Anonymous wrote:im a senior director at a fortune 500, nonHSPY undergrad and mba. I guess Im just wondering why I can get to HR levels but not make it through. I havent gotten feedback about virtual presence but it might be something for me to look into.

Why can’t you move go VP at your own company?

Have you only been at your current company a short time?
Does your resume read “job hopper”
What are your actual accomplishments?

There’s a lot of back door references too. What would people actually say about you? How do you treat people? Do you go above and beyond? Do you leave out at 5 PM on the dot? How do people talk about you when you aren’t in the room?

If I’m hiring especially for executive or senior level roles I want someone who is going to stay and not try and jump ship to a higher level role. I’m looking at resumes where people stay a minimum of 3 years but most likely want candidates a minimum of 4-5 years so I need to see that on their resume.

I see a lot of job hopping for entry and middle manager roles but if I see that frequently or especially with senior roles I won’t interview you. I don’t expect you to stay for life but I want actual accomplishments on the role and that doesn’t happen unless you stay years.
It isn’t worth my time to hire someone otherwise.

I would either stay where you are and try to move up there or stay for another year and then apply for VP. Otherwise
make a lateral move. Most VP roles they hire internally or want someone with that experience.

Anonymous wrote:VP roles are filled through networking.

+2

I hardly know any executive that just cold applied to their job.

It’s hard to make a jump to VP in a new company. Are you applying to smaller companies than where you are now? For a similar size you probably need to make a lateral move with opportunity for growth.

Anonymous wrote:im a senior director at a fortune 500, nonHSPY undergrad and mba. I guess Im just wondering why I can get to HR levels but not make it through. I havent gotten feedback about virtual presence but it might be something for me to look into.

What is the path to VP at your own company?

At my company, many of these roles go to internal candidates. It may not be a you thing. Good luck, I hope something works out for you soon.

Anonymous wrote:VP roles are filled through networking.

This the case, in my experience. They know who they want for the job through networking, and anyone new they bring in to interview through a headhunter or otherwise is to check the box on the “open” interview process.

im a senior director at a fortune 500, nonHSPY undergrad and mba. I guess Im just wondering why I can get to HR levels but not make it through. I havent gotten feedback about virtual presence but it might be something for me to look into.

A VP role at my Fortune 500 is usually filled with someone w a HSPY type undergrad or MBA, tons of good experience in the industry, or work at an aspirational company like Google in a senior role. Or, preferably all of the above.

It annoys me when people are VPs at other smaller companies or industries and think they can waltz into my company just because their title says VP.

Bottom line, real VP jobs are hard to get and easy to lose.

Apply for a lower role and work your way up. That is what I did-2x. Many VP roles they want filled by those who have actually done the role previously or an internal hire proven to do the work.

There are too many VPs, anyway. Dime a dozen.

Have you asked friends for feedback on how you come across on Zoom? Try practice meetings. Is it the background, where you look, vocal tone, speech patterns...

Well— if HR is rejecting you it’s probably something basic. Comp expectations?

VP means different things at different companies, obviously; you may be stretching your experience and qualifications too far if you're applying to larger companies which expect a lot from applicants with backgrounds as VPs in smaller firms, or as Senior Directors in larger companies. In other words, while your resume may contain needed "magic words", in person the nature of your experience may not line up with expectations if you're coming from a small company and trying to move to a bigger one. If so, you may be targeting the wrong companies when looking for that title. Use LinkedIn to look at the backgrounds of people currently in VP roles at the companies which interest you, and see how your background aligns, or doesn't with theirs.

VP roles are filled through networking.

I have been applying to VP roles for over a year now. My CV is making it through ATS but I dont get past human HR screen via zoom. I dress up, I practice, I know my numbers. I always get the "we decided to go with other candidates who are a better fit for the role". This has happened for a third time now, even with a referral.

Anything I can do differently?

Thank you!