Recruiting glossary: terms from intake to offer

Recruiters use shorthand that new hiring managers and first-time agency buyers have never heard. These definitions are meant to be read in a minute or two before a call. Companies and agencies use some of these terms slightly differently, so confirm the meaning when a number or a contract depends on it.

Applicant tracking system (ATS)

Software that holds job postings, applications and candidate records, and moves each candidate through stages. Most also schedule interviews and send templated emails. The Recruiting tools section covers what to check before you choose one.

Boolean search

A way of searching profiles or resumes with operators such as AND, OR and NOT, and quotation marks for exact phrases. Sourcers use it to narrow a large pool to a short list.

Calibration

A conversation, usually before interviews start, where the recruiter and hiring manager look at a few real profiles and agree on what “good” looks like for the role.

Candidate experience

Everything a candidate goes through from the first message to the final answer, including how fast you reply, how clear the process is and whether you tell them when they are not moving forward.

Contingency search

An agency arrangement where the fee is due only if you hire a candidate the agency submitted. See agency fees explained for how this and other models compare.

Contract-to-hire

A temporary assignment with the understanding that the worker may become a permanent employee. The agency usually bills hourly during the contract and may charge a conversion fee on hire.

Conversion fee

A charge from a staffing agency when you hire a contract or temporary worker directly. Agreements often reduce or remove it after a set amount of time on assignment.

Cost per hire

Total hiring costs, internal and external, for a period, divided by the number of hires made in that period. Which costs count differs between companies, so write down your own definition.

Direct hire

A permanent employee hired onto your payroll, as opposed to a contractor or a temporary worker employed by an agency.

Employer of record

A company that legally employs a worker on behalf of another business, handling payroll and employment taxes, while the other business directs the daily work.

Exclusivity

An agreement that gives one agency the right to work a search for a set period, with other agencies shut out. It is usually traded for firmer commitments on speed and service.

Guarantee period

The window after a placement in which an agency will replace the hire or credit part of the fee if the person leaves. The agreement says when the clock starts and which exits it covers.

Hiring manager

The person the new hire will report to, and usually the one who makes the final call. Recruiters run the process; the hiring manager owns the decision.

Intake call

The first meeting between a recruiter and a hiring manager about an open role, used to agree on the work, the requirements, the timeline and the process.

Knockout question

A screening question on an application that ends the candidate’s progress on a wrong answer, such as whether they are able to work in the country where the role is based. Use them sparingly and only for true requirements.

Markup

The amount added to a temporary worker’s pay rate to arrive at the hourly rate the agency bills you. It covers items such as employer payroll taxes, insurance and the agency’s margin.

Offer acceptance rate

The share of offers that candidates accept. A low rate can point to pay, speed, a mismatch between the posting and the real job, or a poor close by the hiring team.

Passive candidate

Someone who is employed and not actively applying but who might move for the right role. Sourcers reach them with direct outreach.

Pipeline

The candidates currently moving through your process for a role, or a group of people you are keeping in touch with for future openings.

Placement

A hire made through an agency. The word is also used for the event that triggers a placement fee.

Pre-screen

A short first conversation, often by phone, to check basic fit, interest, pay expectations and availability before a full interview.

Req

Short for requisition: the approval to hire for a specific role, and the record that tracks it. “Open reqs” means open roles.

Retained search

An agency arrangement where you pay in stages, starting before the search begins, whether or not a hire is made. It is more common for senior or hard-to-fill roles.

Scorecard

A form that lists the competencies a role needs, with a rating scale for each. Interviewers fill it in after each conversation. See the structured interview checklist.

Sourcer

A recruiter who specializes in finding and contacting candidates, typically before they apply, and passes interested people to a recruiter or hiring manager.

Structured interview

An interview in which every candidate for a role is asked the same core questions and scored against the same criteria.

Talent pool

A group of people who might fit future roles, such as past applicants, silver medalists and referrals, kept in a database or list.

Time to fill

The number of days from when a req opens, or is approved, until an offer is accepted. Companies set the starting point differently, so compare numbers only when the definition matches.

Time to hire

The number of days from when a candidate first enters your process, by applying or being contacted, until they accept an offer. It describes the candidate’s wait and is a different number from time to fill.

Vendor management system (VMS)

A platform some larger employers use to manage staffing vendors, including requests, submissions, rates and invoices. If a client uses one, agencies often work inside it.