The executive job market has fundamentally shifted. While traditional networking still drives hiring decisions, the game now happens online first. Tamara Cameron, vice president of professional services at iCareer Solutions, has spent over 20 years helping professionals navigate these changes. As a certified professional resume writer and digital career strategist, Cameron has crafted hundreds of resumes and won national awards for executive resume writing.
The New Rules of Executive Job Hunting
The statistics tell a clear story about how executive hiring really works. “85% of executive positions are still filled through relationships. But 70% of that networking now happens digitally first,” Cameron explains. This shift means that recruiters spend just six seconds on your LinkedIn profile before deciding whether to engage. The old approach of sending resumes to a few contacts and applying online simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Competition has intensified, and digital noise makes it harder to stand out using traditional methods. She sees too many executives still relying on outdated strategies. The best opportunities aren’t found on job boards, they’re discovered through strategic digital positioning that puts you in front of the right people at the right time.
Building Your Digital Executive Brand
Creating a strong personal brand starts with answering one crucial question. Cameron asks her clients: “What type of executive challenge are you the person to solve?” This specificity matters more than generic leadership statements. Recruiters evaluate you online first, scanning your resume, LinkedIn profile, and personal website for clear indicators of your value proposition. The key lies in using headlines with metrics-driven achievements that clearly target your next role. Cameron worked with a CMO who transformed his generic LinkedIn description from “strategic marketing leader with 15 years of experience” to something much more compelling. “I have scaled marketing organizations from 10 million to 500 million in revenue three times in my career,” became his new positioning statement. He added quarterly industry insights and customized his banner accordingly. The results spoke for themselves. His LinkedIn profile views jumped 300% after this repositioning. More importantly, when board members searched for marketing executives with scaling experience, he became the obvious choice.
Target The Hidden Job Market Strategically
Many executive roles never get advertised, filled instead through referrals or search firms. But the way these conversations start has changed dramatically. “It’s not possible anymore to just send your resume to five people, apply for five positions online, and get a job in today’s market,” she notes. Competition is too fierce, and digital noise drowns out passive approaches.
Strategic networking requires intentional engagement with five key groups: board members at target companies, executive search consultants, current CEOs who could provide referrals, investors needing portfolio executives, and industry thought leaders who influence hiring decisions. Cameron emphasizes that successful networking means providing value to these networks long before you need something from them. One finance executive Cameron worked with landed a VP role after consistently engaging in a private CFO forum and following personalized messages with valuable insights. The executives receiving unsolicited recruiter calls are those who’ve been contributing meaningfully to professional conversations over time.
Use Digital Tools Strategically
Modern job hunting means competing for attention against artificial intelligence. “Your competition for human attention now includes AI,” she explains. ATS systems scan resumes for keywords before human recruiters ever see applications. With thousands of resumes to process, these systems filter candidates based on specific search terms and industry terminology. Cameron recommends “tracking five to ten target jobs daily and adjusting your resume based on emerging patterns.” This approach helps identify keyword gaps that might be keeping you invisible to both AI systems and human recruiters. Job alerts and analytics reveal trending titles, in-demand skills, and frequently appearing keywords that point you toward optimization opportunities. Your digital presence must work effectively for both human decision makers and the AI systems that screen candidates first.
Be Proactive With Reverse Recruiting
The smartest executives have stopped chasing job postings. Instead, they’re making the jobs come to them. Cameron calls it reverse recruiting, and it’s simpler than it sounds. Write about what you know. Share your take on industry problems. Send your thoughts to recruiters you respect, not asking for jobs but showing how you think. A healthcare executive Cameron worked with wrote one LinkedIn post analyzing industry trends. Within a week, three recruiters reached out. That’s what happens when you demonstrate your thinking instead of just talking about your experience.
Her advice boils down to four moves: build a brand that answers a specific question, network with decision makers before you need them, optimize for both humans and robots, and create content that works while you sleep. The job market rewards visibility, but only if you’re visible to the right people for the right reasons. “Your next role isn’t on a job board. It’s in the mind of someone who needs exactly what you offer.” The trick is making sure they can find you when they start looking.
Follow Tamara Cameron on LinkedIn for practical job search strategies that actually deliver results.
