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The Early Approach

The Early Approach. The weekly newsletter for Heads and Directors in corporate who'd rather be approached than apply. Every Thursday, one short read on how senior leaders get into the conversations that lead to roles before they're advertised. One signal explained. One profile breakdown. One fix you can apply this week. When you are ready to move, you will know exactly where to start. Stop Applying. Get Approached.

07 What every senior leader is asking right now

The pattern across this week's senior calls Four Positioning Calls with senior leaders at Head of and Director level across Australia this week. Different sectors. Different career stages. Different specific concerns. Same underlying question. How do I make the next transition structural rather ...

by Cheraine Escott — Jun 11, 2026 approached methodology australian corporate career runway career transition executive career strategy head of and director roles linkedin for senior leaders position signal target relationships senior career positioning senior hiring the window framework

06 The same three questions

Across the Positioning Calls I run each week with Head of and Director level professionals, three questions come up on almost every single one. Different sectors, different cities, different career chapters. The same three. This is what they sound like. "What if my employer sees this and thinks ...

by Cheraine Escott — Jun 04, 2026 executive-job-search executive-job-search-australia executive-linkedin-tips hidden-job-market how-to-get-headhunted linkedin-for-executives linkedin-headline-for-executives senior-career-positioning

05 The quiet stage of a senior career. Read this.

Every senior leader I work with has the same observation eventually. "It's gone a bit quieter than I'm used to." Some name it. Most don't. The ones who do almost always rationalise it as inevitable. The pool of roles at Head of, Director, GM or CIO level is just smaller than what they had at the ...

by Cheraine Escott — May 28, 2026 career coaching career positioning executive career transition hidden job market linkedin strategy senior career strategy senior leadership signal vs capability six-second test the window framework

04 You're too close to see your own value.

Last week I covered the Positioning Report. The six-second scan, and the window exercise: rewrite the first three lines of your About. If you tried it, you probably found it harder than it looked. A blank screen, a cursor, and twenty years of work you could not get into three lines. This week, wh...

by Cheraine Escott — May 21, 2026 30-day job search plan 5 hours a week job search approached director role search diy executive career system executive career sprint executive career templates executive job search australia executive job search new zealand four moves career system get headhunted head of role search hidden job market senior career strategy the approached method the playbook

Most senior leaders score under 40%.

Last week I covered the four moves. Position. Signal. Target. Relationships. This week, the move that costs senior leaders the most. The signal A hiring manager at Head and Director level scans your LinkedIn in six seconds. Six seconds for the banner, photo, headline, and the first three lines of...

by Cheraine Escott — May 14, 2026 approached career positioning director role search executive job search australia executive job search new zealand executive linkedin audit executive search firms linkedin get headhunted head of role search hidden job market linkedin about section for executives linkedin for executives linkedin headline for heads and directors senior linkedin profile score six-second scan the positioning report

02 Two doors. One window.

Last week we covered why the calls have gone quiet at Head and Director level. Two thirds of the market is having a conversation you are not in. This week, where that conversation actually happens. And the four moves you run to be in it. The signal There are two doors and a window into a senior...

by Cheraine Escott — May 07, 2026 approached career positioning director role search executive job search australia executive job search new zealand executive resume head of role search hidden job market linkedin positioning for executives senior leadership careers the early approach the four moves

01 Welcome to The Early Approach.

Firstly, a quick update. You might know me as Cheraine at Jobclub. The exciting news is that Jobclub has now grown up and rebranded to Approached. I'm now focusing on career advice for Head of & Director level professionals in AU/NZ. If this is not you, and you don't want to hear from me anymore,...

by Cheraine Escott — Apr 30, 2026 career positioning australia director job search australia ex recruiter career coach executive career coaching get approached for senior roles head of director career advice hidden job market linkedin rebuild senior executive redundancy career coaching the approached audit

The Early Approach

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