Retained search progress report template: what the client should hear between milestones
On this page
- What should a retained search firm report between milestones?
- The retained search progress report template
- A filled example
- How do you report the activity funnel without inflating it?
- What does market map coverage show that the funnel does not?
- How should calibration feedback be recorded?
- Which risks and asks belong in the report?
- What should a progress report leave out?
- How is a progress report different from other search documents?
- How often should it go out, and in what format?
- Common mistakes
- Questions people ask
Between milestones, a retained search firm should send the client a short written progress report that shows six things: the activity funnel (identified, approached, responded, screened, presented), how much of the agreed market map has been covered, why people said no, what changed after the client's calibration feedback, the risks to the timeline, and the decisions the firm needs from the client, with the next milestones dated against the agreement. The Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) asks its members for ongoing communication on market response, the candidate list being developed and potential challenges, in section VII of its Client Bill of Rights (dated October 15, 2025, as of October 2026). The template below turns that into a report a client can read in five minutes.
This page covers the status report for the search as a whole. The report on one shortlisted person is the executive search candidate report; the reporting cadence itself is set in clause 2.4 of the retained search agreement template; and what to check in the firm's pitch is in the retained search proposal checklist.
What should a retained search firm report between milestones?
A client paying installments before anyone is hired is buying a process, so the report has to make the process visible. Each section answers a question the hiring executive would otherwise ask on the phone:
| Section | The client's question | What a useful answer contains |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Are we on track? | Stage, next milestone, status (on track, at risk, late) in three lines |
| Activity funnel | Is the firm working the search? | Counts for the period and to date, with each stage defined the same way every time |
| Market map coverage | Have they looked everywhere we agreed? | Target segments and companies, how many people were identified and approached in each, and what is left |
| Market response | Why are people saying no? | Declines grouped by reason, so a pattern (pay, location, scope) is visible |
| Calibration | Did they hear our feedback? | The feedback received, what the firm changed, and open questions on the specification |
| Pipeline | Who is close? | Anonymized candidates by stage, fit against the specification, next step and date |
| Risks | What could slip? | Each risk, its effect on the timeline, the proposed action and the owner |
| Asks | What do they need from us? | Decisions, interview slots and approvals, each with a date |
| Next milestones | When is the shortlist? | Agreement date, forecast date and confidence for each milestone |
The retained search progress report template
Copy it into an email or a one-page document. Replace everything in brackets; delete a section only if the agreement does not cover it (for example, the pipeline section before outreach starts).
RETAINED SEARCH PROGRESS REPORT
Search: [Role title], [Client] Report no. [n]
Lead consultant: [Name] Period: [date] to [date]
Current stage: [Kick-off / Market map / Outreach / Assessment /
Shortlist / Client interviews / Offer]
Next milestone: [milestone], due [agreement date]
Status: [On track / At risk / Late]
1. SUMMARY
- Where we are: [one line]
- What changed since the last report: [one line]
- What we need from you: [one line, or "nothing this week"]
2. ACTIVITY FUNNEL This period To date
People identified on the map [ ] [ ]
People approached [ ] [ ]
Responded [ ] [ ]
Interested and worth a screen [ ] [ ]
Screened by the consultant [ ] [ ]
In full assessment [ ] [ ]
Presented to the client [ ] [ ]
Declined or withdrew [ ] [ ]
3. MARKET MAP COVERAGE
Segment Companies Identified Approached Still to approach
[segment] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] - [reason]
[segment] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] - [reason]
Excluded under off-limits: [companies, or "per Schedule A"]
4. MARKET RESPONSE: WHY PEOPLE SAID NO Count
Package below their current or expected pay [ ]
Location or relocation [ ]
Timing (unvested equity, recent move, project) [ ]
Scope or reporting line [ ]
Company stage, sector or reputation [ ]
Not open to a move [ ]
Other: [ ] [ ]
What this tells us: [one or two lines]
5. CALIBRATION
Feedback received since the last report: [what the client said,
about which profile or candidate]
What we changed: [targeting, emphasis, questions in screens]
Open questions on the specification: [question, who decides]
6. PIPELINE (no names until a candidate agrees to be presented)
Ref Current level / sector Stage Fit vs spec Next step, date
[A] [ ] [ ] [strong / [ ]
partial]
Risks on individual candidates: [counteroffer, notice, relocation]
7. RISKS TO THE TIMELINE
Risk Effect on dates Proposed action Owner
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
8. DECISIONS AND ASKS
Ask Why it matters Needed by
[ ] [ ] [date]
9. NEXT MILESTONES
Milestone Agreement date Forecast date Confidence
[Long list] [ ] [ ] [high/med/low]
[Shortlist] [ ] [ ] [ ]
[Client interviews][ ] [ ] [ ]
Next report: [date]. Next call: [date, time].A filled example
Example only: the company, search and every number below are invented to show how the sections read when filled in.
RETAINED SEARCH PROGRESS REPORT
Search: Chief Financial Officer, Northwind Logistics Report no. 4
Lead consultant: Dana Ortiz Period: Oct 6 to Oct 17
Current stage: Outreach and assessment
Next milestone: Shortlist of 4, due Nov 7 (agreement clause 2.3)
Status: At risk (one week)
1. SUMMARY
- Where we are: 3 candidates in full assessment, 2 more screens
booked.
- What changed: we widened the map to PE-backed 3PLs after your
feedback on report no. 3.
- What we need: a decision on relocation support by Oct 24.
2. ACTIVITY FUNNEL This period To date
People identified on the map 22 96
People approached 18 61
Responded 11 38
Interested and worth a screen 5 14
Screened by the consultant 4 11
In full assessment 2 3
Presented to the client 0 0
Declined or withdrew 6 24
3. MARKET MAP COVERAGE
Segment Companies Identified Approached To go
Public 3PL and freight 9 34 30 4 - two
on leave
PE-backed 3PLs 12 31 12 19 - added
this week
Adjacent: distribution 8 31 19 12
Excluded under off-limits: 3 current clients (Schedule A)
4. WHY PEOPLE SAID NO Count
Package below current pay 9
Relocation to Columbus 8
Timing 4
Scope (no IT reporting line) 2
Not open to a move 1
What this tells us: relocation is now the main obstacle; pay is
second and concentrated among public-company CFOs.
5. CALIBRATION
Feedback received: you preferred candidate B's M&A integration
record over A's public-company reporting.
What we changed: integration is now the first screen topic; we
added PE-backed 3PLs where integrations are frequent.
Open question: is IPO readiness a must-have or a preference?
(Decision: CEO)
6. PIPELINE
Ref Current level / sector Stage Fit Next step
A Divisional CFO, public 3PL Assessment Partial Referees
by Oct 22
B CFO, PE-backed carrier Assessment Strong Comp
discussion
C VP Finance, distributor Assessment Partial Case
interview
Risk: B is in a final round elsewhere on Oct 30.
7. RISKS
Risk: relocation Effect: 1-2 weeks on shortlist Action: confirm
relocation package or a hybrid schedule Owner: client (HR)
8. ASKS
Decide relocation support 8 of 24 declines Oct 24
Answer the IPO readiness question changes the screen Oct 24
Hold Nov 10-12 for first interviews Oct 24
9. NEXT MILESTONES
Shortlist Nov 7 Nov 14 Medium
First interviews Nov 17 Nov 21 Medium
Next report: Oct 31. Next call: Oct 31, 10:00.How do you report the activity funnel without inflating it?
The funnel is the section clients learn to distrust first, usually because the stages move between reports. Define each stage once, in the first report, and keep the definitions:
- Identified: a named person on the map who fits the specification on paper. Not every name in a database search.
- Approached: a personal message or call about this search, not a mass mailing.
- Responded: any reply, including a no.
- Screened: a conversation with the consultant that covered the specification's criteria.
- In full assessment: a structured interview against the specification, with referees or work evidence being gathered.
Show "this period" next to "to date" so a quiet fortnight is visible rather than hidden in a cumulative number. A quiet fortnight with a reason ("approvals for the PE-backed segment took a week") is fine; an unexplained one is what costs trust.
What does market map coverage show that the funnel does not?
The funnel says how much work was done; coverage says whether it was done in the right places. A search can have a healthy funnel and still have missed the segment the client cares about most. List the segments agreed at kick-off (the market map from how to build a talent map is the usual source), how many people in each have been identified and approached, and why the rest have not. Put the off-limits exclusions here too, because they explain gaps the client might otherwise read as laziness: if three competitors are the firm's own clients, their people will not appear.
How should calibration feedback be recorded?
Calibration is where reports most often fail: the client gives feedback on a call, the firm says "noted", and two weeks later the same kind of profile comes back. Record three things: what the client said, about which profile; what the firm changed as a result (targeting, screen questions, weighting); and any question about the specification that only the client can settle, with the name of the person who decides. If feedback changes a must-have, update the position specification and say so in the report, so the spec and the search stay the same document.
Which risks and asks belong in the report?
Put a risk in when it could move a milestone date: a package below the market, a relocation the client has not decided on, an interviewer who is away for the planned interview week, a strong candidate in another process. Each risk needs an action and an owner, and the owner is often the client. The asks section is the part the client should act on: each ask has a reason and a date. If the same ask appears in two consecutive reports, move it into the summary line.
What should a progress report leave out?
- Names of people who declined. Someone who said no to a confidential approach did not agree to be named to the client. Report them by company, level and reason. The AESC Bill of Rights also commits members to protect confidential information from candidates as well as clients.
- Names in the pipeline before consent. Use a reference letter until the candidate agrees to be presented.
- Assessment detail. That belongs in the candidate report, which goes to fewer people.
- Personal circumstances. "Available from January" is enough; the reason is the candidate's business.
How is a progress report different from other search documents?
| Document | Covers | When |
|---|---|---|
| Progress report (this page) | The whole search: activity, coverage, pipeline, risks, asks | On the agreed cadence, usually weekly or fortnightly |
| Candidate report | One shortlisted person, assessed against the specification | With the shortlist and for later finalists |
| Weekly recruiting update | Several open roles for one client, mostly contingency | Weekly |
| Position specification | The role, the criteria and the pitch to candidates | Once, approved before outreach, updated if criteria change |
How often should it go out, and in what format?
Follow the agreement. If it is silent, agree a day at kick-off and keep it, including weeks with little to report. Send the written report before the status call, not instead of it, so the call is spent on the asks and the calibration questions rather than on reading numbers aloud. Keep each report as a separate dated document; at the end of the search, the series is the record of what the firm did for the fee, which matters if the search is cancelled or a guarantee is claimed.
The pipeline and calibration sections are only as good as the consultant's screening notes. We make Interview Signal, a desktop app that takes notes on interviews and screens without a bot joining the call; how search consultants use it for candidate reports is described in Interview Signal for executive search.
Common mistakes
- Changing the stage definitions between reports, so the funnel cannot be compared.
- Reporting activity without coverage, so the client cannot tell whether the right segments were searched.
- Listing risks with no owner or date.
- Asks buried at the end of a long email instead of in the summary.
- Forecast dates that never move until the milestone is missed.
Questions people ask
What should a retained search firm report to the client between milestones?
A retained search progress report should show the activity funnel for the period and to date, how much of the agreed market map has been covered, why people declined, what the firm changed after the client's calibration feedback, the anonymized pipeline by stage, the risks to the timeline, the decisions the firm needs from the client, and the next milestones with forecast dates against the dates in the agreement.
How often should an executive search firm send a progress report?
As often as the search agreement says, which is usually weekly or every two weeks once outreach starts. Send it on the agreed day even when there is little news, because a gap in reporting is what makes a client think the search has stalled.
Should a search progress report name the candidates who declined?
Usually not. Report declines by company, level and reason so the client can see coverage and market response, and name only candidates who have agreed to be presented. People who said no to a confidential approach did not agree to have their name passed to the client.
What is the difference between a search progress report and a candidate report?
The progress report covers the whole search: activity, market coverage, pipeline, risks and asks. A candidate report is the consultant's confidential assessment of one shortlisted person against the position specification. The progress report says how many people are in assessment; the candidate report says what the firm found about one of them.