Candidate Submission Template
The short-form document used to submit a single candidate to a client for review — lighter than a full shortlist report, built for the moment you want to flag one strong candidate quickly rather than wait for a complete shortlist.
Why a lighter format exists alongside the full report
Not every strong candidate arrives on the agency’s timeline — sometimes one exceptional person surfaces before the rest of the pool is fully evaluated, and waiting for a complete shortlist to submit them risks losing them to another offer. The submission template exists for exactly that situation: enough evidence to make the case for one candidate, in a format fast enough to produce the same day they’re identified, without pretending it’s a full comparative shortlist when it isn’t one.
What it deliberately leaves out
There’s no comparison matrix, because there’s nothing yet to compare this candidate against. That’s a feature, not a gap: a single-candidate submission that tried to look like a comparison report would either pad itself with irrelevant context or imply a competitive field that doesn’t exist yet. The format stays honest about what it is — one strong candidate, presented on their own merits, with the option to follow up with a full shortlist once the pool is complete.
- Candidate summary and key evidence in a single page
- Consistent format your client learns to recognise submission after submission
- Faster to produce than a full comparison report
For a full shortlist, see the shortlist template instead.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if more candidates surface after I submit one?
Send a follow-up submission or move to the full shortlist template once the pool is complete — the two formats aren’t mutually exclusive, and agencies commonly use both across the same search.
Does the submission include the same risks-to-verify section as the full report?
Yes, in a condensed form — anything worth flagging before the client interviews the candidate is still included, just without the comparative framing a multi-candidate report carries.
Is this suitable for exclusive or retained searches?
Yes — it’s often the better fit there, since exclusive searches frequently move on a single standout candidate rather than a competitive shortlist.
Will my client recognize it as a different format from a full report?
Yes, deliberately — the consistent lighter layout signals “one candidate, act fast” versus the full report’s “here’s the complete comparison,” so clients learn what kind of decision each document is asking for.