Research America

Executive Edge

Confidential Executive Career Advisory
See your career through the eyes of an executive search professional.

For nearly 40 years, I’ve partnered with organizations to identify, evaluate, and recruit leadership talent across retail, grocery, pharmacy, wholesale distribution, consumer products, hospitality, and related industries, reviewing thousands of résumés, negotiating compensation, and advising hiring leaders on their most critical talent decisions.

Executive Edge extends that same perspective to experienced leaders and professionals, the judgment of someone who sits on the other side of the hiring table. It is a candid, informed read on how the market sees you, and counsel on the decision in front of you.

The Engagement
A Private Advisory Engagement
Fee
$995

 

Preparation

In advance of our session, you’ll complete a confidential questionnaire covering your career history, objectives, and the decisions you’re facing, and submit your résumé and LinkedIn profile. I review each with the same scrutiny I’d bring to evaluating a candidate for a retained search.

 

The Session

A 90-minute conversation covering your market position, compensation, and career options.

Scope
Who This Serves

This advisory is intended for experienced leaders facing a significant career transition, positioning for their next senior leadership or board-level role, preparing for a high-stakes interview or negotiation, or evaluating a competing offer. It also serves experienced professionals who want a candid, outside read on how the market views them.

 

Confidentiality

Every engagement is strictly confidential. Nothing about our conversation, or the fact that it took place, is shared without your explicit permission.

 

 

Independence

Executive Edge carries no placement fee and no incentive to direct you toward any particular opportunity. My only obligation is an honest, unfiltered view of your position.

The Deliverable
The Executive Edge Advisory Report
This is not a recap of our conversation. It is a written professional assessment, prepared with the rigor of a retained search evaluation.
  • Objective assessment of current marketability
  • Recommendations to strengthen professional positioning
  • Key strengths and differentiators in today’s leadership market
  • Compensation and career strategy considerations
  • Potential obstacles to competitiveness
  • Specific, prioritized next steps
  • Résumé and LinkedIn presentation observations
REFERENCE MATERIALS

Read the Full Details

The Executive Edge Brochure

A complete overview of the engagement, the fee, and what the Advisory Report includes. One page, PDF format.

Download the Brochure  →

What to Expect

Answers on preparation, confidentiality, the professional fee, and what to expect from the engagement.

Read What to Expect  →

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What to Expect

Executive Edge is a private career advisory engagement designed for experienced professionals facing important career decisions. It provides an objective assessment of your marketability, professional positioning, career options, and decision-making from the perspective of a retained executive search professional.

Executive Edge is intended for experienced leaders who are:

  • Considering a significant career transition
  • Pursuing a new senior leadership or board-level opportunity
  • Preparing for an important interview or compensation negotiation
  • Evaluating a competing employment offer
  • Seeking an objective assessment of how the market views their experience

Executive Edge is grounded in nearly 40 years of executive search experience: evaluating leadership talent, advising hiring organizations, negotiating executive compensation, and understanding how senior leaders are evaluated in today’s market. The objective is to provide experienced, independent perspective that helps you make better career decisions.

Once your appointment is confirmed, you’ll receive a confidential Executive Edge Questionnaire along with instructions for submitting your résumé and LinkedIn profile. This preparation allows me to understand your career history, professional objectives, and the decisions you’re facing before our conversation, so our time together can focus on meaningful discussion rather than information gathering.

Our conversation lasts approximately 90 minutes. We’ll discuss your career history, professional positioning, marketability, compensation, career objectives, opportunities under consideration, and any questions or concerns you would like to explore. Every engagement is tailored to your individual circumstances.

Following our meeting, you’ll receive your personalized Executive Edge Advisory Report. The report includes:

  • An objective assessment of your current marketability
  • Key strengths and differentiators in today’s leadership market
  • Potential obstacles affecting your competitiveness
  • Observations regarding your résumé and LinkedIn presentation
  • Compensation and career strategy considerations, where appropriate
  • Recommendations to strengthen your professional positioning
  • Specific, prioritized next steps

Executive Edge is grounded in nearly 40 years of recruiting, evaluating, and advising leadership talent. The engagement helps you understand how the market views your background, evaluate opportunities more effectively, strengthen your professional positioning, and make informed career decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Yes. Every Executive Edge engagement is conducted with complete confidentiality. Nothing about our conversation, or the fact that it took place, is shared without your explicit permission.

The professional fee for Executive Edge is $995. The fee includes:

  • Advance preparation
  • Review of your résumé and LinkedIn profile
  • A confidential 90-minute advisory engagement
  • Your personalized Executive Edge Advisory Report

Payment is due upon confirmation of your appointment. We accept all major credit cards and supported digital wallet payment methods.

Executive Edge is designed to provide an honest, objective assessment, not validation. You should expect candid feedback, thoughtful discussion, and practical recommendations based on nearly four decades of retained executive search experience. Some observations may confirm what you already believe. Others may challenge long-held assumptions. The value of the engagement lies not only in the assessment itself, but in your willingness to thoughtfully consider the recommendations and, when appropriate, act on them.

Looking for the print version? Download as a PDF →

GET STARTED

Begin Your Engagement

Three steps, from scheduling to your advisory session. Each step is confirmed before you move to the next.

I.

Schedule

Choose a time for your confidential 90-minute session.

Dev note: Embed or link to the scheduling tool (e.g. Calendly/Acuity). Session length is fixed at 90 minutes; no other configuration needed here.

II.

Confirm

Secure your appointment with the $995 professional fee.

Dev note: Stripe Payment Link for the fixed $995 fee. No cart, no line items, single button to Stripe-hosted checkout.

III.

Prepare

Complete your questionnaire and submit your résumé and LinkedIn profile.

Dev note: Form tool (e.g. Typeform/Jotform) covering career history, objectives, and current decisions, plus a résumé file upload and a LinkedIn URL field. Trigger only after Step II payment confirms.

CONTACT

Begin a Confidential Conversation

Questions before scheduling? Reach out directly.

Janet K. Girard-Cooper, CPC, CERS
Managing Director, Research America
jgirard@research-america.com

researchamericarecruiting.com

linkedin.com/in/jgirardcooper
Professional perspective. Objective advice. Confidential conversations.
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