Why Quality Gates Exist
In a contingency search model, the incentive is to present as many candidates as possible as quickly as possible. Quality gates slow that down. In a retained search model, the incentive is to present candidates who will actually get hired — because the fee is not contingent on volume, it's contingent on outcome.
Majhi Group's QMS Gate is the operational expression of that incentive structure. Every candidate passes through it before presentation. Candidates who don't pass are not presented — regardless of how thin the pipeline is or how much timeline pressure exists.
The Quality Gate Checkpoints
Intake Criteria Match
Does this candidate meet the criteria established in the mandate intake brief? Not approximately — specifically. Every functional requirement, every operating model criterion, and every exclusion criteria established at intake is checked before the candidate advances. Candidates who partially meet criteria are not presented with a note that they're "close" — the intake criteria exist for a reason.
Evidence Dossier Completion
Before presentation, every candidate must have a completed Evidence Dossier — assessment documented across all four evaluation dimensions (functional capability, pattern of outcomes, leadership operating model, founder compatibility) with specific evidence for each. An incomplete dossier is not a presentation-ready document. The candidate doesn't advance until the dossier is complete.
Risk Flag Documentation
Every candidate has areas of risk. Gate 3 requires that risk flags are explicitly identified and documented — not omitted to make the shortlist look stronger. Risk flags may include: gaps in the functional profile, career pattern anomalies (unexplained short tenures, repeated lateral moves), operating model concerns identified in behavioral interview, or reference concerns identified in preliminary reference review.
Preliminary Reference Verification
Before presentation, Majhi Group completes at least one independent reference check — a reference not provided by the candidate, reached through our own network or through the candidate's network with their knowledge. This is not the full reference stage (which happens pre-offer), but it is a verification that no obvious concerns are surfaced before the client invests time in the assessment process.
Ghost Job Verification
Before presentation, we verify that the candidate is genuinely available — not already committed to another role or in a process they intend to complete elsewhere. We also verify that the candidate's current role hasn't changed since initial contact in a way that would alter the assessment. Presenting a candidate who is not actually available is a waste of the client's time and damages trust.
What Happens When a Candidate Fails a Gate
The candidate is not presented. The gap is documented. If the gap is closable — for example, the Evidence Dossier is incomplete but the candidate meets criteria — the candidate is held pending completion. If the gap is not closable — the candidate doesn't meet the intake criteria — the candidate is removed from the pipeline and the reason is logged.
"A shortlist that passed quality gates is a shortlist where every candidate is genuinely worth the CEO's time. That's what shortlist approval rates above 80% look like in practice."
The Relationship Between Quality Gates and Speed
A common objection to quality gates is that they slow the search down. The opposite is true. A shortlist that passes quality gates has an 82% approval rate — meaning almost every candidate presented advances. A shortlist without quality gates produces approval rates below 38%, which means the hiring manager reviews twice as many candidates to advance the same number. The rework is the slowness.