After more than 12 years advising senior leaders, the Midwest firm adopts a new name reflecting its work in executive positioning, career strategy, board candidacy, consulting pathways, and strategic outreach
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – For many senior executives, looking for a new role is unfamiliar territory.
They may have spent 20 or 30 years advancing through performance, promotions, recruiter outreach, and professional relationships. Then a restructuring, acquisition, leadership change, or personal decision places them in an active search for the first time in decades.
They quickly discover that the market has changed.
In early 2026, U.S. employers announced 108,435 job cuts and only 5,306 hiring plans, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. For senior leaders, the challenge is compounded by fewer appropriate openings, longer hiring processes, deeper candidate pools, and a large portion of the executive market that moves through referrals, direct introductions, and private conversations before a formal posting appears.
Against that backdrop, Pro Resume Center has announced it is becoming Executive Waypoint™, a name that more accurately reflects the strategic advisory work the firm has provided for more than 12 years.
The decision was driven in large part by clients who repeatedly told the company that its former name did not represent the depth of the work they received.
“For years, clients have told us, ‘You do so much more than resumes,’” said Janice Burch, Co-Founder of Executive Waypoint. “Many came to us after months of applying without gaining traction. Others had built substantial careers but were unsure how to position 20 or 30 years of experience for the role they wanted next. The resume may have been the reason they called, but it was rarely the only problem we needed to solve.”
The difficulty is often not a lack of accomplishment. Senior leaders are frequently too close to their own career histories to evaluate them objectively.
They may know what they have done but struggle to identify the strongest throughlines in their experience, the decisions that best demonstrate their leadership, or the results most relevant to a CEO, board, founder, investor, or hiring committee. Significant business impact can remain buried beneath years of responsibilities and job descriptions.
“Our clients have already built substantial careers, but stepping back and evaluating that experience objectively is extremely difficult,” Burch said. “Most people are too close to their own history to recognize the defining moments and business impact that should shape their story. Our role is to uncover that narrative and connect it to the audience and opportunity they need to influence next.”
Burch’s approach draws on a career in journalism, public relations, marketing, and branding, including multiple national awards for storytelling about people, companies, and services.
That background shapes the firm’s conversation-led process. The work begins by examining what changed because of the executive’s leadership, which business problems they have repeatedly been trusted to solve, and where those abilities will carry the greatest value next.
From there, the firm develops the executive’s positioning, message, outreach strategy, interview narrative, and supporting career materials.
“The strategy must come first,” Burch said. “Once we understand the story, the audience, and the value the executive brings, every part of the search becomes more focused.”
A stagnant executive search often signals more than a weak resume. The executive may be presenting a career history instead of a clear case for future value. Important results may be buried, the target may be too broad, or the search may depend too heavily on recruiters and posted openings.
“The market has changed, but many executives are still being told to approach it the same way they did 10 or 20 years ago,” said Barry Breit, Co-Founder of Executive Waypoint. “A leader can spend months applying and receive very little response. They need sharper positioning, stronger differentiation, and a strategy for reaching the people who control access to the opportunities they want.”
The firm also helps executives navigate the portion of the market that never becomes fully visible. At senior levels, roles are often discussed before they are formally approved or advertised. Executives who identify appropriate organizations, understand their business pressures, and begin relevant conversations earlier may reach opportunities before the competition assembles.
“Pro Resume Center began by serving professionals across multiple career levels,” Burch said. “Over time, our client base shifted toward senior directors, vice presidents, C-suite executives, founders, board candidates, and other leaders navigating consequential career decisions. Executive Waypoint is not a change in the work we do,” she said. “It is a more accurate name reflective of the work our clients have relied on for years.”
Executive Waypoint will continue serving clients virtually coast to coast, with select international engagements.
About Executive Waypoint
Executive Waypoint advises senior leaders navigating career transitions, executive advancement, board opportunities, consulting and fractional pathways, and broader leadership positioning. The firm helps clients articulate business impact, strengthen positioning, prepare for high-stakes conversations, and pursue opportunities through focused messaging and strategic outreach.
