Recruitment terms explained

Updated: 21st Jan 2017.

Whether you’re new to the world of recruitment or just want to brush up on the industry lingo, the Recruitment Terminology Dictionary has been created to give meaning to those industry-specific phrases.

We have split the content into 3 main sections, if you have any content suggestions please let me know by emailing hello@getHRS.com or connect via the social links listed below.

Types of recruiters

Agency Recruiter
An agency recruiter works for a recruitment agency finding and placing candidates for various companies.

Contractor
An individual hired to deliver a specified service as laid out in a contract.

Head Hunter
A recruiter who focuses on searching for a qualified candidate for a specific role, usually for more senior positions, sometimes approaching those who might not be actively seeking a new role.

In-house Recruiter
A recruitment professional that finds and places candidates in the company they currently work for.

Niche Recruiter
Refers to a recruiter who operates solely within a specific field and/ or sector.

Permanent Recruiter
Specialising in placing candidates in permanent placements/roles.

Temp Recruiter
Recruiter who operates solely in placing candidates in temporary placements/roles.

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Types of positions/placements

C-Level Jobs
C-level roles are high-level positions, usually senior management. Job titles/roles include ‘CEO, CFO and CTO’.

Entry Level Job
A position that does not require in-depth experience, largely aimed at graduates and those entering a specialism for the first time.

Internship
Usually an unpaid position for someone to gain work experience. Popular with the Graduate recruitment market.

Maternity Leave Cover
Covering the absence of an existing employee when they have a child, usually, these types of placements and contracts are only for a short period of time.

 Recruitment Terminology

Applicants
People who apply for job postings at companies or recruitment agencies. Applicant’s progress to candidates if they are a suitable fit for the corresponding role.

ATS
Acronym of Applicant Tracking System: software designed to help recruitment professionals monitor candidates and applications. Also referred to as Candidate Tracking Systems (CTS).

Back Office
Key tasks required to keep a recruitment agency running. These commonly include invoice creation and placement information

Benefits
Programs and incentives employers make available to their employees in addition to their salary. (Extra holidays, healthcare, parking permit, flexible hours etc.)

Boolean Search
A type of search that allows users to increase the relevancy of results by using AND / OR variables. As a recruitment professional you may want to search your database for ‘Sales Manager’ and then increase the relevancy of that search by drilling down the results by adding additional criteria, for example, ‘London’ and ‘B2B’.

Company Culture
Company culture is the sum of the business and includes the values, routines, work environment, management structures, expectations, and objectives of a company.

Direct Hire
Term used when a candidate is not an employee of the staffing company but is directly on the client company payroll.

Human Resources
A department responsible for the management of employees. Responsibilities generally include (but are not limited to) recruitment, training and retention.

Job Analysis
The process of gathering information about a job to identify and describe the duties, tasks, and abilities necessary to perform the job.

Job Board
A job board is a place to look for or advertise a job online. Recruitment professionals can utilise job boards to get their positions in front of the right candidates.

Recruitment Software
Software that helps recruitment professionals find, engage and place candidates with clients. For more information on Cloud, social and mobile recruitment, software, speak to a HRS tech specialist or see the software in action at: HRS Demo.

Recruitment Timeline
A schedule outlining the key recruitment steps and timescales to complete each phase of the process.

Screening Matrix
A tool which provides a summary of candidates and qualifications. A screening matrix helps determine who will proceed through to the next stage of the recruitment timeline/process.

Sourcing
Searching and networking methods used by recruitment professionals to source and attract top candidates.

Staffing Manager
HR professionals responsible for every aspect of a company’s staffing needs, often an in-house role.

Strategic Staffing
The plan behind recruitment can include contract, temp-to-perm hiring etc.

Recruitment Marketing
Using marketing techniques and practices to engage candidates and clients.

Social Recruiting
The process of acquiring candidates and sourcing talent through social media.

Staffing Manager
HR professionals responsible for every aspect of a company’s staffing needs, often an in-house role.

Talent Acquisition
The process of acquiring talent for your company, bringing in a skilled individual for a particular role.

Talent Pool / Candidate Pool
A database of job seeker profiles used by recruitment professionals to match job openings to available applicants.

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