Category design - 4 min
Signal-based hiring is the useful middle between job boards and executive search
The market has public job boards at one end and retained search at the other. Signal-led discovery fills the timing gap.
Job boards are late and crowded. Retained search is narrow and controlled by the mandate owner.
Signal-led discovery gives candidates a way to identify emerging demand without pretending every signal is a job.
The discipline is to combine signal, fit and accountable contact before any outreach happens.