Resources/Glossary/Staffing and agencies
A submittal is a candidate an agency recruiter sends to a client for a specific job order, usually with a short write up explaining why they fit. In house recruiters do the same when they present a screened candidate to a hiring manager.
In one line
A candidate an agency sends to a client for a job order, usually with a short write up of why they fit.
A good submittal has three parts: the resume, formatted cleanly and sometimes with contact details removed; a short summary of fit against the client's must haves; and practical details such as pay expectations, availability, location or work authorization and the candidate's interest level. Many agencies use a standard template so every submittal looks consistent and is easy to scan.
Before you submit, you must have the candidate's permission to present them to that specific client. Sending resumes without consent damages trust and can cause ownership disputes if two agencies present the same person. Many clients and vendor management systems record the first agency to submit a candidate, so the timestamp matters and a quick, clean submittal can decide who earns the fee.
Submittals are where recruiting work becomes visible to the client. A sharp, well matched submittal earns interviews and trust, while a stack of loosely matched resumes trains clients to ignore you. Agencies track submittal to interview ratio closely because it shows how well recruiters understand the role and the client.
On a controller role for a manufacturing client, an agency recruiter tries a tighter submittal. Instead of sending five resumes, she submits two. Each comes with four bullets matched to the client's must haves, salary expectations, notice period and one line on why the candidate is interested in this company. The hiring manager books both for interviews the same day.
A clean resume, a short summary of fit against the job's key requirements, pay expectations, availability or notice period, location and work authorization where relevant, and a note on the candidate's motivation. Keep it brief enough to read in a minute.
Quality beats volume. Many agency teams aim for two or three strong submittals per role, then adjust based on client feedback. In a vendor management system you may also face a fixed cap per supplier.
A duplicate submittal happens when the same candidate is presented for the same role by two agencies, or by an agency after the candidate applied directly. Most clients credit the first valid submittal, so always confirm with the candidate first.
Written by recruiters at Work Insiders. Part of the recruiting and HR tech glossary. Updated October 2026.