INSIGHTS
Hiring, from both sides of the table.
Field notes from active leadership searches, written for the people hiring and the people being hired.
THIS MONTH'S MARKET PULSE
Broadly employer-driven, with notable exceptions
Read the September read →How AI Tools Are Changing Software Engineering Hiring
AI exposure is becoming a real hiring signal, but only when it's specific. Here's what hiring teams actually want to hear about your AI workflow.
For employers: start here
The 90-Day Executive Onboarding Plan That Reduces Early Turnover Risk
Executive turnover is often blamed on the hire, but onboarding plays a real role too. Here's the 90-day plan that reduces early turnover risk and closes the gap between a great hire and a great fit.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Write an Executive Offer Letter That Gets Signed
An executive offer letter should be written for clarity and candidate experience, not just legal precision. The companies that consistently close finalists understand that, and write the letter that way.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Beat the Counter-Offer: A Hiring Manager's Closing Playbook
A counter-offer at the end of a long search is the moment most hiring managers either close or lose. The ones who close don't do it by paying more. They do it by running a different process from week one.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
For job seekers: start here
What Recruiters Look For in Strong Software Engineering Candidates
Strong engineering candidates aren't always the ones with the longest resumes. They're the ones who make their fit easy to understand.
Jonathan Tureau · Jun 3, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Make Your Software Engineering Resume Easier to Read
A clear, scannable software engineering resume beats a flashy one. Here's what recruiters actually look for, and how to surface your strongest signal fast.
Jonathan Tureau · Jun 3, 2026 · 8 min read
The Golden Question: The #1 Interview Question to Maximize Your Chances of Getting the Job
One question, asked early in every interview, that tells you exactly where you stand and gives you a chance to close the gap.
Jonathan Tureau · Jun 2, 2026 · 11 min read
All articles
Boutique vs. Big Recruiting Firms: When Each One Wins
Big firms and boutique firms aren't competing on the same terms. They're built for different jobs. Here's an honest look at when each one is the right call, and when each one quietly costs you the search.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
15 Executive Interview Questions That Reveal Real Leadership (Not Rehearsed Answers)
Most executive interview questions get rehearsed answers because they're rehearsed questions. Here are fifteen that get past the polish, and what to listen for in the answers.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 6 min read
How to Hire a CTO: A Founder's Playbook for Technical Leadership Hires
Hiring a CTO without a technical co-founder is one of the highest-stakes searches a founder will ever run. Here's how to evaluate technical leadership when you can't evaluate the technology, and how to make sure the person you hire is the operator your company actually needs.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
The Real Cost of a Bad Executive Hire (and How to Avoid It)
The cost of a bad executive hire isn't the salary. It's the eighteen months of compounding damage that follow: the decisions, the people, the culture, the customers. Here's how to actually run that math, and how to stop making the hire in the first place.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Executive Search Firms vs. In-House Recruiters: When to Outsource Leadership Hiring
Your in-house recruiting team is excellent at certain hires and structurally unequipped for others. Knowing which is which is the difference between filling a leadership seat in ninety days and watching it sit open for nine months.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Hire a VP of Sales: The Complete 2026 Guide for Founders and CEOs
Hiring a VP of Sales is the single most consequential, and most frequently botched, leadership hire a company can make. Here's how to actually find one who lasts, ramps, and builds the revenue engine you need.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Hiring for a leadership role? A 20-minute conversation will pressure-test the role before you post it.
Want this applied to your own search?
Retained vs. Contingent Search: Which Recruiting Model Is Right for Your Company?
Most companies pick a recruiting model based on price. The smart ones pick it based on the stakes of the hire. Here's how to decide whether retained or contingent search is the right partnership for the role you're trying to fill.
Jonathan Tureau · May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
What Makes an Incredible Job Description? It's Not the Format. It's the Operator.
Job descriptions aren't broken: they're misused. The format isn't the problem. The skill of the operator behind it is. Here's what an incredible job description actually does, and how the best recruiters use it as a tool to create clarity, attraction, and alignment before a candidate ever applies.
Jonathan Tureau · Feb 21, 2026 · 5 min read