July 3, 2026 Categories: Features / Money Matters
Landing The Top Job: The Hegai Principle
In the 1987 film Wall Street, Bud Fox befriends the secretary of Gordon Gekko. Through her, he learns where Gekko will be, how to approach him, and what might capture his attention. It is scripted drama, yet it mirrors how the job market actually works.
We like to believe hiring is a meritocracy. Submit a resume. Ace the interview. Get the offer. But between 70 and 85 percent of jobs are filled through referrals, not postings. The so-called hidden job market isn't a rumor. It's simply how organizations operate. Firms hire through networks of trust, filtering candidates through people they already know.
This creates a hard reality: access often precedes recognition of competence. You may be qualified. But without someone on the inside who understands the decision maker and is willing to advocate for you, your qualifications may never get the right attention.
The problem is information asymmetry. Hiring managers hold unstated preferences about leadership style, communication, temperament, and what actually matters beyond the job description. Candidates cannot see those preferences from the outside. Insiders can. Their value lies not in formal power, but in proximity to decision making.
This is exactly what happens in the Biblical story of Esther.
The Insider's Role
When Esther entered the Persian palace, she had no status and no network. What she had was Hegai, the royal steward responsible for preparing the women who would meet the king. The text notes that Esther found favor in his eyes and followed his guidance. Hegai provided not only access but instruction. He was not a prince or a general. But he knew the king. He understood the king. He knew what resonated, what was rewarded, what fell flat. He saw Esther’s potential and invested in developing it. He didn't just give her access; he gave her coaching. He taught her how to present herself, what would resonate in that specific environment. Two advantages define the insider’s role. First, insiders understand the lived culture of the organization. They know the unwritten rules, the communication norms, the traits that actually succeed. Second, they provide coaching. Not to manufacture a false persona, but to help someone present their genuine strengths in a way that aligns with the environment. Esther did not improvise. She learned what success looked like in that specific context.The Gatekeeper Economy
Organizations rarely operate top-down the way their org charts suggest. Real influence often flows through connective tissue: executive assistants, coordinators, junior staff, community members, long-tenured employees. These individuals manage information flow. They observe leadership preferences in real time. They see which ideas advance and which quietly disappear. Early in my career, my first job came through my mother's friend, who worked at the company and forwarded my resume directly to her boss. I was qualified. So were many others. The difference was that my application landed on the right desk, accompanied by an implicit endorsement. Later, in finance, the pattern repeated itself. The brother-in-law of a colleague from Camp Simcha forwarded my resume to his boss, which secured the interview. My uncle then introduced me to a senior partner at the firm, who advised me on how to present myself and what the decision makers were truly looking for. None of these connections substituted for ability. They simply created the conditions in which ability could be evaluated. Competence still had to be demonstrated. Access ensured it would be noticed. The pattern is consistent. The individuals who shape outcomes are often not the public faces of the organization. They are the ones closest to the decision-making process. If you build genuine relationships with them, they offer clarity about what actually matters. Treat those relationships as purely transactional and they vanish. Treat them with sincerity and mutual respect, and they become your competitive advantage.Understanding Fit Without Losing Yourself
There is a crucial distinction here. Cultural fluency is not conformity. When Esther presented herself to the king, she did not become someone else. She expressed who she was in a manner that aligned with what the king valued. Every organization has its own language, cadence, and expectations. Learning that language does not compromise authenticity. It demonstrates literacy. I encountered this lesson repeatedly. Preparing for business school interviews, I was advised to wear ties with the school colors to signal alignment. At Harvard, crimson. At Kellogg, purple. It was not deception. It was a subtle signal of cultural awareness. Years later, while selling a business, we had two potential buyers: one European, one from the Caribbean. As the Caribbean deal became serious, I hired a senior consultant of Caribbean origin to coach my team on cultural expectations. He taught us that relationship-building in that context requires a different rhythm from negotiations with a European one. Relationship building came first, with distinct pacing and communication norms. We sought guidance to understand those expectations. Now, as an oleh in Israel pursuing a business acquisition, I find myself applying the same principle once more. Israeli business culture differs meaningfully from its American counterpart. Conversations are more direct. Small talk is minimal. Discussions move quickly to price and terms. Adjusting my approach in that context is not a dilution of identity. It is an acknowledgment that every market speaks its own language. Fluency does not require changing who you are. It requires understanding how to be understood. The same principle applies in any professional transition. The key question is not, “Can I imitate this culture?” It is, “Can I operate effectively within it while remaining true to my core values?” If the answer is no because of fundamental ethical conflict, decline the opportunity. But most friction arises not from values misalignment, but from cultural misunderstanding.The Synthesis
The mechanics of hiring have evolved in scale and technology, but not in essence. The principle remains constant: someone inside who understands the decision maker and is willing to advocate for you often matters more than a flawless resume. Merit matters. Cultural alignment matters. Access matters. Together, they form what I call the Hegai Principle. When pursuing your next opportunity, polish your resume. Then go further. Identify the people closest to the decision maker. Build authentic relationships. Ask thoughtful questions. Listen carefully. Learn what truly drives decisions in that environment. Position yourself not as a generic applicant, but as someone who understands the institution and can contribute within its operating culture. Wear the school colors. Hire the coach. Seek wise counsel. Learn the language. That's how Esther rose. That is how doors open.
