How to Run an Executive Job Search (Part 1): Preparation
Episode Summary
Executive job searches aren't about chance — they're about preparation. Dan Hampton and Gerard Miles kick off a three-part series with Part 1: Prep for the Job Search. They reveal how to build a target-company ecosystem, warm your network before you need it, and get brutally honest about skill-role fit. The conversation covers following the money to identify companies about to make key hires, culture due diligence before wasting months in the wrong process, the impact of personal brand at the C-suite level, and the hard truth about startup vs. scale transitions.
Key Takeaways
- Build a target-company ecosystem before you start searching — map companies by stage, industry, and the specific challenges that match your strengths.
- Follow the money — companies that have recently raised funding or are in growth mode are far more likely to be making key leadership hires.
- Warm your network before you need it — reaching out cold when you're already looking is far less effective than maintaining relationships consistently.
- Do culture due diligence before investing months in a process — talk to current and former employees to understand the real working environment.
- Be honest about skill-role fit — the skills that made you successful at a startup may not translate to a scale-up, and vice versa.
Topics Discussed
Frequently Asked Questions
How should executives prepare for a job search?
Mission One recommends starting with preparation before any outreach. Build a target-company ecosystem by mapping companies that match your strengths by stage, industry, and challenges. Follow funding announcements to identify companies about to make leadership hires. Warm your network before you need it. Do culture due diligence. And be brutally honest about whether your skill set fits the type of role you're pursuing.
How do you know if you're a better fit for a startup or scale-up executive role?
According to Dan Hampton and Gerard Miles, this is one of the most important and least discussed questions in executive career planning. The skills that make someone successful at an early-stage startup (building from zero, wearing multiple hats, high ambiguity tolerance) are different from those needed at a scale-up (process building, team scaling, cross-functional alignment). Being honest about this fit prevents wasted time on both sides.
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