> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://yogen.gitbook.io/yogen-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://yogen.gitbook.io/yogen-docs/hr-reference-material/glossary.md).

# 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.

***

*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.*