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How to generate an executive search report in Recruit CRM?

This article will help you build a detailed and customized executive summary report of candidates in your pipeline in just a few clicks.

Written by Sanjana Panigrahi

What does this feature do & when to use it?

The executive search report feature lets you generate a detailed, customizable executive search progress report for a specific job in Recruit CRM. You can:

  • Create a PDF or Word (.docx) report with candidates you select from the job pipeline.

  • Customize sections such as the Executive Search Title (cover page), Candidate List, Candidate Profile, custom pages, and Team.

  • Insert placeholders for job, candidate, company, contact, user, and job statistics data.

  • Control formatting, section order, and visibility of individual sections.

  • Decide whether empty placeholders show fallback text or appear as blank spaces.

The revamped version provides enhanced formatting options, improved placeholder management, and better section organization, so reports are more flexible and client-ready.

Before you begin

  • This feature is available only for users on the Business plan and above.

  • You must have access to the detailed view of the job whose candidates you want to include in the report.

  • You need permission to use the “Submit to Client” action for that job.

  • To configure candidate summary templates and placeholder behavior, you need access to Admin Settings.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Go to the detailed view of the job for which you want to generate the executive search report.
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  2. In the job’s detailed view, click the Submit to Client button.
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  3. In the pop-up that appears with three options, select Executive Search Report.
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Select candidates for the report:

  1. In the Executive Search Report flow, choose the candidates you want to include in the report.

    Note: You can only select up to 100 candidates at once while generating an executive search report.
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  2. After selecting candidates, click Next to proceed to the report editor.
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Use the Executive Search Report Editor

  1. After selecting the candidates, you'll see the Executive Search Report editor section, where you can rename the report and access all the formatting options for the report:
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Configure the Executive Search Title (cover page):

  1. The first tab that you see under the 'Sections' is the 'Executive Search Title', which will be the cover page for the report.
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  2. Create a new template or select an existing template for the Executive Search Title from the dropdown, and insert placeholders as required.
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    Screen Recording 2025-06-23 at 9.19.38 PM.mov [video-to-gif output image]

  3. Use the job statistics report integration placeholder to insert job statistics data as either a table or a chart on the title page. Charts are embedded as images, and tables are inserted directly.
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    Define the date range for the job statistics data you want to display in this section. Keep in mind that only 10 KPIs can be displayed in a job statistics report table.
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Configure the Candidate List tab:

  1. Switch to the Candidate List tab to choose which candidate fields to show to your client in the list view.
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  2. Select the candidate placeholders (fields) you want to include in the Candidate List table.

    You can select up to 10 candidate placeholders in the Candidate List table.
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  3. Finalize the structure of the Candidate List table before applying formatting, because any formatting applied will be removed if you later add or remove placeholders.
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Configure the Candidate Profile tab:

1. Go to the Candidate Profile tab and select a candidate to customize that candidate’s profile section individually.
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2. For each candidate, choose which fields to include in the profile, such as candidate fields (including candidate summary and custom fields), contact placeholders, company placeholders, job placeholders, and user placeholders.
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3. The candidate summary content in the report is taken from the Candidate Summary field on the candidate’s profile.
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Users with access to Admin Settings can create templates for candidate summaries from the Candidate Field settings.

Important Notes

  • You can add additional candidates under the Candidate Profile section.

  • You can reorder the candidates and sort candidates on the basis of First Name, Last Name,Hiring Stages, Assigned On Date, Updated On Date or Visibility and the sorting and reordering done in the Candidate Profile section applies to the Candidate List table as well.

Screen Recording 2025-06-23 at 9.42.31 PM.mov [video-to-gif output image]

  • Candidates can be removed from the Candidate Profile section, but they will remain in the Candidate List table and move to the bottom of the list.

Screen Recording 2025-06-23 at 9.43.20 PM.mov [video-to-gif output image]

  • Formatting applied to the Candidate List table will be removed if users add or remove any placeholders. To avoid this, apply formatting only after finalizing the table structure in the Candidate List section.

  • Custom Pages:

You can add custom pages to executive search reports for additional content and add jobs, contacts, companies, users placeholders, and job statistics report. Custom pages can be reordered like other sections.

Screen Recording 2025-06-23 at 11.03.27 PM.mov [video-to-gif output image]


​Configure the Team tab:

  1. Open the Team tab (the last tab in the editor) to manage team-related information in the report.
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  2. Add details of the job owner and collaborators associated with that job in the Team section.
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  3. Turn on the visibility toggle to make these users visible in the report, and use placeholders to include additional information about them.
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Hide sections, preview, save, and share:

  1. Hide any of the main sections—Executive Search Title, Candidate List, Candidate Profile, and Team—by clicking the X icon next to the section name if you do not want it to appear in the final report.
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  2. Click the Preview (eye icon) button to see how the report will look before sharing it with the client.
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  3. Save your report using the Save button. You can return and continue editing it later using the Edit button.
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  4. When ready, share the report via email directly from Recruit CRM or download (down arrow icon button) it as a PDF or Word file and share it externally.
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5. If you generate the same report more than once, ensure that each version has a different report title to avoid confusion.

Note: The default email template for Executive Search Reports has been updated. The current Executive Search Report email templates on your account remain unchanged. However, if you click on the "Reset" button for the ESR email template, the updated default template will be applied.

Removal of Placeholders using Placeholder Settings

You can now choose whether empty placeholders should display fallback text like “Field Name - Not Available” or appear as clean, blank spaces.

This helps ensure Executive Search Reports look polished and client-ready, even when some fields are missing data. This applies to both:

  • Executive Search Report templates defined in Admin Settings

  • Dynamic placeholders added while building individual reports

Click on Placeholder Settings under Admin Settings:

When the toggle is turned ON, the empty placeholders render as blank

When turned OFF (default) it show fallback as “{Field Label} - Not Available”

Note: In work and education history, when both Start Date and End Date are missing, a dash (–) will still appear between them and this cannot be removed, even with the placeholder removal setting turned on.

Known Limitations

  • Template Design Limitations:

    The Executive Search Report is generated using a document editor, making it difficult to replicate templates created in PowerPoint or other external tools exactly.

    It is recommended to create the report using the available features to ensure smooth functionality and avoid formatting discrepancies.

  • Old Template Migration & Formatting Variations:

    All the old templates and drafts created on the old version of the Executive Search Report will remain accessible until December 31st, 2025. Old templates are not directly migrated but remain available under Executive Search Report settings in Admin Settings until December 31st, 2025.

    Users can download old templates in HTML format using the Download button:

    Then import them into the new editor using the Open button.

    Formatting may vary after import, so users might need to adjust the layout or styles to match the original template. Here is a video for reference: Migrate Old Executive Search Report Template to New Editor

  • Candidate List table- formatting limitations:

    Any formatting (e.g., font styles, borders, colors) applied to the Candidate List table within the template will not be retained when the report is generated. Additionally, if users add or remove placeholders after applying formatting in this case too the formatting would be lost.


    ​Recommendation: Apply formatting only after the report is generated and the Candidate List table structure is finalized.

🤔 FAQs

Can I reorder sections in my report?

Yes, all sections can be reordered using a drag-and-drop feature.

Is there a limit on the number of candidates in a report?

Yes, the maximum number of candidates per report is 100.

Can I generate a job statistics report for a specific date range?

Yes, you can specify a date range when adding job statistics to the report.

What happens if I close the editor without saving?

A confirmation prompt will appear to prevent accidental loss of changes.

What happens if I remove a candidate from the Candidate Profile section?

The candidate will still be visible in the Candidate List table, but will be moved to the bottom of the list.

Can I still download old reports after this update?

Yes, saved reports will remain available for download, even if they were created using the old editor.

Conclusion

This is how you can generate an Executive Search Report in Recruit CRM, customize its sections, and share it with clients as a PDF or Word document.

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