Decision Guides · Majhi Group

Executive Hiring Decision Guides

40 practical guides for the VP and C-suite hiring decisions founders and CEOs face most often. Each guide gives a direct answer first, then the framework behind it.

When to Hire

When to Hire a VP of Sales
Timing signals, ARR thresholds, and readiness criteria for your first or next VP Sales hire.
When to Hire a CTO
CTO vs VP Engineering, stage timing, and what triggers make a CTO the right hire.
When to Hire a CFO
From VP Finance to CFO — the signals that tell you which you need and when.
When to Hire a Chief People Officer
CPO vs VP People — what distinguishes them and the stage timing for each.
When to Hire a Head of Marketing
CMO vs VP Marketing timing by stage, ARR, and what the function actually needs.
When to Hire a Fractional Executive
Fractional vs full-time leadership — the decision framework by stage and function.

Role Comparisons

CRO vs VP Sales: Which to Hire?
The structural difference between a CRO and a VP Sales, and which is right for your stage.
CTO vs VP Engineering: Which to Hire?
Two very different roles — when you need each and how to avoid the most expensive mismatch.
Should You Hire a VP or Director?
Scope, title, compensation, and the consequences of getting it wrong.
Promote Internally or Hire Externally?
The evidence-based framework for choosing between an internal promotion and an external search.

Evaluation & Assessment

How to Evaluate Executive Candidates
The assessment framework — stage fit, leadership track record, functional expertise, references.
How to Choose Between Two Executive Candidates
When the shortlist has two strong finalists — the tiebreaker framework.
How to Run an Executive Reference Check
Structured reference check questions, backchannel approach, and what red flags sound like.
How to Run an Executive Panel Interview
Panel structure, dimension assignment, debrief protocol, and how to prevent groupthink.
How to Make a Final Decision on an Executive Candidate
Scorecard approach, tiebreakers, and when to reopen the search.

Process & Operations

How to Build an Executive Hiring Process
Five-stage process from intake to onboarding — and why intake is the most skipped step.
How to Write an Executive Job Brief
Outcomes-based brief vs job description — the difference that changes search quality.
How Long Does Executive Search Take?
Stage-by-stage timelines, benchmarks, and the key drivers of search velocity.
How to Brief Executive Candidates
What to tell candidates about the role, the company, and the challenge — and why honesty closes better.
How to Approach Passive Executive Candidates
Outreach framework, message structure, and why personalisation triples response rates.
How to Avoid Being Ghosted by Executive Candidates
Why executives ghost and the process changes that prevent it.

Search Firm & Fees

What Questions to Ask an Executive Search Firm
The 12 questions that reveal process rigour, track record specificity, and fit.
What Makes a Good Executive Search Firm?
Evaluation criteria that go beyond brand name and network size claims.
Retained vs Contingency: Which to Use?
The structural difference and when each model is right for your search.
How to Negotiate an Executive Search Fee
Where the value lies in fee negotiation — guarantee period, payment structure, scope.
How to Tell If Executive Search Is Worth the Cost
The full ROI calculation including vacancy cost, quality premium, and failure risk.
When Should a CEO Run the Search Internally?
The conditions where internal search works — and where it consistently underperforms.

Compensation & Closing

How to Structure Executive Compensation
Base, equity, OTE — benchmarks by role and stage, plus the most common mistakes.
How to Sell Equity to Executive Candidates
The scenario table approach and the information candidates need to make a real decision.
How to Close an Executive Candidate
The pre-close process, the offer conversation, and when not to improve the offer.
How to Handle an Executive Counter-Offer
What counter-offers signal and the response strategy that protects the placement.

Executive Management

How to Onboard an Executive Hire
The 90-day onboarding framework — the most overlooked driver of executive success.
How to Set Executive 90-Day Goals
Phase-based milestones and why month 1 should be inputs, not outputs.
When to Fire an Executive
The signals, the timeline, and how to distinguish a fixable problem from an irreversible mismatch.
10 Executive Hiring Mistakes Founders Make
The predictable patterns behind VP and C-suite failures — and how to avoid them.

How to Hire Your First VP

How to Hire Your First VP of Sales
Builder vs manager profile, readiness signals, and what to look for in the first interview.

Search Problems & Recovery

How to Know If Your Executive Search Is Failing
The diagnostic signals that precede failure — and what to do about each.
What to Do When an Executive Search Stalls
Diagnosing the root cause and the 30-day recovery protocol for stalled searches.

Benchmarks & Team Building

What Is a Good Executive Search Success Rate?
Success rate benchmarks, what drives them, and why 40% of executive hires fail.
How to Build Your Executive Team at Series B
Sequence, timing, profiles, and the stage-fit requirements for each function.

Making a Hiring Decision Now?

A 20-minute confidential search assessment with Manas Majhi covers your specific situation — not a sales call.

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