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“Employer’s Market” vs “Job Seeker’s Market” is a false dichotomy.
It’s never an all or nothing, black or white, 1 or 0 binary scenario.
Yes, supply and demand is real. But it’s a spectrum, not an absolute. It never fully swings to one side or the other.
Why is that distinction important?
👉Good talent will always need to be courted.
If you want someone to leave their current job to work for you, you have to convince them it’s better than the one they got.
This never changes. It’s true in all markets.
Right now, we’re seeing a lot of false starts. Changing requirements. Extra unplanned steps. New skills added. Extra interview projects and assignments.
To be clear: I’m not throwing shade at employers doing this. I understand the reasons why this happens when dollars are tight and getting the hire right is critical.
But I am reminding you what this looks like to the very candidates you’re trying to hire: They think you don’t know what the f*ck you’re doing.
No one wants to work in an environment where double work and indecision are the norm. If getting your top pick is your goal, your process has to be as button up as it is during good times.
If not? You’re working against yourself.
Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.
Executive search isn’t some mysterious dark art. You’re not paying for secret handshakes and a magic Rolodex.
But that’s exactly what legacy firms want you to think.
They sell prestige. They sell access. They sell fear. And some companies buy it—because no one wants to screw up a high-profile hire.
Here’s the truth: access is the easy part. Executives respond more than anyone. The real challenge? Fit. Immersion. Results after the hire. And most firms skip that part entirely.
Jeff Smith and James Hornick rip the curtain off the smoke-and-mirrors world of exec search—and explain why most firms are failing their clients (badly) in The 10 Minute Talent Rant, Episode 109, “What Everyone Gets Wrong About Executive Search.”
Episode 109