Eight stages, and what actually happens in each one.
The method in one paragraph.
ASTC's executive search methodology runs in eight stages: needs assessment, search strategy, candidate identification, competency-based interviews and evaluation, shortlist presentation, client–candidate interviews, reference checking, and search completion with onboarding support. A typical CXO mandate maps around 20 leaders handpicked by us , approached in confidence, and assessed in depth and presents a shortlist of 4, with the first shortlist reaching the client about four weeks after the Mandate is signed.
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Needs assessment
We spend the first meetings on your business, not the job description: the strategy behind the role, who the person must influence, what the last incumbent got wrong, and what success looks like in eighteen months. We leave with an agreed role brief and success metrics and we will say so if the brief and the market don't match.
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Search strategy
We define the target market in writing: which industries, which companies, which levels, which geographies, and which organisations are off limits. You approve the target list before a single call is made, so there are no surprises about where candidates come from.
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Prospective candidate identification
Systematic mapping of the agreed market through our own network, discreet referencing and direct research, typically 20 relevant leaders handpicked and identified keeping in mind culture behavior and functional competence.
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Candidate interviews & competency evaluation
Structured interviews against the agreed competencies, covering functional depth, behavioural evidence, leadership style and cultural fit. Leaders are assessed in depth, each measured against the brief rather than against each other.
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Presentation of the shortlist
A candidate report is shared on each which goes beyond the resume giving a holistic view and details which help in getting to know the values and the person behind the CV.
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Client–candidate interviews
We schedule, brief both sides, and debrief both sides separately after every round. Candid feedback moves faster through us than it does directly, which is what keeps senior candidates engaged.
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Reference checking
Structured references with people who have actually managed, and been managed by, the candidate validating performance, integrity and leadership style. On confidential mandates this happens at offer stage, with the candidate's consent.
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Search completion & onboarding
We manage the offer conversation, counter offer risk, notice negotiation and start date, then stay in contact through the first months. A placement is complete when the leader is delivering, not when the offer is signed.
What a single CXO mandate looks like from the inside.
Most executive search companies show you the placement. This is the work behind it: the market we map, the leaders we approach in confidence, and the very small number who reach your table.
Around 100 relevant leaders exist in a typical Indian CXO market. Four of them will meet you.
Representative shape of a completed CXO search. Volumes vary by sector and geography.
What to expect, week by week if you engage with ASTC.
| Week | Stage | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Briefing & strategy | Role brief, success metrics, approved target market |
| 2 | Mapping & approach | Confidential list of 15-20 candidates provided base on research |
| 3–4 | Assessment & shortlist | Shortlist of 4 candidates with individual reports and resume |
| 5–8 | Client interviews | Scheduling and structured debriefs after each round |
| 8–12 | References & offer | Reference reports, offer and counter-offer management |
| Post-join | Onboarding | Check-ins with both sides through the first 6 months. Onboarding support for the first 6 months provided. |
Indicative for a single CXO mandate in India. Confidential, cross-border and multi-role searches run longer.
Questions about the process
How long before we see a shortlist?
About four weeks from the briefing meeting for a typical CXO mandate in India. Mapping and confidential approaches take the first two to three weeks; in depth assessment and shortlist preparation take the fourth.
How many candidates are on an ASTC shortlist?
Shortlist of 4 candidates with individual reports and resume
Do you assess for cultural fit as well as capability?
Yes. Every candidate is evaluated on functional depth, behavioural evidence, leadership style and cultural alignment. Cultural mismatch, not capability, is the most common reason senior hires fail in the first year.
What happens if a placed executive leaves early?
Terms agreed per mandate include a replacement provision. In practice our concern is prevention: onboarding check-ins through the first months exist to surface problems while they can still be solved.
Do you conduct reference checks before or after the offer?
Normally before. On confidential searches, where a candidate is still employed and cannot be referenced without risk, we complete them at offer stage with written consent.
What does the client have to do?
Three things: a proper briefing at the start, interview slots held open once the shortlist lands, and honest feedback within a couple of days of each round. Searches slow down for client-side reasons far more often than candidate-side ones.
Tell us the role. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right firm for it.
A first conversation takes about 30 minutes and costs nothing. You'll leave with a view of the market for that role the talent pools, a realistic compensation band, and how long the search should take whether or not you appoint us.
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You send the role
The title, the reporting line and why the seat is open. Two paragraphs is enough to start.
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We come back within a day
With a first read on the market: who exists, what they cost, how long it should take.
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You decide
No proposal deck, no pursuit calls. If we're not the right firm for this one, we'll say so.