Executive search is a relationship and judgment business. The partners and principals who run searches at boutique retained firms and global executive search practices are hired because they know the landscape of senior talent in a given function or industry — not because they are efficient at LinkedIn Boolean strings or comfortable managing a calendar full of reference call logistics.
Yet the research conducted by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants found that consultants at member firms spend an average of 35% of their workday on tasks that do not require their senior-level expertise. In a business where partner time is the primary revenue-generating asset, that is an enormous inefficiency — and one that virtual assistants are increasingly being deployed to solve.
LinkedIn Prospecting and Candidate Research Compilation
The longlisting phase of any executive search requires identifying 60 to 100 potential candidates before a shortlist of 10 to 15 can be developed. That process involves LinkedIn Recruiter searches, cross-referencing company org charts, reviewing published bios and conference speaker profiles, and assembling candidate profiles in a consistent format for partner review.
This is exactly the type of structured research task that a skilled virtual assistant can execute. A VA working with a defined search brief can run Boolean searches, extract profile data, standardize it into a research brief template, and flag profiles that meet minimum criteria — delivering a preliminary longlist that the partner can evaluate in a fraction of the time it would take to build it from scratch.
Korn Ferry's internal productivity data, cited in their 2025 annual report, noted that search teams using dedicated research support roles completed longlisting phases 40% faster than teams where consultants owned the research themselves. Virtual assistants provide that same leverage at a cost accessible to boutique firms.
Reference Check Scheduling and Coordination
Reference checks at the senior executive level are complex scheduling exercises. References are themselves senior executives — CEOs, board members, private equity partners — with compressed schedules, gatekeeping assistants, and limited availability. Coordinating a slate of six to eight references across multiple time zones, confirming availability, sending calendar invites, preparing reference questionnaires, and tracking completion is time-consuming work that requires persistence and organization, but not partner judgment.
A virtual assistant can own the entire reference scheduling workflow: identifying reference contact information, making initial outreach, managing follow-ups, confirming logistics, and delivering a completed reference schedule back to the lead consultant. When references must be rescheduled, the VA handles that too — without interrupting the partner's client development calendar.
Most Placeable Candidate (MPC) Presentation Coordination
Many retained search firms develop MPC marketing as a business development activity — preparing polished candidate profiles for executives who have given permission to be presented to select clients. Assembling an MPC presentation requires compiling a candidate's career history, curating their key accomplishments, anonymizing details appropriately, and formatting the output for client delivery.
Virtual assistants trained in executive search document workflows can manage this production process. The consultant provides the substance; the VA handles assembly, formatting, and coordination with the candidate on approval before the presentation goes out. Firms that run active MPC programs report it as a meaningful source of retained search engagement — but only when they have the operational capacity to execute it consistently.
Search Progress Report Preparation
Weekly or biweekly search status reports to client stakeholders are a professional obligation for retained search firms. They require summarizing pipeline activity, documenting candidate stage movements, noting client feedback, and projecting next steps. Compiling this information is a data-gathering and formatting exercise that virtual assistants can own entirely — pulling updates from the firm's CRM or search management platform, formatting them per the client's preferred template, and queuing for partner review and signature.
Executive search firms looking to reclaim partner time for the work only they can do should explore dedicated virtual assistant support at Stealth Agents, where VAs are trained in executive search research, MPC coordination, and client reporting workflows.
Sources
- Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), 2025 State of the Profession Report
- Korn Ferry, 2025 Annual Report — Productivity and Search Delivery Data
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2026 Global Talent Trends Report