Why I Say No to Most Recruiter Calls: The Reality of Senior-Level Hiring in Today’s IT Market

My style of operating and talking to people has always been simple, straight, and just as things are. I don't like to complicate life, and I don’t like pretending either. It still surprises me when I hear some of my colleagues say they get one or two interviews every week. I have honestly never experienced that.

My LinkedIn profile has done extremely well. I publish regularly. I stay active and visible. But the number of meaningful positions I get approached for, or the number of interviewers who actually reach out with something real, is very small.

I also know how the game works on the other side. Companies advertise for roles that expect you to have managed several hundred million dollars of business. And I personally know some of the people interviewing for these roles—they have not done those numbers. So it surprises me how easily people make big claims, and how easily decision-makers on the other side believe them.

But that is not really the point of this post.

My way of working is simple: I engage only where I genuinely believe I can add value. If I don’t think there is a real opportunity to make a difference, I prefer to tell people straight up. I also don’t appreciate it when companies hide things, or when recruiters reach out without any real clarity. Many third-party recruiters are compensated simply for getting candidates into the first round. That creates a whole culture of “pushing people onto calls” just to hit a number.

At my stage in my career, I don’t play that game.

So when a recruiter reaches out, my first filter is always the same:

• Can they share the company’s name?

• Can they provide a detailed job description?

• Do they have at least a high-level compensation range?

If the answer is no, then my answer is also no.

This may appear counterproductive to some people—why not jump on a quick call? But to me, it actually saves time for everyone. I’m not going to fall for bait or spend energy on endless conversations that go nowhere.

Recently, a recruiter from a respected mid-sized company reached out. She was eager to schedule the first-round conversation. I asked her to send me the detailed job description before we spoke.

When I read it, I realized the role was something very different from what the title suggested. The entire focus was on net-new business hunting. Nothing wrong with that, but companies today are struggling so much that they are disguising pure hunting roles as leadership or strategy roles. Everyone wants net-new business, but almost no one wants to invest in actually building a pipeline.

Most companies I come across just want someone who can walk in with existing relationships, open a few doors, maybe get them an MSA—and they think the revenue will magically appear. But that is not how business works. Building net-new business, especially in today’s environment, requires patience, investment, resilience, and honestly, nerves of steel.

So I wrote her a detailed message, explaining that since the real expectation of the role was net-new hunting, it wasn’t aligned with what I’m looking for. I told her I’d rather save her time and mine, and skip the call.

Had I gotten on that call, it would not have served me in any way.

A similar situation happened a few weeks back. I spoke to a CEO who made a very strong first impression. He clearly articulated what the company was trying to do, where their challenges were, and how I might fit in. I ended that call actually feeling energized. He then asked me to speak with his SVP to get more context on the company and the investments they’d made.

A week later, I had the call with the SVP—and the tone changed completely. Despite being highly placed, he spoke like a junior AE. He wanted to know which logos I could introduce. He knew my current role, my background, and my company. And toward the end, he openly asked whether I could introduce him into some of our existing accounts—he said he would “compensate” me for it.

This is what the current state of IT leadership has turned into.
People chasing whatever numbers they can book today, no matter what your title is or what the role is supposed to be.

That call honestly surprised me.

The next day, I wrote to both the CEO and the SVP separately and told them I’d like to pause any further conversations and maybe stay in touch for the future. But this wasn’t the culture I want to be part of. I don’t know whether the CEO already knew this was the plan or whether the SVP was just desperate. But either way, it’s not something I want to align myself with.

It genuinely feels like the industry is in survival mode right now.

So even though it may seem counterproductive to say no to interviews or skip conversations, my approach is grounded in something simple: understand what you really want out of your life.

If I were at the beginning of my career and hungry for any break, I might think differently. But after nearly 19 years in this industry, I don’t see any value in putting myself through unnecessary drain or entering relationships that are going to exhaust me in the long run.

I want to work where I can add value, where the culture feels right, and where the people are honest about who they are and what they are looking for. Everything else is noise.