What this research program is
iCareerSolutions publishes first-party research on how senior job searches actually play out. The data comes from our own reverse recruiting engagements: the roles we source, the outreach we send, the replies we get, and the interviews and offers that follow. We add public labour-market data where it sharpens the picture. Nobody sponsors the work and no vendor reviews it before it goes out.
Current report: State of Executive Job Search 2026
Our first study answers the question senior candidates ask most: is a done-for-you search worth the investment? It sets nine findings against the 2026 market, where the average unemployment spell has stretched to roughly six months, job seekers outnumber open roles by about one million, and around three-quarters of online applications are screened out before a person reads them.
Read State of Executive Job Search 2026.
How the studies are built
- Engagement data is anonymised and aggregated. No client is identifiable.
- Outcome counts use one definition throughout: a qualified interview is a scheduled conversation with an internal recruiter or hiring manager about a specific open role.
- Market figures cite their source and the month they were pulled.
- Where our sample is small, we say so rather than round it up.
Using and citing the research
Journalists, career coaches and hiring teams may quote any finding with attribution to iCareerSolutions and a link to the report. If you need the underlying tables or a comment from a former executive recruiter, email arno@icareersolutions.com.
What is coming next
We plan to update the executive job search study each year and publish shorter briefs in between: reply rates by outreach channel, how long senior searches take by function, and what changes once a search is handed to a recruiter who works for the candidate. Subscribe to the newsletter below to get each release.
