OP, how many senior directors are under your current VP? I imagine all of them will want his Job when he vacates it, but only one will get it. The problem with getting promoted at that level is that you’re no longer competing against average people. You’re competing against super stars. You need to be the best senior director at your current company. You need to network at your current company. It could still go to someone else. Just going by the numbers, a lot of great people who want to be a VP will never get to.

I disagree with most of the above. VPs are definitely hired from outside a company. Get a career coach that can do a virtual interview with you to identify what is going wrong for you. A good one can also prep you for both virtual and in person interviews. This sounds like something you are doing/ saying in your interview.

Anonymous wrote: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.

40% of executives at new companies are gone within 18 months, so easy to lose seems appropriate. At that level, the politics is brutal.

OP, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to get a VP role if you're not a VP now unless you have an extraordinary background or your current SD role is more significant than the VP role to which you're applying.

This is true for most positions. It's much harder to upgrade across companies than it is to lateral and then grow.

Good luck.

VP positions are the adult version of grade inflation.

Anonymous wrote:VPs in my industry aren’t hired from job postings. They are recruited because people know they have a unique skillset and great reputation. They basically come in and do their thing. They are aren’t hiring a VP position they are hiring the person, the title is really meaningless.

Same. And VP candidates aren’t going through a HR screen. We don’t even use HR to screen for director positions.

So why have HR screen OP at all then? Why not just automatically reject. Job boards are never ideal but for many of us, it is what it is

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying VP jobs come from networking---- we know that! Are you saying that it is a disservice to apply to job boards IF you dont have a network to get you in?

The people getting through HR who applied from job boards in this market likely all have significant experience at the VP level. If you are trying to make a jump you are going to need to have an in at that company.

A job board candidate would have to be a superstar that’s ready to plug into the role, meaning they’re already in an almost identical job and also have an impeccable education/pedigree.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This, it’s either internal candidate or someone poached from a competitor that they had their eye on.

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying VP jobs come from networking---- we know that! Are you saying that it is a disservice to apply to job boards IF you dont have a network to get you in?

The people getting through HR who applied from job boards in this market likely all have significant experience at the VP level. If you are trying to make a jump you are going to need to have an in at that company.

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying VP jobs come from networking---- we know that! Are you saying that it is a disservice to apply to job boards IF you dont have a network to get you in?

Yes, that’s exactly what we are saying. You are wasting everyone’s time.

All of you saying VP jobs come from networking---- we know that! Are you saying that it is a disservice to apply to job boards IF you dont have a network to get you in?

VPs in my industry aren’t hired from job postings. They are recruited because people know they have a unique skillset and great reputation. They basically come in and do their thing. They are aren’t hiring a VP position they are hiring the person, the title is really meaningless.

Thank you! I do have a path to VP at my company, but that would entail that a role
is open and people move on. My VP is very far from retirement and is very much staying.

I suppose I can lateral-- but I lose a hefty severance calculator and significant stock LTI. I would make the jump only for a promotion.

I am more than 10 years in my current company

In this market, getting a promotion to a different company especially a VP and exec is super hard. Lost of unemployed folks, who are ready to take one level down to get back into the workforce. As others mentioned, networking is the key. Also, HR may interview you, but getting hired really requires a perfect fit. Everyone is getting more specific on what and who they want.