Have you recently hired, or are planning to hire, a new recruiter? I stumbled upon a thorough glossary of terms that is a useful addition to your recruiter training program. Published by Qualigence International, The ULTIMATE Recruiter Handbook defines more than 150 terms that are frequently used within recruitment. Many of the terms are quite basic, so this is probably best-suited to recruiters who are brand-new to the business. The glossary is somewhat US-centric. If you are located outside the USA but working on filling roles either in the USA, or with American companies, some of these terms may be helpful to you as well.
Some of the definitions that I believe would be most helpful in a recruiter training program include:
- Applicants – People who apply to job postings, regardless of qualification
- Candidates – A potential employee who has been pre-qualified for a particular role
- While I often see these terms used interchangeably, I think there is an important distinction
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS) – software system used by recruiters to keep track of applicants, candidates, and the recruiting process
- It’s really easy to fall into industry lingo, forgetting that newbies aren’t familiar with the terminology
- Contingency Recruiting – a recruitment model which means the recruiter only gets paid if/when a referred candidate is hired
- Insourcing – when a company promotes or hires from within to fill a job opening
- Outsourcing – using a third party to perform functions or roles that had previously been managed by internal employees
- Retained Search – a recruitment model which provides payment to the recruiter regardless of a hire
And here are a few that I would add depending on your specific circumstances:
- If you’re investing in new software:
- Recruitment Management System (RMS) / Customer Relationship Management System (CMS) – similar to an ATS, but often more robust with sophisticated reporting/metrics, marketing automation/nurturing, automatic job posting capabilities or similar features
- If you’re participating in splits:
- Importer / Placer / Placing Member – terms used to define the partner who has the client relationship / job
- Exporter / Supplier – the recruitment partner providing the candidate
- Split Placement – a placement involving two recruiters, one representing the client and one representing the candidate, who share or “split” the client’s fee
- If you’re recruiting internationally:
- Superannuation (or Super) – basically a company pension plan, especially in Australia, often considered part of the employee’s compensation and calculated into the fee that the client pays for recruitment services
Thinking back to when you were a brand-new recruiter, what terms were the most confusing? What new terms have cropped up that you specify in your recruiter training? Add your favorites below!
