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What is a “Quality” Submittal? Why the Details Matter

As a Recruiter for Yoh’s RPO business we have Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that lay out the goals and expectations of our clients. Our performance as an RPO service provider is measured by the level in which we achieve these goals (as it should be for any RPO provider).

Beginning last year the SLA with my client included a “quality of submittals” metric. This metric is tracked by reviewing the candidates I submit to hiring managers and the percentage of those candidates that move forward in the interview process.

When I first heard that the minimum expectation was that 60% of the candidates I submit should move forward in the interview process my first thought was “no problem,” but then again that was just the minimum expectation. Who wants to have an annual performance review and see that they have only met the expectations of their client?

To exceed expectations, 70% of all candidates submitted would need to move forward in the interview process. I still thought no problem, until I looked at the metrics for a position I had recently worked on. I submitted four candidates, but only two of those candidates moved on to a phone interview with the hiring manager! 50% isn’t going to cut it, so I starting thinking about my process of qualifying and submitting candidates and what a “quality” submittal might be for a hiring manager.

It took me a while to figure out why only 50% of the candidates I had been submitting for that position were getting interviewed by hiring managers. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. So, for those of you who are recruiting, or for HR professional and managers looking at resumes from recruiters, here are a few things to consider:

Candidates resumes don’t always speaks for themselves – It would be great if they did, but they don’t. A quick email from the recruiter stating they meet the requirements of the position and their current compensation will not work for a quality submittal. The recruiter should provide details to the hiring manager (and the manager should read them) on why they are a great fit. Why is the candidate interested in a position located in Indiana when they live in California? Over the candidate’s career what have been their two greatest professional accomplishments? What has the candidate interested in working for your company? There should also be information on the candidate’s current and desired compensation, along with details justifying the candidate’s desired compensation level. The details matter, and in my submittals, I had forgotten that.

The hiring manager is a busy person – We all get busy and so do hiring managers. I’m guilty of occasionally skipping over a new email in my inbox only to remember it three days later. If you are a hiring manager, don’t be surprised, annoyed or afraid of a quick call from the recruiter if you haven’t responded to submittals. They are checking to see if you got the resumes and (hopefully) the details of the candidate in the email. If you’re a recruiter, then remember that the details matter and whether it’s in the email or by phone, you should be ready with reasons why you recommend that the hiring manager interview your candidate. In my case, I had submitted and not followed up in a timely manner.

Taking this extra time to focus on the details may mean the difference between just an OK submittal (one likely to just meet requirements) and a “quality” submittal that will exceed requirements and put more successful candidates through the process. It may also keep the busy hiring manager from missing quality candidates.

*This post was written by Derrick Coy. Derrick has over 5 years of experience recruiting technical service and engineering talent for chemical and medical manufacturing companies. Derrick holds a B.S. in Communications Studies from the University of Southern Indiana and resides in Evansville, IN with his wife and 2 daughters.

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