Template · For agency recruiters
Candidate submittal template
This candidate submittal template is the write-up you send a client with a candidate’s CV: a few lines in brief, their background, their own words against each must-have, location, availability, pay, why they want the role, and your recommendation — ready to paste into an email or your ATS.
NoteOwl, a private AI note taker for Mac, drafts every part but the recommendation from the recording of your screening call, on your Mac with nothing uploaded. It keeps the record; you make the call.
Submittal · 9 sections
- 01In brief
- 02Background
- 03Against your must-haves
- 04Location and working pattern
- 05Availability
- 06Pay
- 07Why this role
- 08Questions and next step
- 09Your recommendation
Copy the template ↓See a write-up example ↓Draft it in NoteOwl ↓
What goes in a candidate submittal?
What the client needs to decide whether to interview: who the candidate is, how they meet each must-have in their own words, where and when they can work, what they’re asking for, why they want the role, and your recommendation. The CV carries the rest.
- In brief
- What to writeTwo or three sentences the client can read first: current role, where and when they can work, and what they’re asking for.
- Background
- What to writeCurrent role, employer and the most relevant work, as the candidate described it. The CV carries the full history.
- Against your must-haves
- What to writeEach of the client’s must-haves, with what the candidate said about it and a short quote.
- Location and working pattern
- What to writeWhere they live, whether they can do the office days, and what they said about relocating.
- Availability
- What to writeNotice period, earliest start, holidays already booked, and other processes they’re in.
- Pay
- What to writeWhat they earn now and what they’re asking for, in their figures: base, bonus, day rate.
- Why this role
- What to writeTheir reasons for moving, in their words.
- Questions and next step
- What to writeWhat the candidate asked, and the interview step you’re proposing.
- Your recommendation
- What to writeYours alone: whether to interview, and why. Signed by you, not by the notes.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| In brief | Two or three sentences the client can read first: current role, where and when they can work, and what they’re asking for. |
| Background | Current role, employer and the most relevant work, as the candidate described it. The CV carries the full history. |
| Against your must-haves | Each of the client’s must-haves, with what the candidate said about it and a short quote. |
| Location and working pattern | Where they live, whether they can do the office days, and what they said about relocating. |
| Availability | Notice period, earliest start, holidays already booked, and other processes they’re in. |
| Pay | What they earn now and what they’re asking for, in their figures: base, bonus, day rate. |
| Why this role | Their reasons for moving, in their words. |
| Questions and next step | What the candidate asked, and the interview step you’re proposing. |
| Your recommendation | Yours alone: whether to interview, and why. Signed by you, not by the notes. |
A candidate submittal template to copy
Paste it into an email to the hiring manager, your ATS or a document, fill it in from your screening notes and attach the CV. It’s plain text, so it keeps its shape anywhere.
Writing it from a call? Start from the candidate call notes template: the same fields, as your own record of the call.
CANDIDATE SUBMITTAL
To:
Role:
Candidate:
Screened by and date:
IN BRIEF
(Two or three sentences: current role, where and when they can work, what they're asking for.)
BACKGROUND
- Current role and employer:
- Most relevant work:
AGAINST YOUR MUST-HAVES
- Must-have 1: what they said ("short quote")
- Must-have 2:
- Must-have 3:
LOCATION AND WORKING PATTERN
- Based in:
- On site / hybrid / remote:
- Relocation:
AVAILABILITY
- Notice period:
- Earliest start:
- Holidays booked / other processes:
PAY
- Now:
- Asking:
WHY THIS ROLE
-
QUESTIONS THEY ASKED
-
NEXT STEP
-
MY RECOMMENDATION (the recruiter's own)
Interview / hold / pass:
Why:
Attached: CV · LinkedIn · References on request
What does a recruiter’s candidate write-up look like?
Like this recruiter candidate write-up example: NoteOwl’s submittal from a screening call for a senior Android engineer at a bank. The must-haves are answered in the candidate’s words, and the recommendation is left for the recruiter.
Candidate submittal — Alex Moreno
For: Daniel Okafor, Ferncastle Bank · Role: Senior Android Engineer, permanent, hybrid in Chicago · From: Nadia Brooks · Screened: Monday 26 October 2026, by phone
In brief
Alex Moreno is a senior Android engineer at Harbourline, an insurance company, where Alex has worked on the claims app for four years. Alex lives in Evanston, can work three days a week in the Chicago office, has four weeks' notice and could start on 4 January. Alex is asking for $165,000 base.
Background
- Four years at Harbourline on the claims app, mainly the flow where customers photograph car damage.
- Built the app's photo capture with CameraX, and led the claims flow's move from XML to Jetpack Compose.
Against your must-haves
| Must-have | In Alex's words |
|---|---|
| Kotlin and Compose | "All our new screens have been Compose for about two years." Led the claims flow's move to Compose; the app has about two million users. |
| Camera capture | Built the CameraX photo capture, including guides for a sharp picture. "I haven't done ID documents specifically, but it's the same problem." |
| Regulated industry | Works with Harbourline's compliance team on "what we're allowed to store on the phone and for how long". |
Location and working pattern
- Lives in Evanston; three days a week in Chicago is okay. Not relocating elsewhere.
Availability
- Four weeks' notice; earliest start 4 January (family trip 21–31 December).
- In one other process, with a final round next week.
Pay
- Now: $152,000 base plus a 10% bonus. Asking: $165,000 base.
Why this role
- Wants to stay native Android: Harbourline is moving all mobile work to a cross-platform framework next year.
- Wants to work on "something people use every day".
Questions Alex asked
- How big is the Android team, and is there an on-call rota?
Next step
- If you'd like to go ahead, a technical call with Marcus.
My recommendation
[Write your recommendation here]
Who writes the recommendation in a submittal?
You do. The recommendation is your professional judgment, so the template leaves it to you: NoteOwl drafts the record of the call, and you add your view in your own words — typed, or dictated free with fn.
You make the call. NoteOwl keeps the record.
What a submittal leaves out
- Scores, rankings and comparisons with other candidates
- Guesses about personality, confidence or “culture”
- Personal details such as age, family or health
- Anything the candidate didn’t say, written as if they had
How do you draft a submittal from a screening call?
Record the call in NoteOwl — it takes meeting notes without a bot — then choose Summarize as with a submittal template you made once. NoteOwl writes the draft on your Mac with on-device AI models, and nothing is uploaded.
- 1
Make the template once
In NoteOwl, click Templates under Configure, then New template. Call it “Candidate submittal”, set Group to Professional, paste the instruction below as the prompt — or tap fn and say it — and click Add.
- 2
Record the screening call
Type the client’s must-haves under Notes & questions, then press ⌥Space or click Start Meeting. On the phone, put it on speaker beside the Mac.
- 3
Choose Summarize as → Candidate submittal
When the call ends, NoteOwl writes the submittal from the recording, on your Mac, and leaves the recommendation for you.
- 4
Add your recommendation and send it
Copy the submittal into your email or ATS, click where it says [Write your recommendation here], tap fn and say it. Dictation is free.
Write a candidate submittal for the hiring manager, using only what the candidate said on this call. Don't rate, score or rank the candidate, don't say whether they fit, and don't describe their personality, confidence or tone. Refer to the candidate by name. In brief: three sentences on their current role, where and when they can work, and what they're asking for. Background: their current role and most relevant work, as they described it. Against your must-haves: a table with each must-have from my notes or my questions, and what the candidate said about it, with a short quote. If it wasn't covered, write "Not discussed". Location and working pattern. Availability: notice, earliest start, and other interviews they mentioned. Pay: now and expected, in their figures. Why this role: their reasons, in their words. Questions they asked. Next step. My recommendation: write only "[Write your recommendation here]".
Screening by phone? See how to take notes on phone screens on a Mac. Meetings, summaries and templates are part of NoteOwl Pro: $79 for one Mac, no subscription, with a 7-day free trial in the app. Dictating your recommendation is free.
FAQ
Questions about candidate submittals
What is a candidate submittal?
A candidate submittal is the write-up an agency recruiter sends a client with a candidate’s CV: who the candidate is, where and when they can work, what they are asking for, how they meet the must-haves, and the recruiter’s recommendation. Recruiters also call it a candidate write-up or summary.
What is the difference between candidate call notes and a submittal?
Candidate call notes are the recruiter’s own record of a screening call, open questions included. A candidate submittal is written from those notes for the client: shorter, ordered around the client’s must-haves, and ending with the recruiter’s recommendation.
How long should a candidate submittal be?
Short enough to read in a minute: a few lines in brief, the must-haves with the candidate’s own words, location, availability, pay and the recruiter’s recommendation. The CV carries the full work history, so a candidate submittal doesn’t repeat it.
Can NoteOwl write a candidate submittal for me?
NoteOwl drafts it. Record the screening call, then choose Summarize as with a submittal template you made once in NoteOwl’s Templates screen. NoteOwl writes the background, must-haves, availability and pay from the recording and leaves the recommendation for you to write or dictate.
Does NoteOwl send the submittal to the client?
No. NoteOwl sends nothing by itself and doesn’t connect to an ATS. Copy the candidate submittal into your email or ATS, or use Share to open it in Mail, then add your recommendation and send it yourself.
Are client and candidate details kept private in NoteOwl?
Yes. NoteOwl records the screening call and writes the submittal on your Mac with on-device AI models, so the recording, transcript and submittal stay on your Mac and are never uploaded. No bot joins the call.
How much does NoteOwl cost for recruiters?
Recording calls, summaries and templates are part of NoteOwl Pro: $79 lifetime for one Mac, no subscription, with a 7-day free trial in the app. Dictation into any app, including your email and ATS, is free.
Related
- Candidate call notes template The record of the screening call the submittal is written from.
- Phone screen notes on a Mac Get a phone screen into NoteOwl: speakerphone, the Mac, or a recording.
- AI note taker for recruiters Screens, intake calls and debriefs, private on your Mac.
- Free dictation on your Mac Say your recommendation into the email or ATS. Free.
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Submittals drafted privately on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a lifetime licence.
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