1. Transparency before seduction
For a long time, job interviews have been like a game of mirrors: each side presented its best self, even if it meant glossing over the grey areas. Those days are over, at least for C-level roles. For 
A speech that is too formulaic, far from being reassuring, now arouses suspicion. The headhunter observes this first-hand in her dealings with clients: “Overly polished speeches now arouse mistrust, often because people have already had a bad experience with a poorly managed recruitment process.” This mistrust has been hard-won through experience, and companies must now factor it into their own recruitment messaging.
This is a point that Caroline Lamboley says she always discusses with her clients at the outset of a process: “A senior candidate asks the right questions, and it’s best to answer them frankly right from the start.” It’s therefore best to lay your cards on the table from the outset. An executive who discovers that the reality differs from what was presented to them is likely to leave quickly, with costly consequences for the company, both in terms of recruitment and team cohesion.
2. The quality of leadership
The quality of leadership at the top has become just as crucial a factor as the role itself. C-level executives no longer simply join a brand or take on a title: they join a governance structure, a shareholder base and a decision-making culture.
Unclear or poorly coordinated governance will drive away the best candidates, however attractive the role may appear to be.
In her most strategic assignments, Caroline Lamboley notes that the questions rarely concern the organisational chart: “They focus on how decisions are actually made, on the cohesion of the Comex [executive committee, ed.], and on the level of trust shareholders have in the management team.” These clients want to get to grips with the unspoken dynamics, the internal power struggles and the real culture of power.
“Unclear or misaligned governance will drive away the best candidates, however attractive the role may appear,” she warns. “And a senior executive who joins an organisation whose governance does not match what was presented is putting their career at risk.”
3. The actual impact of the role
Experienced professionals want to know in very concrete terms what they will be able to do once they take up the post: the resources available to them, the level of autonomy, their actual access to decision-making bodies, and the scope they will have to achieve the set objectives.
It is often on this point, rather than on salary, that negotiations stall, observes Caroline Lamboley: “[This encompasses] the scope of the role, the allocated budget, and access to decision-making bodies.” Many have already held a post where the stated level of responsibility was high but decision-making power was limited, and do not want to go through that again.
For the company, the risk is very real: a senior manager who is denied any real scope for action will quickly lose motivation and eventually leave. This leaves the company having to recruit again, with a strategic role once more left vacant.
4. The quality of the recruitment process
Senior candidates form an opinion of the company right from the recruitment process. Unjustified delays, ill-prepared recruiters, and feedback that never arrives: these details already speak volumes about how the organisation operates internally.
Recruitment is the first act of management; it is viewed as such from the very first interaction.
These candidates reach their conclusions quickly, and more often than not in silence. Caroline Lamboley observes this regularly: “They don’t complain; they ask themselves questions and, sometimes, they quietly move on to other opportunities without ever explaining their reasons to the recruiter.” She recalls several instances where the ideal candidate backed out, not because of the offer itself, but because of the way the process had been handled.
Her conclusion can be summed up in a single sentence: “Recruitment is the first act of management; it is viewed as such from the very first interaction.”
5. The medium- and long-term vision
Experienced executives are no longer interested solely in the role on offer, but in the company’s overall vision: where it wants to be in three to five years’ time, its growth targets, its strategic priorities and the changes ahead.
Behind this expectation lies a legitimate desire for protection, explains Caroline Lamboley: a senior executive who joins an organisation without a clear direction takes a real risk – that of being judged on results in an environment where priorities change every six months. And in a market where senior-level career moves are often longer and more complex than anticipated, leaving prematurely undermines a career path that has already been established. “Conversely, a clear and well-articulated vision, shared by the management teams, remains one of the best ways to attract talent,” she concludes.
