Here is our recruitment glossary so you can speak recruiters' language... 

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | 3

A

accomplishments - These are key achievements that you have had in your career and that help sell you to an employer much more than everyday duties or responsibilities. In your cover letter, CV and interviews, focus on key career accomplishments, especially ones that you can quantify.

action verbs - These descriptive power verbs express your skills, experience and accomplishments. Avoid non-descriptive verbs such as "do," "work," and forms of the verb "to be." Instead, begin each descriptive section with an action verb such as “developed".

assessment centres - A recruitment event where a group of candidates take part in a series of activities including group exercises, interviews, presentations and psychometric tests.

age discrimination - Age discrimination is adverse work treatment of an employee based on a age rather than on the employee's individual merit. Age discrimination is unlawful under the Age Discrimination Act.

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B

behavioural interviews - A type of job interview where the candidate is asked to give specific examples of past behaviours that show how he/she behaved in certain situations. 

background check - Checks used by employers to verify the accuracy of the information provided on your CV or job application. Items checked include: employment verification, educational background/degrees, references and criminal records.

baby boomers - Baby Boomers are the generation who were born in a "baby boom" following World War II. Baby Boomers were born between 1944 and 1964.

benefits - An important part of your salary package. Every employer offers a different mix of benefits. These benefits may include paid holiday, insurance, medical insurance, retirement and pension plans, child care, stock options and more.

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C

curriculum vitae - Most commonly referred to as a CV. A document used to market yourself to employers and demonstrate your suitability for a job, containing information about your qualifications, skills and experience.

covering letter - Sent with a CV and/or an application form, a covering letter summarises your reasons for applying and your key attributes and strengths.

careers fair - An event where employers market themselves to you! Employers have exhibition stands, often with recent graduates on hand to tell you about their company, vacancies and recruitment procedures.

competencies - Are specialist knowledge skills, abilities necessary to successfully perform a job. Many employers provide a list of competencies and expect you to show how you meet them as part of the application process. To do this, you need to provide specific examples from your studies and work experience.

commercial awareness - An understanding of how business works financially and an understanding of profit, cash flow, shares, debtors and creditors and return on investment.

competency based interviews - You will be asked to give specific examples of past behaviours that show how you behaved in certain situations in an interview setting. The interviewer will assess if you have the required competencies for the job.

case study - A practical example of a scenario based on a person’s previous experience, often used at assessment centres.

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D

data protection act - The Data Protection Act sets rules for processing personal information and applies to paper records as well as those held on computers. All data records will be held by employers for six months.

disciplinary hearing - A formal hearing organised by your employer where you are required to attend and answer for unsatisfactory performance.

discrimination - A legal term meaning intentional discrimination. When someone is not treated as fairly as someone else in a similar situation, or treated differently because they are different in some way e.g. saying that no women can apply for a driving job.

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E

employer presentations - An opportunity for employers to tell you about themselves and the vacancies they offer. Some presentations include videos, small discussion groups or case studies, others are mainly talks. Many employers bring along recent graduate recruits.

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F

fixed term contract - A contract of employment that expires on a date specified in the contract.

flexitime - A system of work which allows employees to start and finish work between a flexible range of agreed hours, so long as they work a set amount of hours each day or week. 

final written warning - A final stage in a disciplinary procedure at work, after which you can be dismissed.

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G

group exercises - At an assessment centre, you may be asked to discuss a topic with others and come to a conclusion, which will be assessed.

generation X - Generation Xers are people born between 1965 and 1976 – 1980. They are the core of the current work force.

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H

hidden job market - Only about 20% of all job openings are advertised, which results in a large percentage of the job market being "closed," meaning you can't find out about any new openings unless take the initiative and do some digging.

headhunters / executive search company - Professionals who are paid by employers to find candidates for high level, specific positions. 

hiring manager - The person the candidate will actually work if hired, usually the interviewer. 

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I

internships - An American term for a period of work experience. Can last from a few weeks to a year and is also referred to as a placement.

in-tray exercise - An exercise involving written material and required item actions within a set time. Additional items may be added while the exercise is under way.

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J

job shadowing - Involves brief visits to a variety of workplaces to shadow and observe employees doing their job. Is an opportunity to gather information on a wide variety of career possibilities before deciding where you want to focus your attention. 

job specification - A job specification describes the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and abilities essential to performing a particular job.

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K

key accomplishments - An optional part of your CV usually used in executive CVs to summarise your major career accomplishments.

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L

letter of recommendation - A letter of support for your skills, ability and work ethic, usually written by an ex-boss or co-worker but could also be from a teacher or personal reference.

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M

milk round - Employers visiting universities to recruit. Used to be concentrated in the autumn, but with all year recruiting, the term is less common.

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N

networking - Using your contacts - friends, relatives, work colleagues to help you to tap into the hidden job market. Hundreds of jobs go unadvertised every week, filled by networking and word of mouth.

non-disclosure agreement -  A written legal contract between an employer and employee that prohibit the employee from disclosing company confidential and proprietary information. A non-disclosure agreement is in effect for the duration of an employee’s employment and for a period of time following employment termination.

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O

organisational skills - This means being able to plan, delegate and organise. Putting this into practice can start with simply writing to do lists or designing a filing system.

onboarding - A new term to describe the process of linking new employees with team members early on in the employment process and continuing through to and beyond the traditional induction process.

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P

placement - A period of work experience, paid or unpaid which is part of a course.  Placements can be arranged by yourself or by the university.

psychometric testing - Increasingly used by employers, these include personality tests to see if you are the right type of person for the job.

performance management - A process of identifying, evaluating and developing the performance of employees in a company so that organisational objectives are more effectively achieved and understood by employees.

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R

references - A group of people who will endorse you and your strengths to your potentials employer. Can include work references (current and past bosses), educational references (former teachers) and personal references (who can vouch for your character). Always ask people before including them as a reference for you.

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S

speculative application - A CV and cover letter sent to an employer asking whether they can offer jobs or work experience, without a job being advertised.

second interview - Are often with a more senior member of staff and may be held as part of an assessment centre.

short list - Used to describe the people selected for an interview.

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T

transferable skills - Skills which can be taken from one job or experience to another. These can be skills such as communication and team working that you have gained at university, through jobs or in your social life.

time management - An ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines. Be aware of situations that may steal time from you, such as meetings or telephone calls and plan ahead.

teamworking - It means employers will be looking for you to co-operate, listen and share knowledge with colleagues.

technical interview - Technical questions may be asked as part of general interview for science and engineering positions. Separate technical interviews that test in-depth theoretical knowledge are mainly given to applicants for research posts.

telephone interviews - Are interviews carried out on the phone, used to draw up a shortlist of candidates to be invited for interview.

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U

usp -  Stands for unique selling proposition. When you’re looking for a job you need to find the one thing that makes you more qualified for this job than anyone else. What can you offer that no other applicant can?
unfair dismissal - Legal term for a dismissal carried out for no good reason or without going through an agreed company procedure for dismissals.

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W

work experience - A period of paid or unpaid work experience that can be part or your course or work around it.  Relevant work experience is essential when applying for most graduate level jobs. There are many different ways to gain work experience: industrial placements, projects as part of your course, summer work, overseas work, part-time jobs, shadowing and volunteering.

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