If you’re aiming for your next senior communications role, here’s the uncomfortable truth: it probably won’t come from a job board. It will come from a conversation.
At senior level, your network is everything. It’s not a ‘nice to have’; it’s your safety net, your shop window and your route to market. Over the years, you’ve built relationships with colleagues, clients, mentors, journalists, industry peers, recruiters and agency partners. That web of connections is worth infinitely more than any online portal. One well-placed conversation with the right person will always outperform 100 cold applications.
As unfair as it sounds, many senior roles are never advertised. High-performing professionals are rarely trawling job boards. They’re identified, sounded out and approached directly. At the same time, hiring managers don’t want to sift through hundreds of applications (even with AI support) when they can ask trusted contacts for recommendations.
So, the real question is: where are you putting your energy?
If most of your effort is going into online applications, with the occasional coffee and the hope that a headhunter might call, you’re focusing on the least effective lever. There are not enough senior comms roles to go around, and in the current market it’s competitive. It’s an employers' market. That means you need to be deliberate, strategic and consistent.
Here’s what I advise senior corporate affairs professionals to do.
Treat your job search like a project
Hope is not a strategy. Motivation comes and goes. Systems work.
Approach your job search as you would a major campaign or transformation programme. Set clear targets. How many people will you contact each day? How many follow-ups will you schedule each week? What events will you attend this month? Consistency beats intensity every time.
Build a funnel, not a fantasy
You’re not applying for ‘a job’. You’re building a pipeline.
Multiple conversations, applications and follow-ups should be running simultaneously. But until you have interviews, you have nothing concrete.
Push all avenues, but weight your effort wisely. As a rule of thumb, around 80% of your focus should be on your network and 20% on everything else. That’s where the real leverage sits.
Target people, not job adverts
Submitting endless applications is draining and demoralising. It also puts you in a reactive position.
Instead, redirect your energy into conversations. Reconnect with former colleagues. Ask for introductions. Be intentional about the events you attend – choose the rooms where decision-makers and influencers gather. Visibility matters.
Opportunities tend to move through people. When someone knows what you’re looking for and what you’re good at, they can join the dots on your behalf. A job board can’t do that.
Hone your pitch
Your network isn’t just who you know; it’s who remembers you and can articulate your value when you’re not in the room.
Get your elevator pitch clear and confident. What are you known for? What problems do you solve? What are you looking for next?
Start with two or three people who know and rate you highly – especially those who are well-connected. Make it easy for them to advocate for you. If they can’t clearly explain what you bring, neither can anyone else.
Speak about outcomes, not responsibilities
At senior level, listing duties is not enough. Stop describing what your role ‘covered’. Start articulating what you changed. Your currency is reputation. As a communications leader, you are a builder of trust and a protector of brand. Talk about what you fixed, what you strengthened, what you grew and what you safeguarded.
Use metrics wherever possible – percentages, shifts in sentiment, stakeholder engagement improvements, crisis mitigation outcomes. Even in areas where it is hard to quantify, there is always a way to tell the impact story.
Outcomes demonstrate value. Responsibilities simply describe activity.
Reframe your experience – don’t hide it
You are not overqualified. You’ve seen market cycles, managed crises and built reputations over time. In uncertain environments, that experience is not a liability; it’s an anchor. Position yourself as a source of stability, perspective and sound judgement.
At the same time, avoid leaning solely on tenure. Thirty years’ experience is not viewed as six times more valuable than five. Hiring managers care most about what you’ve delivered recently – particularly in the last few years.
Your success from a decade ago is interesting. Your success last quarter is compelling.
Be open to a sideways move
Progression isn’t always vertical. Sometimes the smartest strategic move is lateral – into an adjacent sector, a consulting role, or a smaller company where your expertise carries greater weight. A pivot can expand your relevance and refresh your trajectory.
Update your skills proactively
Staying relevant is non-negotiable. If you are not fully embracing AI and emerging technology in communications, now is the time. It is no longer optional. Leaders are expected to understand how to leverage new tools to shape strategy, generate insight and operate efficiently. Reinvention is part of senior leadership.
Landing a senior communications role in today’s market isn’t easy, but it is entirely achievable.
Approach your search with the same rigour you would bring to a high-stakes communications campaign. Be clear on your value. Tell your story through outcomes. Invest deeply in the relationships that matter. Stay visible. Stay consistent.
The professionals who succeed are the ones who show up, follow up and make it easy for others to champion them.
Sarah Leembruggen is managing director of The Works Search.