Stop Applying, Start Planting: The Executive Job Paradox

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

EP 3089 Stop the frantic cycle of applying and shift your entire mindset. You have to move from being a reactive applicant looking for existing jobs to a proactive connector who creates opportunities

The Unseen Reason You Didn’t Get the Job

You know, when you reach the C-suite, the old rules for finding your next big move just, well, they just don’t work anymore. So today, we’re going to look at a strategy that pretty much throws that entire rulebook out the window. We’re going to explore how you can actually build your next opportunity, not by looking for it, but by creating it.

Okay, so let’s start with a question that probably hits a little close to home. You’re at the top of your game. You’re an executive, a high-level operator.

So why does sending out resumes and filling out those endless online applications feel so pointless? The truth is, for senior roles, the traditional job hunt is just a broken model. And this leads us right into what we can call the C-suite job paradox. You know that feeling.

You have all this value, all this experience to offer, but the normal ways of finding a new role just don’t seem to recognize it. It’s incredibly frustrating. Look, the bottom line is this.

At the executive level, you aren’t just another resume in a digital pile. The truly game-changing opportunities, they’re almost never posted on a job board. They happen in conversations, they’re built on relationships, and they come through reputation.

Simply applying for jobs isn’t how you’re going to land that next big thing. So if we stop the frantic cycle of applying, what do we do instead? Well, we shift our entire mindset. It’s time to stop applying and start planting.

And this isn’t just a new tactic. It’s a completely different philosophy for how you manage your career. And this really comes down to two totally different ways of thinking.

On one side, you have the applicant. They’re reactive. They ask for help.

They look for jobs that already exist. But on the other side, you have the connector. They are proactive.

They give introductions, they create opportunities, and they actively shape the world around them. It’s a huge shift from a mindset of taking to a mindset of giving. Okay, so this whole planting idea sounds great, but how do you actually do it? The main tactic, the engine behind this whole strategy, is to start treating introductions as your new form of currency.

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So what does it really mean to be a connector? It means you become the person who thoughtfully and proactively links to other fantastic people in your network, not because you want something right now, but for their mutual benefit. You basically become a hub of value for everyone else. If you take one thing away, let it be this mantra.

Make warm introductions your currency. See, your value isn’t just what you know or even who you know. It’s who you’re willing to connect.

These introductions, when you give them generously, they become your single most valuable professional asset. So how does this work in the real world? It’s a really simple four-step process. First, you spot two people in your network who could genuinely help each other.

Second, you think through why it’s a win-win for both of them, and you get really clear on that. Third, you make that warm, thoughtful intro. And fourth, and this is absolutely the most important part, you do it without expecting anything back.

You just give. Now, when you start doing this consistently, you’re not just doing favors. You are strategically building a powerful, long-term asset.

You’re building what’s called reputational capital. I want you to think about it like this. Every valuable introduction you make is like a deposit into a special kind of bank account.

It’s not a financial account. It’s a reputational one. And over time, this reputational capital grows and grows.

And it often becomes way more valuable than your resume ever could be. And we’re not just talking about jobs here. Think bigger.

You’re connecting people to massive opportunities. You’re sharing critical insights, or introducing them to challenging new opinions. You’re sparking game-changing partnerships.

Every single one of those is a high-value deposit into your reputational bank. So look at your strategic assets. Of course, you have your skills and your experience.

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That’s your foundation. That’s a given. But your reputational capital is different.

It’s not static. It is a dynamic asset that you can actively grow every single day just by acting like a connector. So what’s the actual payoff for all this giving? For all this careful planting of seeds? Well, the return isn’t just one-to-one.

It’s much, much bigger than that. We’re talking about a 10-fold return. 10 times.

Just let that sink in for a second. The value you create for other people doesn’t just come back to you. It comes back amplified, creating these ripple effects that will benefit you in ways you can’t even predict.

And here’s the crucial part. The reputational capital you build by being a generous connector will come back to help you 10-fold, not just tomorrow, but for years and years. When the time comes that you’re quietly looking for something new, that network you so carefully built up, it will activate on your behalf, bringing opportunities directly to you.

So that leaves us with one last really practical question. Forget about your own needs for just a minute. Think about it right now.

Who are two people in your network that you could connect for their mutual benefit? Because the path to your next great opportunity, it might just start with that single generous introduction.