Why Non-Linear Careers Are the New Gold Standard for Senior Roles
Is Your CV Too Perfect for Today’s Market?
Nia Trussler is an Associate Partner at Page Executive, specialising in board and director-level appointments across retail, e-commerce, and consumer services. With deep expertise in hospitality, grocery, beauty, and home sectors, she brings strategic insight to the evolving senior talent landscape. Follow her on LinkedIn.
If your career looks more like a map of the London Underground than a smooth, upward arrow — you’re not alone. And more importantly? That’s becoming your advantage.
In a recent episode of the Joy at Work podcast, I spoke with headhunter Nia Trussler about how executive hiring has shifted. Nia, who specialises in senior-level placements across retail and consumer sectors, confirmed what many midlife professionals are quietly hoping: the traditional, linear CV is losing its grip.
"We're seeing a backlash against the polished, blue-chip-only backgrounds. Companies want leaders who’ve dealt with real mess, real complexity—and grown through it." – Nia Trussler
Let’s unpack what’s driving this shift—and why your squiggly, layered, and unexpected career path might be exactly what hiring teams want.
1. The Old Model is Breaking Down
Historically, executive roles were filled by individuals with clear, upward-only trajectories in large organisations. But those days are fading. Why? Because the problems companies are facing in 2025 aren’t linear. From automation and restructuring to market unpredictability, today’s leadership roles require agility, not just pedigree.
As Nia puts it, “Leadership roles are getting smaller in team size, but bigger in complexity.” One senior role might now cover marketing, merchandising, customer experience, and even tech—demanding a blend of skills and experience that no single-track background can offer.
2. Complex Roles Require Complex People
When roles evolve beyond traditional silos, companies need leaders who’ve already crossed disciplines. Those who’ve taken unconventional steps—like switching industries, exploring side projects, or leading across functions—bring unique value. They don’t just manage chaos. They’re comfortable in it.
This isn’t just about variety for variety’s sake. It’s about proof of innovation, adaptability, and decision-making under pressure—capabilities best developed through non-linear experience.
3. Your Network Matters More Than Your LinkedIn Profile
A major insight from our conversation? Many roles still get filled through personal networks, not just polished public profiles. And yet, so many talented professionals feel paralysed when they’ve lost touch with those networks.
Here’s what Nia recommends: “Don’t be afraid to reach out—even if it’s been years. Most people want to help.” Your existing connections, however dormant, could be the key to your next chapter.
4. Candidates Are Choosing Meaning Over Money
Nia also revealed a surprising trend: some of the most compelling senior candidates are taking pay cuts to step into roles that feel more meaningful or impactful. In an age where burnout is rampant and purpose is prized, the definition of a ‘good job’ is changing.
This presents an opportunity—and a challenge—for midlife professionals. Are you clear on what kind of work brings you energy? Have you defined what joyful work really looks like for you?
Your Next Step: Reframe and Reposition
If you’re navigating a midlife shift, wondering whether your patchwork of experience disqualifies you, pause and reframe. That mix of roles, industries, pauses, and pivots? It might be your greatest strength.
So how do you start to tell that story confidently?
Start by reconnecting with what truly matters to you. The Derailed Life Satisfaction Assessment is a powerful 30-minute self-guided tool that helps you audit what’s working, what’s draining you, and what deserves more of your energy.
🎯 Take the Derailed Assessment – and begin your next chapter from a place of clarity, not crisis.
Because non-linear isn’t a red flag anymore. It’s your superpower.
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Squiggly Non-Linear Careers with Nia Trussler
[00:00:00] Welcome Nia Trussler from Page Executive
Lucia Knight: In this episode, we step inside the mind of a very experienced headhunter, Nia Tressler from Paige Executive. Nia and I worked together closely for years before I left the industry a decade ago, and we've stayed friends ever since.
In this conversation, I took the opportunity to ask Nia about a big shift in the senior talent market that you need to know about. Companies are no longer just chasing the polished, traditional, big company, what we used to call blue chip, linear cvs for board and non-executive roles. They're looking for something different instead. And Nia shares what she's seeing.
We also explore why more and more senior professionals are prioritizing meaningful, satisfying roles over higher pay and how your network, even one you've neglected, may very well be the key to your next big career move. Let's dive in.
[00:01:07] The Market Shift: Why Linear Careers Are No Longer the Gold Standard
Lucia Knight: Nia, you and I worked together 10 years ago, and when we caught up recently, you said something that made me super curious. You said that when you are conducting searches in an attempt to find the best candidate for a role in the current market, that there has been a shift away from companies wanting you to find individuals with linear careers. Can you tell me more about that?
Nia Trussler: Yeah, and I'll just put a little caveat around this to start with that. I don't think we necessarily see all of the market. So I think, there are obviously people who've got very linear careers who are moving into very similar roles in different companies, and companies are doing that direct.
So the roles that we're seeing that are coming to headhunters are typically not like that. And I think that there's almost sometimes a backlash against people who've had best in class training because there is a lack of innovation.
[00:02:10] Automation and Role Compression in Senior Leadership
Nia Trussler: Now what we're really seeing is that, the businesses that I look after are seeing unprecedented levels of automation.
So I spoke to somebody today, who said, we were recruiting the two packaging designers, but in that time it took us to get the jobs specs together. The technology had moved on so much that we didn't actually need those people after all. So there's a tremendous amount of automation.
Teams are getting smaller. And then what that means for leadership is that those roles are getting more complex. 'cause people are thinking actually we don't need somebody to look after buying and merchandising and customer and marketing. We can put all of that under one person. 'cause it's a much smaller role.
So those leadership roles are becoming much more complex, a lot less linear, and, because of that. Somebody who's only ever had a linear career path, who has trained with the best of the best and moved up through that company isn't gonna be right for that because they've got no experience of truly innovating, of truly showing that they can take on left field projects, careers.
It almost needs, people need to have gone through a period of. Doing, something like a chief of staff role where they are picking up different projects, so they need to demonstrate those wider skills than necessarily, what you would get from being in a big company leadership role.
[00:03:47] What Recruiters Look For in Complex Leadership Roles
Lucia Knight: That is so interesting and so different to how it was 10 years ago. Gosh. And I love that it's moving so fast that people need to be nimble.
Nia Trussler: I think that those roles are actually more interesting. So for the right people, they're really attractive roles. Roles that I've recruited this year have been things like, I recruited an MD for a business unit, but it also had wider responsibility for marketing across the entire group and setting KPIs for the entire group.
It was a really complex role. And we're seeing a lot more of that.
So for the right people, careers actually can be a bit more attractive, but how you get those interesting roles means that you have to really demonstrate that you have innovated and have taken on different things.
So I think actually in commercial roles the roles on the top line are getting fewer and far between. 'cause you can put so much more under one person.
[00:04:50] Topline Roles, CIO Influence, and Structural Shifts in Leadership Teams
Nia Trussler: But having said that, then I think in some other areas, so you know, in CIO, whereas, the IT director at one point sat under the CFO. Now that is very much a top line.
And actually I have seen some cases where they've actually pulled the chief data officer out onto the top line and taken some of marketing, some of finance, some of it, and put that under a chief data officer. So there are shifts that way as well.
Lucia Knight: Oh my God I'm so curious. I can ask you hundreds of questions, but in our limited time tell me, when you are conducting a search now to find the top five people or six people, whatever it is in the country for a particular role at leadership level, what other market changes are you noticing?
[00:05:45] Boardroom Evolution: From Passive to Proactive Non-Execs
Nia Trussler: I think what we've seen in the market is that because of the perma crisis, the non-exec board is having to be much more involved in the day-to-day running of the business. They've very much gone are the days when the chairman could read the board pack the night before the meeting. That's just not enough. They've got to be touching the business. They've got to be really involved.
Businesses are seeing that non-exec as crucial to guiding the business in the next direction rather than just checks and balances. It's a great way of getting, other opinions. It's a great way of getting diversity of leadership into the business. And because of that, I think, the days when Uncle Bob can be the chairman, that's definitely gone and you can't rely on who you know, so it's got to go to search to find those people. So increasingly we're doing board roles.
[00:06:43] The Rise of Portfolio and Fractional Roles
Nia Trussler: And then also we're seeing a lot more fractional roles, particularly in something like the Dark Hearts of Marketing. I think that people doing, a couple of days marketing director in a business here and then doing some non-exec work, we're seeing people creating portfolios like that quite a lot.
[00:07:04] Salary Trade-Offs: Prioritising Impact Over Income
Nia Trussler: And then the other thing, as I'd say on the exec side is that I'm actually seeing people go, going back to those interesting roles people will take a drop in salary to take on a really interesting role. So over the last two years, I think I've had two or three roles where there's been a significant increase in salary.
Quite often people have gone. Do you know, that's a really interesting role I really want to do it. Does mean that those bands are quite competitive now because people will take a drop to do something that, that is really gonna mean that they can make an improvement in a business. Something that has got some true innovation to it.
They will really flex on salary. So that's the other thing that I'm seeing.
Lucia Knight: so that's music to my ears 'cause that means that individuals are prioritizing satisfaction in work. Whether that's through innovation or quality of work or type of role, et cetera. They're prioritizing that over salary. And I think that's. That can be very joyful.
Nia Trussler: Yeah.
Lucia Knight: Okay, so can we take it from the other perspective, the candidate perspective?
[00:08:21] How to Get Noticed by Headhunters – Even If You’re Quiet Online
Lucia Knight: So if someone happens to be listening into this, who is open to new roles and they haven't spent much time marketing themselves publicly. What is the best way for that individual to get discovered by headhunters and search firms?
Nia Trussler: So I think first of all, I think we don't see all of the market. I think people have got to be aware that so many roles are filled through people's personal networks. And I'm always, don't be scared of your network. Because even if you haven't spoken to somebody for a really long time, you know that if they reached out to you and said, I'm looking for something new, you do what you can to help them.
So you know, I think even if you haven't stayed in touch with people do take the time to reach out to your wider network because actually more roles are filled that way than with headhunters.
So using your wider network is really important. I think that talking to headhunters is also important and I think doing a bit of groundwork. If you think I might be looking, do respond to messages. Even if you think I don't think that's right for me. So do take the time to reach out to people.
You do build your network that way. And it can just show that you are engaging with that market. I think, taking the time to talk to people and maybe, if it's not for you making a recommendation and using your network to, to pass things on.
[00:10:01] CTA: Take the Derailed Life Satisfaction Assessment
Lucia Knight: If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my life satisfaction assessment. It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you die. I call it derailed. It's a fabulous place to begin at joy at work redesign.
