The insider job market

Hiring, Pedigree, and Who Gets

A recruiter recently posted on LinkedIn that today’s job market is split between the “top 1% of candidates” and everyone else. According to the post, this top tier is getting flooded with recruiter outreach while the rest hear nothing but crickets.

I asked a simple question: Who, exactly, is this 1%?

No one answered. But the answer was hiding in plain sight.

It’s not about performance. It’s about pedigree.

It’s the people who went to the right schools, worked at the right companies, and followed the right path. They’re the “ex-Google, ex-Stripe, ex-FAANG” hires that make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to say yes without having to explain the choice.

These candidates aren’t unqualified. Many are deeply talented and absolutely deserve the opportunities they’re getting. But they’re also the product of a system that narrows the pool of consideration based not on ability, but on affiliation.

And that’s the real issue.

The Rise of the Insider Economy

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about workers competing with each other. It’s not “us vs. them.” It’s insiders and outsiders—and the shrinking window through which outsiders can even get seen.

Leadership teams, founders, and boards aren’t just hiring talent. They’re hiring proven trust. And the fastest way to signal trust is through brand:

• The right degree

• The right company logos

• The right markets

• The right former employers who already “vetted” you

From the outside, it can feel like you’re being judged before anyone even opens your résumé. And often, you are.

I’ve experienced both sides of this. When I left a role at LPL Financial, a nationally known firm in the financial services space, I was read as a “FinTech marketer.” Every financial company I reached out to called me back. I had multiple offers in three weeks.

Now, coming out of higher education, I’m being read as a higher ed marketer—even though I’ve led full-stack growth strategies in regulated markets, with budgets and performance metrics that rival most SaaS firms.

Same person. Same skills. Different filter.

This Isn’t About Fairness. It’s About Access.

We all want to believe the hiring system rewards performance. But that’s only true after you pass the pedigree test.

And for candidates who:

• Upskilled on the job

• Shifted industries mid-career

• Were the first in their families to go to college

• Built value in mid-market firms or lesser-known companies

…they’re often invisible. Not because they can’t do the work—but because their story doesn’t match the narrative hiring managers are conditioned to trust.

So What Do You Do If You’re Not an Insider?

This is where the conversation usually devolves into “just work harder” or “build your brand” advice. That’s not helpful. Here’s what’s real:

1. Accept how the system works—then choose how to work within it.

You may never become a “top 1%” candidate by pedigree. That doesn’t mean your career is over. But it does mean you’ll need to be more deliberate about who you target and how you show up.

2. Focus your story on transferability.

If your resume doesn’t tell a clear brand story, make sure it tells a clear skill story. Don’t assume they’ll connect the dots between industries. Connect them yourself.

3. Choose companies that value builders, not just polish.

Some hiring managers only want pedigree. Don’t try to convince them otherwise. Look for leadership teams who value range, not just repetition. That’s where outsiders thrive.

4. Understand how you’re being read.

You may see yourself as a high-performing leader. But hiring managers see whatever your last title and company suggest.

If your branding doesn’t match your goals, invest in clarity. Pay a coach to review your résumé, your LinkedIn, your narrative. Ask: What do you see when you look at this? What assumptions would you make about me?

That feedback might be uncomfortable. But it’s also liberating. At least now you know what you’re working with.

And then—maybe you pay that coach to help you reposition. Not to fake a story, but to tell it in a way that lands where you want to go.

This Isn’t About Pity. It’s About Pattern Recognition.

This isn’t a sob story. It’s a systems story. Pedigree isn’t evil. Performance still matters. But access is the gatekeeper—and right now, that gate is narrow.

Hiring leaders: widen the gate. Start looking beyond the brand names.

Candidates: stop trying to be what you’re not. Start showing up for the companies that will value what you already are.

Let’s stop pretending this is about the best person getting the job.

It’s about who’s allowed to be seen in the first place.