The four doors
Senior roles are filled through four routes. Each is controlled by someone different, and each one closes for different reasons.
- The posting. An applicant tracking system, then an internal screener. What decides it is whether a machine can read your document and whether its words match the job’s words.
- The contingency recruiter. The most common kind of recruiter, paid only if their candidate is hired and usually one of two or three agencies on the same role. They move fastest on people who are an obvious, low-risk match.
- The retained search. A consultant on an exclusive mandate who presents a short slate and writes a profile of each person for the board. What decides it is what your record lets that consultant write.
- The direct approach. No gatekeeper: you, or a reverse recruiter working for you, write to the person who would hire you. What decides it is whether you arrive with a result worth their time.
The fourth door is the one reverse recruiting is built around. It is also the one most job seekers never try. See the hidden job market and the NRRA Standard Process.
How the check works
- Upload a résumé. A Word file or PDF, or your LinkedIn profile saved as a PDF.
- Say what you’re going for. Target role, sector, and optionally location and pay band.
- Answer seven questions of fact. Not self-ratings: things like whether you’re currently employed and whether you have a target list.
It takes about three minutes. You see the verdict and the state of each door straight away; the full read, including the search string a recruiter would run and the profile a search consultant could write from your page, is sent to the email you give. There is no score, no tier and no percentile.
The check reads your document the way a gatekeeper would. It is not a judgement of your ability — only of what your page lets each gatekeeper see.
Who runs it
The Four Doors is built and run by iCareerSolutions, an NRRA member firm, and is free to use. Your résumé and report are held by iCareerSolutions, not by the NRRA, and iCareerSolutions may follow up with you about your report. Their privacy policy applies, and you can ask them to delete your data at any time.
Common questions
How do senior executives get hired?
Through four routes: a job posting screened by an applicant tracking system, a contingency recruiter paid only on placement, a retained search consultant working an exclusive mandate, or a direct approach to the person who would hire them. At VP level and above, most roles are filled through the last three rather than the posting.
What is the difference between a retained and a contingency recruiter?
A contingency recruiter is paid only if their candidate is hired and usually competes with two or three other agencies on the same role, so they move fastest on obvious, low-risk matches. A retained search consultant is paid to run an exclusive search, presents a short slate and writes a profile of each candidate for the hiring committee.
What is the direct approach in a job search?
Writing to the person who would hire you, before or without a posting, with a specific result that is worth their time. It is the route reverse recruiting is built around, and the one most job seekers never use.
Is the Four Doors check free, and what happens to my résumé?
It is free and takes about three minutes. It is run by iCareerSolutions, an NRRA member firm, which holds your résumé and report under its privacy policy and will delete them on request.
Related reading
The NRRA