Appollan for experienced professionals: a careful search, not a big one

If you've been working for 15 years, most job search advice isn't written for you. "Apply to 50 jobs a week" makes sense for a graduate. At director level, there might be five roles a month worth applying to, and getting each one right matters far more than sending more.

This post covers how Appollan works for experienced and senior professionals, what our Professional plan adds, and, honestly, the parts of a senior search we don't do.

The short answer

For experienced professionals, Appollan runs a careful, confidential application search: a specialist researches the few roles that genuinely fit, tailors your resume heavily for each one, and submits the applications, with you approving every job if you want to. Our Professional plan, from $499 a month, is built for this. Starter and Growth work well for experienced people who are targeting a broader set of roles.

What we don't do is networking, executive coaching or salary negotiation. At senior levels those matter a lot, and you'll want them from somewhere.

Why senior searches are different

There are fewer roles. The higher you go, the fewer openings fit, and the more each one matters.

Each application needs more care. A senior resume has to tell a story about scope and results, and that story usually needs reshaping for each employer.

Many senior hires happen through people. Referrals, board contacts and headhunters fill a lot of senior roles. Applications are still worth making, but they're one part of the search.

Confidentiality matters. If you're employed, the last thing you want is your current employer finding out from a careless application.

How Appollan handles each of these

Fewer, better-chosen roles

Your specialist works from a detailed brief: target titles, sectors, company sizes, locations, salary floor, companies you'd love to work for and companies to avoid. In criteria-only mode, we only apply when a role meets every must-have you set. In approve-first mode, nothing is submitted until you approve the job.

Heavier tailoring

Your resume is tailored to each role, emphasizing the scope, results and leadership that employer is looking for, using only what you've told us. Before it's sent, it's checked against the job, and anything that claims more than you gave us is replaced with your own words. At senior level, an overstated claim is a liability in a reference check.

A confidential search

• Your current employer goes on your "avoid" list, along with any companies you don't want approached, such as clients and close partners.
• Applications use a dedicated job-search email, so employer replies don't land in an inbox someone else might see.
• We never contact your current employer or your colleagues.

Everything visible

Every application appears in your dashboard with the exact resume and cover letter sent, and the employer's confirmation. Senior candidates often want to know precisely what's been said in their name. You can.

What the Professional plan adds

The Professional plan starts at $499 a month and is priced individually, based on how targeted and specialized your search is. It includes:

• a customized application strategy;
• carefully targeted opportunities rather than volume;
• specialized resume support;
• personalized job-search assistance;
• priority support.

We talk to you before quoting, so the plan fits the search. Get in touch from the Professionals page.

Where we can't help, and who can

• Networking and introductions. Your own network, alumni groups and industry associations are where many senior roles are found.
• Executive search firms. Headhunters are paid by employers to fill specific senior roles. It's worth being known to the ones in your sector.
• Coaching and negotiation. An executive coach can help with positioning, interviews and negotiating an offer.

Appollan works alongside these. We handle the applications that are worth making, so your own time goes on the conversations only you can have.

An example

Say you're Michael, a VP of Operations at a mid-sized manufacturer in Ohio, quietly looking for a COO role. There may be eight relevant openings across the Midwest in a month. He sets his brief (COO or SVP Operations, manufacturing or industrial, $220k+, Midwest or remote), puts his employer and its three largest customers on the avoid list, and switches on approve-first.

His specialist researches the openings, sends him the ones that fit, and, once he approves them, rewrites his resume around each company's priorities and submits it. Michael spends his own evenings on calls with his network and two headhunters.

Frequently asked questions

Is Appollan suitable for executives?

Yes, for the application side of a senior search. The Professional plan, from $499 a month, focuses on a small number of carefully targeted applications. Appollan doesn't provide networking, executive coaching or negotiation.

Can I keep my search confidential from my current employer?

Yes. Put your employer on your "avoid" list so we never apply there, and employer replies come to a dedicated job-search email rather than your work or personal inbox.

How many applications will you send for a senior search?

As many as genuinely fit, which at senior level is usually few. On the Professional plan, volume is agreed with you up front rather than fixed.

Do I approve every application?

You can. In approve-first mode, nothing is submitted until you approve the job.

How is Professional different from Growth?

Growth is up to 120 applications a month for a broader search. Professional is priced individually and built around fewer, more heavily tailored applications with a customized strategy and priority support.

A careful search, done for you

Senior searches reward precision. If you want the applications handled with that kind of care, while you spend your time where only you can, let's talk.

See the Professional plan