The Time-to-Fill Reduction Framework maps the six stages where executive search delay accumulates most — intake, brief finalisation, sourcing launch, outreach, interview scheduling, and offer — and prescribes a specific compression action for each. The framework is empirically derived: each compression action is based on the analysis of where the 20–45 day gap between Majhi Group's 30–45 day close and the industry 65–90 day median actually comes from. Compression is not working faster — it is eliminating structural delays at each stage.
The Anatomy of a Slow Search
A 90-day executive search does not take 90 days because recruiting is hard. It takes 90 days because 45 of those days are structural delays: 10 days to finalise the intake brief, 14 days to schedule the first interview round, 7 days for the debrief, 10 days for offer negotiation. These delays are process failures, not market failures. The Time-to-Fill Reduction Framework targets each one with a specific elimination protocol.
"The gap between a 40-day close and a 90-day close is not effort. It is 10 days lost to brief finalisation, 14 days lost to scheduling, 7 days lost to debrief drift, and 10 days lost to compensation ambiguity. Fix those four things and the close compresses by 40 days."
Delay Stage and Compression Protocol
| Stage | Industry Average | Majhi Target | Delay Source | Compression Protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intake | 5–10 days | 1 day | Multiple rounds of brief revision; HM unavailability | Single 90-min session with HM present; brief finalised same day |
| Brief Validation | 3–5 days | 0 days | Internal review cycles; comp approval delay | Comp ceiling approved before intake session; no post-intake revision cycles |
| Sourcing Launch | 5–7 days after intake | 2 days | List building from scratch; verification backlog | Pre-built segment library; DNS/MX batch verification on day 1 |
| Interview Scheduling | 12–14 days per round | 3 days per round | Panel calendar conflicts; EA scheduling backlog | Self-schedule links in acceptance message; panel blocked in advance |
| Debrief and Decision | 7–10 days | 48 hours | HM procrastination; consensus-building with large panel | Single decision-maker confirmed at intake; 48hr debrief SLO enforced |
| Offer to Signature | 10–14 days | 5 days | Comp negotiation; legal review; counter-offer management | Pre-approved comp ceiling; offer letter templated; pre-close conversation |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single most impactful compression action?
Interview scheduling compression from 12–14 days to 3 days per round. In a two-interview-round search, this recovers 18–22 days — the largest single contribution to close velocity. The mechanism is simple: candidate acceptance messages include a self-schedule link to a calendar with pre-blocked panel availability. Scheduling that previously required 3–5 rounds of email coordination completes in under 10 minutes.
Why does the Majhi Intake Framework produce same-day brief finalisation?
The intake framework is structured to produce all six required brief outputs in a single 90-minute session: role definition, candidate profile (must-have vs. nice-to-have), success definition, compensation architecture, stakeholder map, and ghost job verification. By requiring all stakeholders to be present and all decisions to be made in the session, the framework eliminates the revision cycles that typically extend brief finalisation to 5–10 days.
Does faster time-to-fill correlate with lower placement quality?
The data consistently shows the opposite. Searches that close in 30–45 days typically produce better placements than searches that take 90 days, for two reasons: (1) the best candidates — who typically have competing processes — are still available and engaged, and (2) a fast, decisive process signals organisational quality to the candidate, which improves offer acceptance and early retention. Slow searches lose the best candidates and accept lower-quality alternates under time pressure.