Only 58% of retained searches are completed successfully, according to research. Alison Humphries, managing director of recruitment industry training consultancy Amelius Consulting,  who carried out the research, told Recruiter: “It suggests to me that the search part of the industry would need to put its house in order. You pay two thirds, and you don’t get anything for it - that’s pretty disappointing.” 

Humphries adds: “Sometimes this is due to the lack of skills in taking the assignment brief, though sometimes it isn’t the consultants fault - for example, when the client withdraws the assignment.” Humphries surveyed around 90 individual executive search consultants.