The Pattern We See Most Often
According to our analysis and State of Startup Hiring 2026 data, 68% of VP-level searches stall beyond week 10 without a compelling shortlist. By the time a CEO contacts Majhi Group, the pattern is almost always the same: one or two search firms engaged, significant time elapsed, shortlists presented but rejected, and a growing sense that the right person doesn't exist.
The right person almost always exists. The problem is almost always the search — not the market.
Stalled Search Indicators
The Recovery Diagnostic
Before accepting a recovery search, we run a structured diagnostic — the same 10-question framework we use in every Search Assessment. The goal is to identify the failure mode before committing to a timeline. See: Executive Search Readiness Assessment.
Brief audit
We read every document, shortlist, and rejection note from the previous search. In roughly 60% of recovery cases, the original brief contained contradictory requirements — typically, a candidate profile that doesn't exist at the specified compensation level, or a stage mismatch baked into the spec.
Candidate audit
We review every candidate previously shortlisted. This tells us what the prior firms were sourcing against and whether the CEO's rejection feedback was consistent. Inconsistent rejection patterns almost always indicate an unclear brief — the hiring manager doesn't know what they want until they see it, which means no search firm can succeed.
Market audit
We verify that the profile being sought actually exists in the market at the specified compensation. Many stalled searches fail because the brief was written by committee to satisfy stakeholders — not calibrated to what the market can produce.
Process audit
We ask about feedback cycle time, interview panel composition, and how long each shortlisted candidate waited between stages. Long delays kill executive searches — passive candidates in process don't hold decisions open indefinitely.
Common Failure Modes in Inherited Searches
Based on our analysis of recovery searches, the five most common reasons a VP search fails before it reaches Majhi Group:
- Over-specified brief (31%): A profile that requires 10 specific experiences simultaneously — none of which correlate with actual performance in the role.
- Stage mismatch (24%): Sourcing candidates from companies 5-10x larger than the hiring company's current stage.
- Compensation below market (19%): The budget was set based on what felt reasonable, not what the target profile actually earns.
- Founder ambiguity (17%): The CEO hasn't decided what they actually want — and is using the search process to figure it out.
- Process drag (9%): Feedback takes 2+ weeks per stage, and candidates disengage or accept other offers.
See: Why Startup Executive Searches Fail
What Recovery Looks Like
A successful recovery search typically requires 3-5 days of diagnostic work before a single new candidate is contacted. The brief is rebuilt. Compensation is validated. The CEO's decision criteria are clarified and documented. Only then does sourcing begin — against a brief that the market can actually fulfill.
Our recovery close time is typically 35-50 days from engagement — comparable to our standard search timeline, because we treat the first week as diagnostic rather than sourcing. The searches that rush straight to sourcing a second time, against the same broken brief, fail again.
"41 days. A $275K search. Two firms failed in 60+ days. That's not luck -- that's a different system."
-- Majhi Group placement record. Read the full process anatomy