk expensive executive hires and, often, requesting comprehensive presentations and plans.
Competition at the top: Fewer executive roles exist in this market, and, with those currently in these roles staying longer in these uncertain times, competition for each position is even more intense.
Economic uncertainty: Organizations are taking longer to make final hiring decisions because they are carefully evaluating budget impact and long-term strategic alignment.
Using the Holidays to Your Advantage
The holidays become ideal for the foundational work that leads to those unpublished opportunities because most executive roles are never publicly posted.
Instead of "taking a break" you can be:
Positioning Yourself
Building your senior leadership narrative: Refining your unique value proposition (UVP), quantifying your achievements, and crafting compelling leadership stories that differentiate you.
Testing your UVP: Using every interaction as a networking opportunity to refine your unique value proposition and build the relationships that open doors to unadvertised roles.
Crafting aligned materials: Developing hyper-focused résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and executive bios that clearly convey the specific value you bring to target organizations in your sector.
Strengthening your executive presence: Activating your LinkedIn presence with new content and comments, engaging meaningfully with your network, and positioning yourself as a thought leader in your space.
Developing your executive search strategy: Identifying target companies aligned with your expertise, researching decision-makers and organizational challenges, and building relationships through intentional networking, recruiter partnerships, and warm introductions instead of applying online.
Interview and Negotiation Readiness
Preparing for executive-level interviews: Understanding how executive interviews differ from those for other roles to navigate multiple rounds with diverse stakeholders, and preparing achievement examples that demonstrate impact for them, from boards to cross-functional teams.
Mastering compensation negotiation: Understanding total compensation packages, developing negotiation strategies, and preparing to advocate for your full value without leaving money and other non-negotiables on the table.
Getting Started
Landing your next executive role starts now. Now.
The foundational work you do during the holidays can help compress that 6-18 month timeline.
If you're considering a career transition right now or in the coming year, ask yourself: can you afford to pause? Or is now actually the perfect time to get ready for what's next?
The choice is yours. Own your career.
Your Turn
What's the one action you're taking this week to move your executive search forward? Share in the comments—I'd love to hear from you.
Norma Dávila, Ph.D. helps executives navigate career transitions, build strategic positioning, and unlock their next level of leadership impact. Connect with her on LinkedIn for more insights on executive career management.
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