Every candidate you submit is a claim about your judgment. This checklist is the gate between "looks promising" and "ready to present": run it after your screening call and before the profile reaches the client. A submission that fails a client's first question costs more credibility than no submission at all.

1. Skills and experience evidence

• Each must-have from the intake brief is matched to concrete evidence — a project, an outcome, a work sample — not just a keyword on the resume.
• Claimed titles and dates are consistent across the resume, public profiles, and what the candidate said live. Gaps or overlaps have an explanation you can repeat.
• You asked at least one depth question per critical skill and heard specifics: numbers, trade-offs, what they personally did versus what the team did.
• Portfolio, code, writing, or other work product has been reviewed where the role produces reviewable output.
• Certifications or degrees that matter for the role are stated precisely and can be verified if the client asks.

2. Logistics

• Location and work authorization fit the role, and any relocation or visa question is answered, not assumed.
• Time-zone overlap with the client team meets the requirement from intake.
• Notice period is confirmed in weeks, and the earliest realistic start date is on record.
• Availability for the client's interview process over the next two to three weeks is confirmed.
• Remote setup, travel expectations, or on-site days have been discussed and accepted.

3. Compensation alignment

• The candidate stated a number or range — you did not guess one — and it fits inside the client's approved band.
• Total-package expectations (variable, equity, benefits) are captured, not just base.
• Current compensation context is understood where relevant and lawful to discuss.
• You have flagged any gap between expectation and band to the client before submission, not after the final interview.

4. Motivation and competing processes

• The candidate can say in their own words why this role and company interest them — and it survives the question "why not stay where you are?"
• Push factors (leaving something) and pull factors (moving toward something) are both understood.
• Active processes, pending offers, and likely counteroffer pressure are on record with rough timelines.
• The candidate has explicitly authorized submission to this client for this role.

5. References and verification

• At least two relevant references are identified — ideally former managers — with the candidate's consent to contact them at the right stage.
• Any background, credential, or right-to-work checks the client requires have been explained to the candidate.
• Nothing in publicly available professional information contradicts the profile you are about to send.

6. The submission package

• The resume is current, clean, and formatted for this client; your summary states role fit, evidence highlights, compensation expectation, notice period, and location in the first five lines.
• Your assessment is honest about gaps: one stated weakness with context beats a flawless pitch the interview will contradict.
• The candidate knows what happens next and when they will hear from you.

Red flags that stop a submission

• Evasive or inconsistent answers about dates, titles, or reasons for leaving.
• Compensation expectations that moved materially between conversations.
• Refusal to explain a verifiable claim, or hostility toward reasonable checks.
• Motivation that is entirely about escaping the current employer.