The Mandate Intake Framework defines the inputs, participants, process, and outputs required for a VP or C-suite search to launch with a brief that survives contact with the candidate market. The intake produces six documents: a role definition, a candidate profile with must-have vs. nice-to-have separation, a success definition at 30/90/180 days, a compensation architecture with approved range, a stakeholder map with decision authority confirmed, and a ghost job verification sign-off. Searches that skip any of these outputs have a disproportionately high brief re-run rate.
Why Intake Is the Highest-Leverage Stage
The intake brief is the root input to every downstream stage: the candidate profile drives sourcing targeting, targeting drives outreach, outreach drives response rates, response rates drive pipeline depth, pipeline depth drives shortlist quality. A weak intake therefore does not produce one downstream failure — it produces compounding failure across every stage that follows.
The Mandate Intake Framework treats the first 90 minutes of a search as the highest-leverage investment of the entire mandate. The framework is non-negotiable on three requirements: the hiring manager must be present (not represented by an EA or HR proxy), the role's decision criteria must be forced to a must-have vs. nice-to-have split, and the compensation architecture must include an approved top-end number before sourcing begins.
"The most expensive mistake in executive search is starting sourcing before the brief is right. A recruiter who launches outreach from a weak intake brief will spend three weeks reaching the wrong candidates. No amount of recovery playbook fixes that."
Intake Output Checklist
| Output | Content | Quality Gate | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role Definition | Title, reporting line, team structure, scope of authority, key deliverables in year 1 | HM must confirm in writing — not implied from job description | Recruiter + HM |
| Candidate Profile | Must-have: 3–5 non-negotiable criteria. Nice-to-have: flagged, not used as filters | Must-have list must be under 5 items — more than 5 indicates unresolved HM ambiguity | Recruiter |
| Success Definition | Specific outcomes at 30 days (settling), 90 days (delivering), 180 days (leading) | HM must confirm — not inferred by recruiter | HM |
| Compensation Architecture | Base range, bonus structure, equity pool, benefits, approved ceiling | CEO or CFO must approve ceiling before sourcing begins | CEO / CFO + Recruiter |
| Stakeholder Map | Names of all interview panel members, their evaluation focus, and who has veto authority | Decision authority must be unambiguous — avoid panel by committee | HM + Recruiter |
| Ghost Job Verification | Confirmation via TheOrg, LinkedIn People tab, and RocketReach that the seat is genuinely open | If existing person found in role — mandate is not real. Do not proceed. | Recruiter |
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the hiring manager cannot attend the intake?
The mandate does not start. An intake conducted with an HR proxy, a job description, or a delegated representative produces a brief that does not reflect the hiring manager's actual decision criteria — because those criteria are tacit, contextual, and often change in contact with real candidates. The hiring manager's presence is non-negotiable. If they cannot commit 90 minutes to the intake, the organisation's readiness to make a hire should be questioned before the search begins.
What is a ghost job verification and why does it matter?
A ghost job is a role that appears open on job boards but has already been filled — either internally or via a hire that hasn't been publicly announced. Running a full executive search for a ghost job wastes the recruiter's time, the candidates' time, and the client's money. The Mandate Intake Framework requires a three-source ghost job check — TheOrg, LinkedIn People tab, and RocketReach — before the mandate is confirmed as active.
Can the intake be conducted remotely?
Yes. Majhi Group runs intake sessions via video for all non-local mandates. The required participants, outputs, and quality gates are identical regardless of format. The only constraint is that intake must not be conducted asynchronously — a written questionnaire or email exchange does not produce the calibration that comes from real-time conversation and follow-up questioning.