Glossary

Tech Recruiting & Hiring Glossary

A

Acquisition - The process of successfully hiring a candidate, often used interchangeably with "recruitment."

Active Candidate - A job seeker who is actively looking for new employment opportunities and applying to positions.

Activity-Based Recruiting - Recruiting approach focused on volume metrics (emails sent, calls made, responses received) rather than quality of candidates or successful placements.

Agency Recruiter - External recruiter working for staffing agency, typically paid on commission or retainer basis for successful placements.

Assessment - Structured evaluation of a candidate's skills, personality, or cultural fit, often including technical tests, behavioral assessments, or psychometric evaluations.

Attrition - Rate at which employees leave an organization, either voluntarily or involuntarily, typically expressed as annual percentage.

At-Will Employment - Legal doctrine allowing either employer or employee to terminate employment relationship at any time without cause (primarily US concept).

ATS (Applicant Tracking System) - Software platform used to manage job postings, track applications, and organize candidate data throughout the hiring process. Popular systems include Greenhouse, Workday, and Lever.

B

Background Check - Verification process examining candidate's employment history, education, criminal record, and other relevant information.

Backfill - Process of replacing employee who has left the organization, often urgent need.

Batch Processing - Handling multiple similar tasks or candidates simultaneously for efficiency (e.g., scheduling multiple phone screens).

Behavioral Interview - Interview technique focusing on past experiences to predict future performance, often using hypothetical scenarios.

Bench - Pool of pre-screened, qualified candidates ready for immediate placement when suitable roles become available.

Bias - Unconscious or conscious prejudice affecting hiring decisions, including confirmation bias, halo effect, and affinity bias.

Boolean Search - Advanced search technique using operators (AND, OR, NOT) to find specific candidates on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, or job boards. Example: "Software Engineer" AND (Python OR Java) NOT Manager.

Blue Card - EU work permit for highly skilled non-EU citizens, facilitating international tech talent mobility across European countries.

Boomerang Employee - Former employee who returns to work for the same company after leaving.

Broadband Compensation - Flexible salary structure with wider pay ranges allowing for merit-based increases within same role.

Burndown Rate - Speed at which open positions are being filled, typically measured as positions closed per week or month.

Burnout - Physical and emotional exhaustion affecting employee performance and retention, increasingly important consideration in hiring discussions.

Buy vs. Build - Strategic decision whether to hire external talent (buy) or develop internal employees (build) for specific roles.

C

Candidate Experience - Overall impression and journey a candidate has throughout the entire hiring process, from first contact to final decision.

Candidate Journey - Complete experience from first company interaction through onboarding, focusing on touchpoints and experience quality.

Candidate Nurturing - Ongoing relationship building with potential candidates not ready for current opportunities but valuable for future roles.

Candidate Persona - Detailed profile of ideal candidate including skills, background, motivations, and preferences.

Career Pivot - Significant change in career direction, often requiring transferable skill assessment and potential for growth.

Closing - Final phase of recruitment process involving offer presentation, negotiation, and securing candidate acceptance.

Closing Ratio - Percentage of final-stage candidates who accept job offers.

Cold Outreach - Unsolicited contact with potential candidates who haven't expressed interest in the role.

Collective Bargaining Agreement - Negotiated contract between employer and trade union covering wages, working conditions, and employment terms, common in European companies.

Competency-Based Interview - Interview format focusing on specific skills and behaviors rather than general questions, often using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Contingency Fee - Payment structure where recruiting agency only gets paid after successful candidate placement and start date.

Contractor - Independent worker hired for specific project or time period, typically not eligible for employee benefits.

Conversion Funnel - Visual representation of how candidates move through each stage of hiring process, showing drop-off rates.

Conversion Rate - Percentage of candidates who progress from one stage of the hiring process to the next.

Corporate Recruiter - Internal recruiter employed directly by company to fill positions exclusively for that organization.

Counteroffer - Improved compensation or conditions offered by current employer to retain employee considering external opportunity.

Cultural Add vs. Cultural Fit - Modern approach emphasizing what unique perspectives a candidate brings (cultural add) rather than how well they match existing culture (cultural fit).

D

Debrief - Post-interview discussion among interviewers to evaluate candidate performance and make hiring decisions.

Digital Nomad - Remote worker who travels while working, requiring consideration of time zones, work authorization, and tax implications.

Direct Hire - Permanent placement where candidate becomes company employee immediately (versus contract-to-hire).

Direct Sourcing - Proactively identifying and contacting candidates directly, rather than waiting for applications.

Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) - Strategies and practices to ensure diverse representation and inclusive environments in hiring and workplace culture.

Diversity Sourcing - Targeted recruiting strategies to increase representation of underrepresented groups in candidate pipeline.

Drop-off Rate - Percentage of candidates who withdraw or don't complete the application process.

E

Employee Referral Program - System encouraging current employees to recommend qualified candidates, often with incentives.

Employee Retention - Organization's ability to keep employees and prevent turnover through compensation, culture, and career development.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) - Program giving employees ownership stake in company, often used for retention purposes.

Employment Gap - Period of unemployment in candidate's work history that may require explanation during interviews.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) - Legal requirement to provide fair hiring practices regardless of race, gender, age, religion, or other protected characteristics.

Equity Package - Compensation including stock options, RSUs (Restricted Stock Units), or other ownership stakes in the company.

Executive Recruiter - Specialist focusing on C-level and senior leadership positions, often working on retained search basis.

Executive Search - Specialized recruitment for senior-level positions, often conducted by external search firms.

Exit Interview - Conversation with departing employee to understand reasons for leaving and gather feedback.

F

Flight Risk - Employee considered likely to leave organization soon, often requiring retention interventions.

Follow-up Sequence - Planned series of communications to maintain candidate engagement throughout hiring process.

Fractional Hiring - Engaging part-time or contract executives/specialists for specific expertise without full-time commitment.

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) - Measurement unit representing workload of full-time employee, used in headcount planning.

Full-Desk Recruiter - Recruiter who handles both sourcing and client relationship management, managing entire recruitment lifecycle.

Full-Cycle Recruiting - Single recruiter manages entire process from job requisition to offer acceptance.

Funnel Metrics - Data tracking candidate progression through each stage of the hiring process.

G

GDPR Compliance - European data protection regulations affecting how candidate information is collected, stored, and processed.

Ghosting - When candidate or company suddenly stops all communication without explanation, often after interviews or during negotiation process.

Gig Economy - Labor market characterized by short-term contracts and freelance work rather than permanent employment.

Global Mobility - Ability to relocate employees across international offices, important for multinational tech companies.

Golden Handcuffs - Retention strategies (like stock vesting schedules) that make it financially disadvantageous for employees to leave.

Great Resignation - Post-pandemic trend of employees voluntarily leaving jobs in large numbers, creating competitive hiring market.

Great Stay - Phenomenon where employees remain in current positions due to economic uncertainty, job market fears, or satisfaction with remote work arrangements.

Greenfield - New team or project being built from scratch, often requiring specialized recruitment approaches.

H

HackerRank/LeetCode - Popular platforms for technical coding assessments and algorithm challenges.

Hard Skills - Technical, measurable abilities specific to a job (e.g., programming languages, certifications).

Headhunting - Aggressive recruitment targeting specific high-value candidates, typically for senior roles.

Hiring Freeze - Temporary suspension of new hiring, often due to budget constraints or organizational changes.

Hiring Manager - Person who will directly manage the new hire and has decision-making authority in the recruitment process.

Hiring Velocity - Speed at which organization fills open positions, critical metric in competitive markets.

H-1B Visa - US work visa for specialty occupations, commonly used for international tech talent with annual caps and lottery system.

Hold Pattern - Temporary pause in hiring process, often due to budget freezes, reorganization, or changing priorities.

Hot Job - Urgent, high-priority position requiring immediate attention and faster hiring process.

Hybrid Interview Process - Combination of virtual and in-person interview stages.

I

Implicit Bias Training - Education to help interviewers recognize and mitigate unconscious prejudices in hiring decisions.

Inbound Recruiting - Strategy focusing on attracting candidates to apply, rather than actively sourcing them.

InMail - LinkedIn's premium messaging system allowing direct contact with professionals outside your network.

In-House Recruiter - Internal recruiter employed directly by company, as opposed to agency or contract recruiters.

Intake Meeting - Initial meeting between recruiter and hiring manager to discuss role requirements, candidate profile, timeline, and expectations.

Internal Mobility - Movement of existing employees to different roles within same organization.

Interview Debrief - Post-interview discussion among hiring team to evaluate candidate performance and determine next steps.

Interview Feedback - Structured input from interviewers about candidate performance, typically collected within 24-48 hours.

Interview Loop - Series of interviews with different stakeholders, often scheduled consecutively for efficiency.

Interview Panel - Multiple interviewers evaluating a candidate simultaneously or in sequence.

Interview Scorecard - Standardized evaluation form used by interviewers to assess and compare candidates consistently.

J

Job Analysis - Systematic study of position requirements, responsibilities, and qualifications needed for success.

Job Board - Online platform where employers post openings and candidates search for positions (Indeed, Stack Overflow Jobs, AngelList).

Job Description (JD) - Document outlining role responsibilities, required qualifications, and company information.

Job Fair - Event where multiple employers meet potential candidates in person or virtually.

Job Posting - Public advertisement of open position on job boards, company website, or social media.

Job Requisition - Formal request to fill a position, often including budget approval and headcount authorization.

Just-in-Time Sourcing - Recruiting approach where candidate sourcing begins only after position approval.

K

Keeping Candidates Warm - Maintaining regular communication and engagement with promising candidates throughout extended hiring processes.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - Metrics measuring recruiting effectiveness, such as time-to-fill, quality of hire, and source effectiveness.

Kick-off Meeting - Initial project meeting (often synonymous with intake meeting) to align stakeholders on hiring strategy and requirements.

Knowledge Worker - Employee whose primary job involves handling or using information, typical in tech roles.

L

Lateral Hire - Recruiting someone at same seniority level from another company, rather than promoting internally.

Lead Generation - Process of identifying potential candidates before active recruiting begins.

LinkedIn Recruiter - Premium LinkedIn tool for advanced candidate searching and messaging.

Loop Interview - Series of back-to-back interviews with different team members or stakeholders.

Lowball Offer - Below-market compensation offer, often used when company has limited budget or high candidate interest.

M

Market Mapping - Research to understand competitive landscape, salary benchmarks, and available talent pool.

Minimum Viable Candidate (MVC) - Candidate with essential skills needed for immediate productivity, borrowed from "minimum viable product" concept.

Mixed Recruiting Model - Hybrid approach combining internal recruiters with external agencies or RPOs.

MSA (Master Service Agreement) - Contract framework governing relationship between company and external recruiting vendors.

Multithread - Strategy of building relationships with multiple decision-makers or influencers within target candidate's network.

Mutual NDA - Non-disclosure agreement signed by both company and candidate to protect confidential information during interviews.

N

Nearshoring - Practice of hiring talent in nearby countries or regions to reduce costs while maintaining similar time zones and cultural alignment.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) - Metric measuring how likely candidates are to recommend company's interview process to others.

Networking - Building professional relationships to identify potential candidates or opportunities.

Non-Compete Clause - Contract provision restricting employee's ability to work for competitors after leaving company.

Non-Traditional Candidate - Job seeker who doesn't follow conventional career path, such as career changers, bootcamp graduates, or self-taught professionals.

No-show Rate - Percentage of scheduled candidates who don't attend interviews without notice.

Notice Period - Required advance warning time before employee can leave current position, varies by country and seniority level.

O

Offer Acceptance Rate - Percentage of job offers that candidates accept, key metric for recruiting effectiveness.

Offer Letter - Formal document outlining employment terms, compensation, benefits, and conditions of employment.

Offer Management - Strategic process of preparing, presenting, negotiating, and closing job offers while managing multiple candidates simultaneously.

Offer Negotiation - Discussion process between candidate and employer to reach mutually acceptable employment terms.

Offer-to-Acceptance Ratio - Percentage of job offers that candidates accept.

Offshoring - Practice of hiring talent in distant countries, typically to reduce labor costs while accessing global talent pools.

Onboarding - Process of integrating new hires into company culture, systems, and role responsibilities.

Onsite Interview - In-person interview conducted at company premises, often final stage before offer.

Open Requisition - Approved position actively being recruited for.

Organic Growth - Expanding team through hiring rather than acquisitions or mergers.

Outbound Recruiting - Proactive sourcing and contacting of candidates who aren't actively job searching.

Overqualified - Candidate perception that applicant has significantly more experience or education than role requires, potentially leading to concerns about retention.

P

Passive Aggressive Recruiting - Overly persistent or manipulative recruiting tactics that can damage employer brand.

Passive Candidate - Professional not actively job searching but potentially interested in right opportunity.

Perm Placement - Permanent full-time hire, as opposed to contract or temporary placement.

Phantom Job Posting - Job advertisement for position that doesn't actually exist, used to build talent pipeline or test market.

Pipeline - Pool of potential candidates at various stages of the recruitment process.

Pipeline Management - Strategic oversight of candidate flow through different stages of recruitment process.

Poaching - Aggressively recruiting employees from competitors, often targeting specific individuals or teams.

Post-Pandemic Hiring - Recruitment strategies adapted to remote work preferences, changed candidate priorities, and new market dynamics.

Pre-closing - Process of addressing potential objections and concerns before extending formal offer.

Pre-screening - Initial evaluation to determine basic qualifications before full interview process.

Probationary Period - Initial employment phase (typically 3-6 months) during which performance is closely monitored and employment can be terminated more easily.

Probezeit - German term for probationary period, typically lasting 6 months during which employment can be terminated with shorter notice periods.

Process Check-in - Regular communication with candidates about hiring timeline and next steps to maintain engagement.

Protected Class - Groups legally protected from employment discrimination (race, gender, age, disability, religion, etc.).

Purple Squirrel - Candidate who perfectly matches all job requirements, often unrealistically specific.

Q

Quality of Hire - Metric assessing how well new hires perform and integrate into the organization.

Qualified Candidate - Individual meeting essential job requirements and worthy of interview consideration.

Quick Rejection - Immediate "no" decision, often due to clear misalignment with basic requirements.

Quick Screen - Brief initial conversation to assess basic fit before scheduling formal interviews.

Quiet Quitting - Employee disengagement where worker does minimum required, affecting team dynamics and hiring needs.

R

Right to Disconnect - European legal concept giving employees right to ignore work communications outside business hours, affecting candidate expectations.

Rage Applying - Candidate behavior of applying to numerous jobs simultaneously when frustrated with current situation.

Rage Applying - Candidate behavior of applying to numerous jobs simultaneously when frustrated with current situation.

Recruiting Coordinator - Administrative role supporting recruiting process through scheduling, communication, and candidate experience management.

Recruiter - Professional responsible for finding, attracting, and hiring candidates.

Recruiter Spam - Generic, poorly targeted outreach messages that candidates often ignore or find annoying.

Red Flag - Warning sign about candidate's suitability, such as employment gaps, job hopping, or concerning references.

Reference Check - Verification of candidate's work performance and character through contact with former supervisors or colleagues.

Referral Bonus - Financial incentive paid to employees for successful candidate recommendations.

Relocation Package - Financial assistance provided to help new hire move to job location, including moving expenses, temporary housing, and travel costs.

Remote-First - Company culture and processes designed primarily for distributed/remote work.

Research Recruiter - Specialist who focuses on identifying and researching potential candidates, often supporting other recruiters with lead generation.

Requisition - Formal approval to hire for specific position, including budget and timeline.

Retained Search - Executive search model where recruiting firm is paid upfront fee regardless of placement success.

Retention Rate - Percentage of new hires who remain with company after specific time periods.

RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) - Strategic partnership where external provider manages all or part of company's recruitment function.

S

Salary Band - Predetermined compensation range for specific role or level within organization.

Screening - Initial evaluation of candidates to determine interview worthiness.

Sell Call - Conversation focused on convincing candidate to accept offer by highlighting role benefits and company value proposition.

Shotgunning - Recruiting practice of sending generic, mass outreach messages to large numbers of candidates without personalization or proper targeting.

Silver Medalist - Strong second-choice candidate who didn't get initial offer but should be kept warm for future opportunities.

Skills-Based Hiring - Recruiting approach prioritizing demonstrated abilities over formal education or traditional career paths.

Social Recruiting - Using social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, GitHub) to identify and engage potential candidates.

Soft Skills - Interpersonal and communication abilities that complement technical skills (teamwork, leadership, problem-solving).

Sourcer - Recruiting specialist focused exclusively on identifying and initial outreach to potential candidates, typically passing qualified leads to recruiters for further engagement.

Sourcing - Process of identifying and attracting potential candidates through various channels.

Sponsorship - Company's legal and financial commitment to support international employee's work visa application and maintenance.

Stack Ranking - Comparative evaluation system ranking candidates against each other.

Stakeholder - Anyone involved in or affected by hiring decision, including team members, hiring managers, and leadership.

STAR Method - Interview technique focusing on Situation, Task, Action, and Result to evaluate past behavior.

Statement of Work (SOW) - Detailed document outlining specific deliverables, timeline, and compensation for contract work.

Stay Interview - Proactive conversation with current employees to understand what keeps them engaged and identify retention strategies.

Succession Planning - Strategic process of identifying and developing internal candidates for key positions.

T

10x Engineer - Developer who is perceived to be 10 times more productive than average engineer, though this concept is often debated and can create unrealistic hiring expectations.

Talent Acquisition - Strategic approach to finding, attracting, and hiring skilled workers.

Talent Acquisition - Strategic approach to finding, attracting, and hiring skilled workers.

Talent Hoarding - Practice of keeping good candidates "warm" even without immediate openings, building relationships for future needs.

Talent Pipeline - Ongoing relationship building with potential candidates for future opportunities.

Talent Pool - Collection of candidates who have shown interest in company but may not be right for current openings.

Talent Shortage - Market condition where demand for skilled workers exceeds available supply, particularly acute in tech sectors.

Technical Debt - Accumulated shortcuts in hiring process that may create long-term problems (e.g., hiring quickly without proper vetting).

Technical Recruiter - Specialist recruiter with deep understanding of technical roles, programming languages, and engineering practices, able to effectively evaluate and engage with technical candidates.

Technical Screen - Skills-based evaluation, often including coding challenges or technical discussions.

Temperature Check - Assessment of candidate's current interest level and likelihood to proceed with opportunity.

Time-to-Fill - Average time from job posting to offer acceptance.

Time-to-Productivity - Period required for new hire to reach full effectiveness in their role.

Top-of-Funnel - Early stages of recruitment process, typically sourcing and initial outreach.

Turnover Rate - Percentage of employees who leave organization within specific time period, key metric for assessing retention and recruiting needs.

Turnover, Involuntary - Employees terminated by company due to performance, conduct, or business reasons.

Turnover, Voluntary - Employees who choose to leave organization for other opportunities, retirement, or personal reasons.

Touch Base - Brief check-in communication with candidates to maintain relationship and gauge continued interest.

Transferable Skills - Abilities that apply across different roles or industries, valuable when evaluating career changers.

U

Umbrella Company - Third-party organization that employs contractors and handles payroll, taxes, and benefits administration.

Unconscious Bias - Implicit prejudices affecting hiring decisions without conscious awareness.

Underqualified - Candidate lacking essential skills or experience required for the role, though may have potential for growth.

Unicorn Candidate - Extremely rare candidate with perfect skill combination, often unrealistic expectations.

Upskilling - Training existing employees for new roles rather than external hiring.

User Experience (UX) Research - Methodology for understanding candidate experience throughout hiring process.

V

Value Proposition - Unique benefits and opportunities company offers to potential employees.

Vendor Management - Overseeing relationships with external recruiting agencies or contractors.

Vendor Management System (VMS) - Technology platform for managing relationships with multiple external recruiting agencies and contractors.

Vesting Schedule - Timeline for when equity compensation becomes owned by employee.

Virtual Interview - Remote interview conducted via video conferencing platforms.

Visa - Legal document permitting foreign national to work in specific country, with various types (H-1B, L-1, O-1 in US; Tier 2 in UK).

Volume Hiring - Large-scale recruitment for multiple similar positions simultaneously.

W

Walk-in Interview - Unscheduled interview opportunity, typically for high-volume hiring situations.

War for Talent - Competitive landscape where companies aggressively compete for skilled workers, especially in high-demand fields.

Warm Introduction - Candidate referral or introduction through mutual connection, typically more effective than cold outreach.

Warm Outreach - Contacting candidates with existing connection or mutual contact.

White Glove Treatment - Premium candidate experience for high-priority or executive-level hires.

Whiteboarding - Technical interview practice where candidates solve problems on whiteboard, increasingly controversial due to artificial pressure.

Work Authorization - Legal permission to work in specific country, important for international hiring.

Work Council - European employee representative body with legal rights to consultation on workplace matters, layoffs, and major business decisions.

Work-Life Balance - Equilibrium between professional responsibilities and personal life, key recruitment selling point.

X

X-Factor - Intangible quality that makes candidate stand out beyond technical qualifications.

X-Functional Team - Cross-functional collaboration in hiring decisions, involving multiple departments.

Y

Year-over-Year (YoY) - Comparison metric looking at changes from same period in previous year.

Yellow Flag - Concerning but not disqualifying candidate characteristic that requires further investigation or consideration (less severe than red flag).

Yield Rate - Percentage of contacted candidates who respond positively to recruiting outreach.

Z

Zero-Party Data - Information candidates voluntarily provide about their preferences, interests, and career goals.

Zoom Fatigue - Exhaustion from excessive video calls, affecting virtual interview scheduling and candidate experience.

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This glossary covers terminology commonly used across US and European tech companies. Specific terms and their usage may vary by organization, region, and industry vertical.