Submittal

What a strong submittal includes

A resume alone is not a submittal. The value the recruiter adds is the summary that saves the hiring manager time. A good submittal has:

• A three to five line fit summary tied to the must-haves on the job order: "Five years of high-volume AP in SAP, handled 1,200 invoices a month, cleared a 3-week backlog at her last company."
• Rate or salary: the pay rate for contract roles (the bill rate is usually shown separately or set in the contract) or salary expectations for direct hire
• Availability: start date, notice period, schedule constraints, interview availability
• Logistics: location, commute or relocation, work authorization if relevant to the role
• Motivation: why the candidate is interested and what else they are interviewing for
• Formatted resume: often on agency letterhead, with personal contact details removed where the contract requires it
• Right to represent: confirmation the candidate agreed to be presented, described on our right to represent page

Use our candidate submittal template for the write-up, and a short candidate submittal email to send it.

Submittal metrics staffing firms track

Submittals sit in the middle of the agency funnel, so several metrics are built around them:

• Submittals per order: how many candidates are sent per opening. Three to five strong submittals is a common target; sending twelve usually signals weak screening.
• [Submittal-to-interview ratio](/glossary/submittal-to-interview-ratio/): the share of submittals that get an interview. It measures how well recruiters understand the order.
• Interview-to-placement ratio: how many interviews lead to a start.
• [Time to submit](/glossary/time-to-submit/): hours or days from receiving the order to the first submittal. On competitive orders, being first with a strong candidate often decides who gets the placement.

For example, a recruiter who sends 40 submittals a month, gets 16 interviews and makes 5 placements has a 40% submittal-to-interview ratio and a 31% interview-to-placement ratio. Comparing those ratios between recruiters shows who needs help with screening and who needs help with closing.

Submittals through a VMS

Large clients often run contingent hiring through a vendor management system. Submittals then go through the VMS rather than by email, with strict fields, rate caps and limits on submittals per supplier per requisition. Duplicate submittals (two agencies sending the same candidate) are typically resolved by timestamp, so the right to represent and the exact submission time matter. Read the program rules closely: some VMS programs penalize suppliers whose submittals are rejected at a high rate.

Mistakes to avoid

• Submitting without the candidate's explicit consent for that specific role and client
• Sending a resume with no write-up, so the manager has to work out the fit alone
• Hiding gaps or concerns the manager will find in the interview anyway; flag them and explain
• Mismatched pay: submitting someone who wants $35 an hour to a $25 order and hoping
• Volume over quality; a manager who receives ten weak profiles stops opening your emails
• Slow follow-up; ask for feedback within 24 to 48 hours and keep the candidate updated