Executive-level layoffs today present radically different challenges from even a few years ago. With the U.S. jobs market gutting several layers of leadership, the market has shifted and few senior leaders are fully prepared to navigate a modern job search.

Many executives have been promoted or poached for years (or even decades), often without conducting an active job search. Because of the scale of layoffs and hiring slowdowns, those who are now displaced often find best practices and tools have changed drastically.

Dramatically Different Market

With record-high cuts, especially in tech, white-collar, and knowledge fields, competition is fiercer than ever and job seekers may struggle to gain traction using methodologies that worked before. When many industries suffer layoffs, once robust networks go dormant.

AI tools, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and auto-reject triggers remain part of the process, but at the executive level, success often hinges less on keywords and more on relationships, track record, and clear articulation of value. With cutting roles more aggressively, make sure your career collateral demonstrates impact regardless of varying market conditions.

Technology has also evolved rapidly. Video interviews and pre-recorded video introductions are now common. Biometric scanning, once considered invasive, is now more and more accepted due to the rise in AI implicants attempting to infiltrate systems. Executives must master executive presence both in person and on video to maintain a competitive advantage.

Standing Out Amid a Surge of Candidates

Candidate pools have swelled. Many apply through AI-driven systems, upload generic resumes, and get lost in the noise. In executive searches, differentiation is critical. Leaders must be prepared to articulate their leadership style, emotional competencies (or EQ), metrics, provide context for wins, and infuse their conversations and content with some personality. Using AI tools for drafting may be tempting, but final submissions must reflect your voice, unique stories, and points of distinction.

Salary, Tenure, & Gaps Under Greater Scrutiny

Layoffs on this scale mean organizations may view longer tenures or gaps differently. A long tenure might trigger concerns about stagnation or lack of agility; gaps could draw questions around relevance. With salary expectations reset by the white-collar recession, executives must align expectations carefully — asking too much may disqualify you, asking too little risks underselling your value.

Diversified Outreach

In today’s market, executives cannot rely on a single source for opportunities. Plan, track, test, and iterate a multi-channel search. Leverage LinkedIn, video introductions, voice notes, targeted networking, and more. Reactivate connections with former colleagues, alumni, vendors, suppliers, partners, and even competitors to find support, insights, or referrals.

Proactively Address Tenure, Gaps, & Age Discrimination

When many roles are being eliminated or restructured across industries, executives with decades at one employer must show adaptability. Highlight how your role changed, what you learned, and how you led transformation. Brief tenures might raise questions about stability, so focus on results, achieving stated challenges, and mission alignment that brings you to this next opportunity.

Gaps between roles are more common in a tough job market, but the long-term unemployed or executives with extended gaps may face resistance throughout the hiring process. Best case scenario, fill that gap with keyword-rich content earned through board service, consulting work, or professional development. Make sure this “tenure” extends to Present on LinkedIn and on your resume to improve your standing in search results and on candidate dashboards. If you cannot add keyword-rich content in a recent gap, include a career note with a brief description of your activities to minimize perceived risk.

Age discrimination, young and old, can also slow the hiring process. A young executive may find their validity in doubt and be forced to self-advocate and gather more internal support than an established executive.  Showcasing career progression and including more of your earlier work history (for example, don’t be tempted to list only a decade of work history) can often help position young executives for upwards movement.

Candidates should also be wary of conflating age discrimination with overqualification, two very different challenges. True age discrimination against older candidates can be offset by showcasing tech savvy, a willingness to learn new things, and openness to ideas at all levels, ages, and stages.

A Smooth Transition Requires Agility

In a year when layoffs exceed a million and the “white-collar recession” narrative won’t go away, executives need to get up to speed on new search practices. Learn the tech of hiring (video, remote, AI-screening), clarify your value offering, reactivate networks, and practice multi-channel outreach. Emphasize your measurable impact and address potential concerns to position yourself for the next career move, proactively and strategically.