Quality vs Quantity

The 65% of people, who successfully obtain positions by word-of-mouth or by directly contacting an employer, do so with fewer leads. These individuals are not luckier than their peers, they simply have leads with better chances of receiving interviews. The majority of leads found online, from answering want ads, using placement agencies and mass-mailing resumes, do not yield many interviews. With advertised positions eliciting hundreds of responses, such passive forms of job seeking leave you waiting for HR departments and recruiters to contact you. The most efficient and effective way to generate interviews is by being part of the 65% of people who utilize their network of contacts to make their availability and qualifications known to the people who have the power to hire them.

Facts to Consider

The Executive Search Information Exchange (ESIX) states that 40% of executive searches fail and that 70% of these failures are the fault of the clients. Additionally, The New York Times reported that just 3-5%, of all people seeking new positions, will ever obtain a job from the Internet, including scrapers such as Indeed, networking sites like LinkedIn and social sites such as Facebook. The Internet has become the most popular search tool and is consequently far more competitive. Today, Monster and CareerBuilder alone have more than 100 million resumes posted alongside 100,000+ job boards, for which 23 million unemployed people struggle to compete.

C-Level Salaries

The compensation packages, of C-Suite Executives, are complex, reflecting required responsibilities and expertise. With help from Salary.com, here are the average salaries and bonus percentages for seven key C-Suite executive positions:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO): $755,000, with bonuses between 50-100%

• Chief Operating Officer (COO): $457,000, with bonuses averaging 40%

• Chief Financial Officer (CFO): $364,000, with bonuses between 30-35%

• Chief Legal Officer (CLO): $334,000, with bonuses between 30-35%

• Chief Information Technology Officer (CIO): $266,000, with bonuses between 15-20%

• Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO): $250,000, with bonuses between 15-20%

• Chief Marketing Officer (CMO): $231,000, with bonuses between 25-30%

Base salaries are just a portion of the larger total compensation package. Executives typically receive additional forms of compensation, such as performance-based bonuses, stock options and equity awards, long-term incentive plans, retirement plans, health and insurance benefits, severance packages and golden parachutes.