Right to represent form

What an RTR does

A right to represent protects three parties. The candidate controls who sends their resume and where. The client gets a clean answer to "who owns this candidate?" when two agencies send the same person. The agency gets evidence that it had the candidate's consent first, which matters when fees are on the line.

Most clients and managed service programs require an RTR with every submittal, and many VMS platforms will not accept a submission without one attached. Even where it is not required, it is cheap insurance. If you need a more conversational version for different situations, the right to represent email page has several variants.

Scope it tightly

An RTR should cover one candidate, one client and one role. Blanket authorizations ("you may submit me to any of your clients") look convenient but cause problems: candidates forget they signed them, clients see unexpected submittals, and some clients reject blanket RTRs outright.

Exclusivity window. Common practice is 30 to 90 days or until the client closes the candidacy. Longer windows frustrate candidates who are actively searching. Shorter windows can leave you exposed if the client takes six weeks to schedule interviews.

Rate. Put the agreed rate in writing. Disputes about whether the candidate agreed to $55 an hour or $60 are common, and the RTR is where that is settled. For contract roles, state whether it is W-2 or corp-to-corp.

Confidential clients. If the client cannot be named yet, describe them, but get a new RTR naming the client before you actually submit.

Duplicate submissions

When two agencies submit the same candidate, clients usually follow one of three rules: first valid submission by timestamp wins, the candidate is rejected entirely to avoid a dispute, or the client honors whichever agency holds the earlier signed RTR. The last two make a signed, dated RTR worth having.

The prior-submission questions on the form are there because candidates often do not remember applying through a client's career site four months ago, and many clients treat a direct application in the last six months as the client's own candidate. Ask the questions plainly and record the answers. Then send the profile using a consistent candidate submittal template so the client can see the RTR date alongside the rest of the summary.

Candidate experience and consent

Never submit without consent, even for a candidate already in your database who signed a candidate registration form a year ago. Registration gives you permission to hold their details and contact them about roles; it is not consent to send their resume to a specific employer. Candidates who discover they were submitted somewhere without asking do not come back.

Keep the language plain and short. If the candidate needs to read it twice, it is too long. And tell them what happens next: when you will submit, when you expect feedback and what to do if another recruiter calls about the same role.

RTRs also involve personal data. If you recruit candidates in the EU or UK, or in states with privacy laws covering applicant data such as California, your privacy notice should cover sharing profiles with clients. Rules vary by jurisdiction.

Common mistakes

• Submitting first and asking for the RTR afterward.
• Reusing an old RTR when the rate or role has changed.
• No requisition ID, so it is unclear which of the client's three similar openings the RTR covers.
• Accepting a verbal yes with no written record.
• Exclusivity clauses that bind the candidate for six months to roles the agency never submits them to.