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A Smarter Way to Run Your Job Search in 2026
January 2026
Joey Brodsky
January 12, 2026
Hello and welcome to The Modern GTM Executive by Lunar Executive Search - read by 2,000+ leading Sales, Marketing, and Executive Leaders within Growth-Stage Technology businesses. We’re here to help people redefine their perspective on modern revenue acquisition models, understand what talent & skills are necessary to do so, and how to find the to 10% of GTM Leaders to execute.
| Sales Hiring Market – Current LinkedIn Job Postings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Within Software Industry – Posted Last 7 Days | ||
| VP of Sales Jobs | 423 | +71% |
| Enterprise AE Jobs | 617 | +42% |
| BDR Jobs | 363 | +66% |
To help readers stay grounded in the reality of today’s GTM hiring landscape, I’ll be sharing a weekly snapshot of active sales roles on LinkedIn. These metrics offer a simple but powerful pulse check: where demand is rising, where it’s cooling, and how the broader software market is shifting beneath the surface.
This Week's Signal The Top 3 News Stories for Your GTM Career Early 2026 market signals that matter if you’re hiring, interviewing, or navigating a search. |
1 · GTM Hiring & Job Searches Fewer Open Roles — Higher Screening Intensity GTM hiring has resumed selectively in early 2026, but interview bars are materially higher. Recruiters and hiring managers are screening harder up front, spending less time on exploratory conversations, and prioritizing candidates who can quickly demonstrate relevant, recent performance. |
2 · Interviewing & Evaluation “Tell Me What You Actually Did” Is the New Interview Filter Across sales, marketing, and GTM leadership roles, interviews are shifting away from hypotheticals and toward proof. Candidates are increasingly evaluated on specific outcomes, deal details, execution decisions, and lessons learned — not frameworks or buzzwords. |
3 · Compensation & Career Strategy Market Knowledge Is Becoming a Differentiator With compensation ranges widening and role scopes varying more than ever, candidates who understand market benchmarks, role expectations, and realistic upside are navigating offers more effectively. In 2026, informed candidates are consistently outperforming confident-but-unprepared ones. |
To help you stay sharper and more informed, I’m adding this new weekly snapshot of the three GTM stories that matter most. No fluff - just the signals every sales leader should track.
A Smarter Way to Run Your Job Search in 2026
Most job searches fail for the same reason sales deals do: no structure, no signal, and too much noise.
After reviewing hundreds of resumes and LinkedIn profiles every month, here’s what actually matters right now - and how strong candidates are separating themselves in a tighter 2026 market.
Here’s your checklist:
Your Resume Is Not a Design Project
It’s a performance document.
Hiring managers don’t care about clever formatting. They care about what you shipped, sold, built, or led.
The strongest resumes I see:
Lead with performance-based outcomes
Quantify results wherever possible
Clearly set context: stage, industry, and scope
Show progression, not just responsibilities
Formatting should be clean and readable. Content does the work.
Treat Your Job Search Like a Sales Funnel
The best candidates run pipelines.
They track:
Where they’ve applied
Who they’ve spoken to
What stage each opportunity is in
Where follow-ups are stalled
Whether you use a job tracker or a simple board, structure wins. The “spray and pray” approach rarely does.
https://huntr.co/ is my favorite.
LinkedIn Is Your Real Resume
Your resume gets you screened. Your LinkedIn gets you found.
The candidates who stand out:
Use headlines that explain what they actually do
Write About sections with clarity and direction
Show measurable wins in experience sections
Look professional on camera — lighting, framing, simplicity
If recruiters can’t quickly understand your value, they move on.
Know the Market Before You Negotiate
Guessing comp is how people undercut themselves.
Strong candidates reference:
Role- and level-specific benchmarks
Location-adjusted data
Real employee-submitted salary insights
Comp conversations go better when expectations are grounded in reality, not anecdotes.
The Bottom Line
In 2026, job searching rewards the same traits companies look for in leaders:
Clarity. Structure. Execution.
If you bring those to your search, you’ll already be ahead of most of the market.
If you want the full breakdown of our thoughts on what ‘good’ GTM looks like in 2026 — including team design, enablement impact, and what “great” teams actually look like — the data is in this report.
We've got a number of active opportunities across our portfolio of software clients at Lunar Executive Search currently.
A few select openings:
VP of Sales – VC Backed – Enterprise SaaS (US Remote)
(New) VP of Sales – PE Backed – HealthTech (US Remote)
Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Enterprise SaaS (Remote - Central Territory)
Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Cyber (US Remote)
(New) Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - InsurTech (NYC Hybrid)
(New) Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Media Tech (NYC OR LA Remote)
Account Executive - PE Backed - HealthTech (US Remote)
I'm also always looking to speak to great candidates for future roles:
Chief Revenue Officer - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
Chief Marketing Officer - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
VP of Product Marketing - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
VP of Partnerships - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
Highlights from The GTM Kickback! Podcast
We've had a number of excellent interviews recently on The GTM Kickback!, with many more already booked and recorded on the way.
Want to be a guest? Ping me on LinkedIn! 😎
We're looking for: High-performance GTM Operators, VC/PE Investors in SaaS, and Leading GTM Consultants for early stage technology businesses
New to "The GTM Kickback!"? Subscribe to the podcast!
This newsletter is powered by Lunar Executive Search - Finding Premier GTM Talent for Growth Stage Tech Businesses.
We help disruptive technology companies grow. For venture-funded start-ups and PE-backed enterprise software firms, we have a track record in finding the Top 10% of Sales and Marketing Leadership Talent, and doing so swiftly.
Reach out here: [email protected]
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Till next time,
Joey