A senior technology transformation leader, who our Founder and Managing Director, Hannah Cox, was representing through both a CIO and CTO recruitment process, explained that they had become increasingly selective about where they allowed their CV to be submitted.
Their reasoning was simple: too many recruiters and organisations had consumed significant amounts of their time without demonstrating a genuine commitment to the process. After multiple experiences involving lengthy discussions, unclear opportunities and poor communication, they had reached the point where they were no longer willing to engage with every approach that came their way.
So we ran a LinkedIn poll.
The majority of respondents (almost 70%) said they’re now asking “Is this role retained?” before deciding whether to engage in a recruitment process. It was a relatively small sample, however they were all were senior decision-makers (Director or C-level).
The sentiment reflects a wider trend: high-calibre candidates are becoming more selective about how and where they invest their time. These are the discussions we are now actively having with senior level candidates.
For employers, that means the accessibility of top performers could tighten further, especially where the recruitment process feels transactional or poorly managed.
For a copy of the poll results, or to discuss this in more detail, you can reach out to Hannah directly on Hannah.Cox@GallopExecutive.com
