Executive hiring at the VP and C-suite level operates under different constraints than standard hiring. The stakes are higher, the candidate pool is smaller, the assessment process is more complex, and the cost of failure is measured in years rather than months. This page aggregates the key data points on executive search outcomes that recruiting leaders, CHROs, and CEOs need to benchmark their own processes.
Core Executive Hiring Statistics
| Metric | Industry Benchmark | Retained Search (Majhi Group) |
|---|---|---|
| Average time-to-fill, VP roles | 65–90 days | 30–45 days |
| Executive hire failure rate (18 months) | ~40% | <10% |
| Shortlist approval rate | ~38% | 82%+ |
| Offer acceptance rate | ~70% | 90%+ |
| Searches closed within 45 days | Minority | Majority |
| Replacement guarantee offered | Rarely | 90 days, no charge |
Why Executive Search Failure Rates Are High
The 40% failure rate for executive hires within 18 months is not primarily a talent availability problem. Research from Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, and Harvard Business Review consistently points to process failures as the root cause: misaligned success criteria, compressed assessment timelines, inadequate reference validation, and poor cultural fit evaluation. These are systemic failures of the search process, not random hiring risk.
40% of executive hires fail within 18 months
Source: Executive hiring research aggregated from Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, and SHRM benchmarks. The primary causes are brief calibration failure, inadequate assessment depth, and incentive misalignment in the search process.
Industry median time-to-fill for VP roles: 65–90 days
The median time from search initiation to accepted offer for VP-level roles runs 65–90 days in standard contingency and internal recruiting processes. Retained search with disciplined intake and evidence-based assessment closes in 30–45 days.
Shortlist approval rate baseline: ~38%
Approximately 38% of candidates presented on executive shortlists advance to the interview stage in standard search processes. Low approval rates are diagnostic of brief calibration failure — not sourcing failure. The fix is upstream, at intake, not in the candidate pipeline.
Offer acceptance rate: ~70% (industry), 90%+ (Majhi Group)
Industry-average offer acceptance for VP-level roles runs approximately 70%. High-quality retained processes that invest in candidate relationship management and compensation benchmarking consistently exceed 90%.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
When an executive hire fails, the cost is not just the fee paid to the search firm. It includes: the salary paid during the tenure, the productivity loss during the role's learning curve, the cost of the exit, the cost of the replacement search, and the downstream impact on team stability, revenue targets, and organizational momentum. For a VP earning $300,000, a failed hire within 18 months typically costs 2–3x the annual salary in total economic impact.
What the Data Says About Search Process Design
The single highest-leverage variable in executive search outcomes is the quality of the intake process. Searches that begin with a clear, behaviorally-defined success profile — not just a job description — produce faster closes, higher approval rates, better offer acceptance, and longer tenure. The data consistently shows that organisations willing to invest 3–5 additional days in a disciplined intake process recover that time many times over in reduced search duration and better hire quality.