A weekly pipeline report is how a client experiences your work between placements. Done well, it answers their three real questions — is there movement, is anyone good, and what do you need from me — in under two minutes of reading. Send it on the same day every week, even when the news is thin: silence is what loses searches.

Report header

• Search: {{Role title}} — {{Client name}}
• Week of: {{Week start date}} · Report {{Report number}} · Search week {{Week number of search}}
• Status in one line: {{On track, at risk, or blocked — and why}}

1. Pipeline by stage

Show counts, week-over-week change, and additions. Movement matters more than totals — a static pipeline with big numbers is a warning sign, not a comfort.

2. Candidate highlights

Two to four candidates the client should be thinking about, one short block each:

• {{Candidate initials or reference}} — {{Stage}}. {{One line: strongest evidence of fit}}. {{One line: risk, competing process, or timing note}}. Next: {{Action and owner}}.
• {{Candidate initials or reference}} — {{Stage}}. {{One line: strongest evidence of fit}}. {{One line: risk, competing process, or timing note}}. Next: {{Action and owner}}.

3. Risks and blockers

Name risks while they are still cheap to fix, and be explicit about which ones sit on the client's side of the table:

• {{Risk — for example: feedback on two submitted candidates pending 6 days; both are in competing processes}}. Needed: {{Specific client action and date}}.
• {{Risk — for example: compensation band is losing candidates at screening; three declined on range this week}}. Needed: {{Decision or data requested}}.

4. Market signal

One short paragraph of what the search is teaching: response rates against benchmark, recurring objections, where qualified candidates are actually coming from, and anything that suggests the spec or the pitch needs adjusting. This section is what makes the report worth reading even in a slow week.

5. Next week

• {{Commitment — for example: 25 new contacts in pool B, two calibration profiles by Wednesday}}
• {{Commitment — for example: complete references for the offer-stage candidate}}
• {{Scheduled checkpoint — for example: 20-minute pipeline call Thursday}}

Writing rules

• Lead with the status line; a client should get the health of the search from the first sentence.
• Report reasons, not just numbers — "three rejected on compensation" is information, "three rejected" is noise.
• Every risk gets an owner and a date, or it is a complaint rather than a report.
• Keep identity out of the report where the process is confidential; initials and role context are enough until interview stage.