Recruiting Term Glossary – All What You Need to Know

TermAcronymDefinitionCategory
AI MatchingAlgorithms matching candidates to jobs based on skill and profile analysis.Tech
Alumni ProgramsInitiatives to engage former employees as potential hires or brand advocates.Sourcing
Applicant Drop‑Off Rate% of applicants who abandon an application mid-way.Metrics
Applicant Tracking SystemATSSoftware to manage the recruitment lifecycle.ATS
Behavioral InterviewUses past behavior to predict future performance.Interviewing
Boolean SearchSearch logic using AND, OR, NOT for more precise candidate queries.Sourcing
Campus RecruitingHiring directly from colleges or universities.Sourcing
Candidate Drop‑Out Rate% of candidates who leave the process before a decision.Metrics
Candidate ExperienceHow candidates perceive and react to your recruiting process.General
Candidate NPSCandidate Net Promoter Score; measures satisfaction.Metrics
Candidate PersonaA fictional profile representing ideal candidate traits.Sourcing
Candidate Relationship ManagementCRMTools and tactics to maintain engagement with talent pools.Sourcing
Chatbot RecruitingUse of automated chat to engage and screen candidates.Tech
Competency-Based InterviewStructured questions to assess role-specific skills.Interviewing
Contingent WorkforceFreelancers, temps, and contractors not on full-time payroll.Sourcing
Contractor OnboardingProcess for integrating short-term or project-based hires.Process
Cost Per HireTotal recruitment cost divided by hires made.Metrics
Counter‑OfferEmployer offer aimed at retaining a resigning employee.Process
Diversity RecruitingFocused efforts to improve representation in hiring.Compliance
Diversity ScorecardDashboard tracking diversity-focused recruiting KPIs.Compliance
E‑recruitmentRecruiting through digital platforms.General
EEOC ComplianceEEOU.S. law ensuring equal employment opportunity.Compliance
Employee Value PropositionEVPUnique value offered to employees in return for their skills.Branding
Employer BrandingCompany’s image and perception as an employer.Branding
Employer of RecordEORLegal entity responsible for employee compliance and payroll.Legal
Employer Referral BonusIncentives for employees who refer successful candidates.Sourcing
Employer SponsorshipProviding visa or work authorization for hires.Compliance
Exit Feedback AnalysisTrends from exit interviews used for improvement.Metrics
Exit InterviewFinal discussion to understand why an employee is leaving.Interviewing
Employee Value PropositionEXPCommunicates company benefits and values to attract talent.Branding
Executive SearchHigh-level, strategic talent sourcing for leadership roles.Sourcing
Freemium Applicant Tracking SystemApplicant systems with free basic tiers and premium upgrades.ATS
Freelance MarketplacePlatform for hiring freelancers (e.g., Upwork).Sourcing
GDPA ComplianceGDPREuropean data privacy law affecting candidate data handling.Compliance
GhostingWhen a party in the hiring process disappears without notice.General
Gig WorkerIndependently contracted professional for short-term work.Sourcing
Global MobilityManaging relocation and international hiring logistics.Compliance
Hiring FunnelStages in the recruiting journey from attraction to hire.General
Hiring ManagerPerson responsible for making the hiring decision.General
Hiring VelocityMeasures how quickly roles are filled.Metrics
Inclusive LanguageLanguage that avoids bias and supports diverse applicants.Compliance
Intake MeetingSession to align hiring managers and recruiters.Process
Internal MobilityMoving existing employees into new roles internally.Strategy
Interview PanelGroup of interviewers conducting a joint session.Interviewing
Job Board AggregatorTool aggregating postings from multiple job boards.Sourcing
Job DescriptionA detailed outline of job duties and requirements.General
Job RequisitionFormal approval to open a new hiring process.Process
Job SharingTwo people sharing one full-time job’s responsibilities.Strategy
Killer QuestionsScreening questions to eliminate unqualified candidates.Screening
Knockout QuestionsQuick qualifiers that disqualify unfit candidates early.Screening
Offer Acceptance Rate% of job offers accepted by candidates.Metrics
Offer Decline ReasoningCollected insights on why candidates reject offers.Metrics
Offer NegotiationDiscussion to align on compensation and job terms.Process
OFCCP ComplianceOFCCPU.S. agency enforcing affirmative action in hiring.Compliance
OnboardingOrientation and integration process for new hires.Process
Panel InterviewInterview conducted by multiple team members.Interviewing
Passive CandidateNot actively job-seeking but open to opportunities.Sourcing
PipelineCollection of candidates for current or future openings.Sourcing
Pre‑screeningEarly evaluation to determine if a candidate meets job basics.Screening
Programmatic Job AdvertisingAutomated job ad buying for optimal reach.Sourcing
Psychometric TestingStandardized tests measuring cognitive ability or personality.Screening
Quality of HirePost-hire metric assessing employee success.Metrics
Recruiting DashboardVisual summary of recruiting KPIs.Metrics
Recruiting ScorecardRubric to evaluate candidates consistently.Screening
Referral ProgramFormal system encouraging employee candidate referrals.Sourcing
Referral Yield Rate% of referrals that convert into hires.Metrics
Remote RecruitingHiring candidates for remote or hybrid roles.Sourcing
Resume ParsingSoftware extracting structured data from resumes.ATS
ReturnshipProgram to help people re-enter the workforce after a break.Strategy
Recruitment Process OutsourcingRPOOutsourcing some or all recruiting functions.Sourcing
Salary BenchmarkingComparing salaries for roles across companies or locations.Metrics
Skill MatrixChart mapping required and available skills by role.Screening
Source of HireMetric showing where hires came from (e.g., referral, job board).Metrics
SourcingProactively identifying and attracting talent.Sourcing
Structured InterviewRepeating the same questions for all candidates.Interviewing
Succession PlanningPreparing internal candidates for future leadership roles.Strategy
Talent AnalyticsData insights into recruitment trends and performance.Metrics
Talent Brand AmbassadorEmployees promoting company culture to attract talent.Branding
Talent IntelligenceUsing market and internal data to inform hiring.Strategy
Talent ManagementOverarching strategy to attract, develop, and retain talent.Strategy
Talent PoolA database of engaged candidates ready for future roles.Sourcing
Time to FillDays taken from job posting to candidate acceptance.Metrics
Video AssessmentPre-recorded responses from candidates to standard questions.Interviewing
Video InterviewingInterviewing candidates via live video platforms.Interviewing
Virtual HiringFully remote end-to-end hiring process.Process
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