Why Scoring Matters at the Executive Level
An unstructured interview process introduces a specific failure mode: it favors candidates who interview well over candidates who perform well. The two are not the same. A structured scoring model doesn't eliminate judgment — it structures it, so that the hiring decision is based on evidence against criteria rather than impression in the moment.
The Majhi Group scoring model is designed to be transparent and interrogatable. When we present a shortlist, the CEO can see not just who we're recommending, but why — and specifically where each candidate is strong, where they carry risk, and what the tradeoffs are between candidates.
The Scoring Model
Mandate Criteria Establishment
Before we score a single candidate, we establish the criteria we'll score against. This happens in the mandate intake — a structured session that produces a written brief specifying the functional requirements, leadership operating model requirements, culture considerations, and search-specific factors (urgency, team context, reporting relationship). The intake brief is signed off before sourcing begins.
Functional Fit Scoring
Does the candidate have verifiable evidence of delivering the outcomes this role requires at comparable scale? This is not about years of experience or title — it is about specific outcomes in situations that map to the challenge this role will face. Functional fit is scored on a 1–5 scale with specific evidence for each score level documented in the Evidence Dossier.
Leadership Operating Model Scoring
Does the candidate's default operating model match what this role and organization require? We assess team-building approach, decision-making speed and style, delegation model, and how they perform under resource constraints. This is scored through behavioral evidence from structured interview questions, not self-assessment.
Founder Compatibility Scoring
For growth-stage companies, this dimension is scored explicitly — not treated as a vague culture fit question. We assess autonomy expectations, communication frequency preferences, tolerance for ambiguity, and how the candidate handles direct feedback. Scored through a structured conversation that tests the candidate's actual preferences against the founder's working style.
Risk Flag Assessment
Every candidate has areas of risk. We assess and document these explicitly: gaps in the functional profile, operating model mismatches, career pattern anomalies, reference concerns. Risk flags are not filtered out of the shortlist — they are presented alongside the score so the CEO can weigh them with full information.
How Shortlist Decisions Are Made
A candidate advances to the shortlist when their score meets the threshold established in the intake brief. We do not present candidates who don't meet threshold to fill a shortlist. If the pipeline doesn't produce threshold-meeting candidates, we expand the search — not lower the bar.
"A shortlist approval rate below 38% is a signal — it means the intake brief didn't capture the actual criteria, or the sourcing was misaligned. We track shortlist approval as an operational metric because it tells us whether the search is structured correctly."
Scoring Dimensions and Weight
What Transparent Scoring Changes
When a hiring CEO can see the scoring model and the evidence behind each score, the conversation changes. Instead of "I liked her" or "something felt off," the discussion is about specific criteria: where a candidate is strong, where they carry risk, and whether the risks are acceptable given the context. That's the conversation that produces better hiring decisions.