Executive Recruiter Platform Walkthrough — See What Your Clients and Candidates Experience

Feature 01

Search Progress Dashboard

Hiring clients see real-time pipeline visibility — candidates sourced, screened, interviewed, and shortlisted. Eliminates the weekly "where are we?" status calls that eat your billable hours.

13 hrs/week spent sourcing per role 82% of companies doubt they recruit top talent

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

Replaces the client-facing features in Bullhorn ($99–199/user/mo), Crelate ($119/user/mo) — all per-user. This is a flat fee regardless of team size.

VP of Engineering Search

CLIENT: NEXUS TECHNOLOGIES · OPENED FEB 1 · TARGET CLOSE: APR 15

47

Sourced

12

Screened

5

Shortlisted

2

Final Round

Kickoff & Role Definition

Complete · Feb 1

Market Mapping & Sourcing

Complete · 47 candidates identified

Initial Screening

Complete · 12 advanced

Client Interviews

In Progress · 2 finalists

Offer & Negotiation

Pending

Feature 02

Candidate Shortlist Sharing

Share candidate profiles with hiring managers through the portal — not scattered email attachments. Clients review, rate, and provide feedback on each candidate in one place.

50% of time spent screening resumes manually

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing

Hiring managers hate getting 5 separate PDFs via email. A branded portal with candidate cards, feedback buttons, and comparison tools makes you look like a $50K retainer firm.

Shortlisted Candidates — VP Engineering

Candidate A — Sarah Kim

15 yrs · Ex-Google · Bay Area → Open to relocation

Candidate B — Marcus Johnson

12 yrs · CTO at Series B startup · Austin, TX

Candidate C — Elena Petrova

18 yrs · VP Eng at Fortune 500 · Interview scheduled

Candidate D — James Park

10 yrs · Engineering Director · Seattle

Candidate E — Tom Rivera

Declined · Accepted competing offer

Client Feedback

2 of 5 candidates have client ratings · 1 interview pending

Feature 03

Secure Messaging

Separate conversation threads for client communication and candidate communication. Confidential candidate details stay within the portal — not in email inboxes that get forwarded.

Confidentiality is the #1 concern in executive search

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

Executive candidates demand discretion. Email gets forwarded. Portal messaging doesn't.

I reviewed the three profiles you shared. Sarah Kim looks exceptional — can we schedule a first round for next week?

Tom Anderson, CEO · Mar 14, 8:45 AM

Absolutely. Sarah is available Tuesday 2pm or Thursday 10am. I'll coordinate directly with her and send you a calendar invite. Shall I also schedule Marcus Johnson for comparison?

Your Firm · Mar 14, 9:22 AM · ✓ Read

Yes — let's see both. Also, Elena's comp expectations seem high. Can you share what she's looking for?

Tom Anderson, CEO · Mar 14, 9:40 AM

Elena's target is $320–350K base + equity. That's within your approved range. Her current total comp is $310K, so we're competitive. Full breakdown is in her candidate profile in the Candidates tab.

Your Firm · Mar 14, 10:15 AM · ✓ Read

Feature 04

Billing & Placement Tracking

Retained search fee milestones, contingency placement invoices, and payment status — all visible. Clients see exactly what they owe and when. Reduces collections friction.

$15K–50K per executive placement fee

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

For retained searches, milestone billing visibility builds trust. Clients can see that the first-third retainer triggered work, not just an invoice.

VP Engineering Search — Fee Schedule

Milestone	Description	Amount	Status
1/3 Retainer	Upon engagement	$28,333	✓ PAID
1/3 Progress	Shortlist presented	$28,333	✓ PAID
1/3 Completion	Upon placement	$28,334	PENDING CLOSE

Total Search Fee (25% of $340K base)

$85,000

Feature 05

Interview Scheduling

Multi-party calendar coordination across time zones. Candidates self-select from available slots. Panel interviews with multiple stakeholders coordinated automatically.

#1 cited time drain: scheduling across stakeholders

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

A 4-person panel interview across 3 time zones can take 15+ emails to schedule. Self-service booking eliminates the back-and-forth.

April 2026 — Interview Calendar

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Interview Types

Phone Screen (30 min)

Video Interview (60 min)

Panel Interview (90 min)

Feature 06

E-Signatures

Engagement letters, fee agreements, offer letters, and candidate NDAs — signed from any device. Both client-facing and candidate-facing documents in one system.

Replaces DocuSign ($10–60/user/mo)

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing

Search engagement letters, candidate NDAs, and offer letters all in one portal — no separate e-signature tool needed.

Executive Search Engagement Letter

By signing below, Client engages Pinnacle Executive Search to conduct a retained search for the position of VP of Engineering. The search fee is 25% of first-year base compensation, payable in three equal installments as described in the attached fee schedule.

Client

Tom Anderson, CEO

Company

Nexus Technologies, Inc.

Date

February 1, 2026 · 11:30 AM EST

ID: 7a3c-91df · IP: 192.168.x.x · SHA-256 verified · Legally binding

Feature 07

Candidate Portal

The second audience. Candidates apply, upload resumes, check application status, and complete assessments — all through a branded portal. LinkedIn SSO for one-click apply.

Dual-audience design — the #1 recruiter web challenge

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

Generic web agencies routinely fail at dual-audience design. This portal handles both client-facing search dashboards and candidate-facing applications in one system.

Candidate Portal — Your Applications

VP of Engineering — Nexus Technologies

Final Round · Interview Apr 2

Director of Platform — Athena Health

Phone Screen Complete · Awaiting Feedback

CTO — Vertex AI

Application Submitted · Under Review

Your Profile

✓Resume Uploaded

✓LinkedIn Profile Linked

✓Compensation Expectations

○References (3 required)

Feature 08

AI Chat Assistant

Dual-purpose: answers client questions about search progress, AND handles candidate inquiries about open roles and application status. 24/7 engagement without staff time.

40%+ of candidate inquiries arrive after hours

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

Candidates expect instant responses. The firms that engage fastest win the best talent. An AI chat ensures no inquiry goes unanswered.

Pinnacle Search — Live Chat

Welcome to Pinnacle Executive Search. Are you a client checking on a search, or a candidate interested in opportunities?

I'm a candidate — I saw a VP Engineering role

Great! The VP of Engineering search is active and we're accepting applications. The role requires 10+ years of engineering leadership and offers $300–350K base + equity. Would you like to apply now, or do you have questions first?

What's the company culture like?

The client is a Series C enterprise SaaS company with 200 employees, remote-first with quarterly in-person offsites. Engineering team of 45. I can share more details after you apply — shall I take you to the application?

Feature 09

Knowledge Base & Resources

Interview prep guides for candidates, market salary data for clients, and thought leadership that positions your firm as the expert in your niche.

Low build cost, high brand authority

Works for: Retained Search · Contingency · Staffing · RPO

Included in Tier 3 builds. Content that demonstrates expertise converts passive visitors into engaged candidates and referring clients.

Search Resources

Insights for clients and candidates.

📊

Salary Benchmarks

Executive comp data by function

🎯

Interview Prep

Guide for executive candidates

📋

Search Process

What to expect, step by step

📈

Market Insights

Hiring trends by industry

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Client Testimonials

Success stories from partners

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Contact Us

Reach your search consultant

See What Your Clients and Candidates Actually Experience

Every Feature. One Platform. Your Brand.