Applicant tracking system (ATS)
Software that manages job postings, applications, pipeline stages, interview feedback, and hiring reports; the system of record for recruiting.
Agentic recruiting
Recruiting workflows run by AI agents that take multi-step actions — searching, ranking, drafting outreach, scheduling — with human approval at defined checkpoints.
AI sourcing
Using AI models to interpret a role, search public and licensed data for matching people, and rank them, replacing hand-built Boolean searches.
Boolean search
Keyword search using operators such as AND, OR, NOT, and quotation marks to find profiles or resumes in databases and search engines.
Candidate relationship management (CRM)
A system for nurturing relationships with potential candidates before they apply: talent pools, campaigns, events, and outreach tracking.
Contact waterfall
A lookup process that queries several contact-data providers in sequence until a verified email or phone number is found.
Cost per application (CPA)
Advertising spend divided by completed applications; the core metric for programmatic job advertising.
Diversity sourcing
Deliberately building candidate pipelines that reflect the available talent market, often using filters and outreach strategies that reach underrepresented groups.
Easy apply
A short, one-click application flow hosted by a job board that sends candidate data to the employer, trading data completeness for conversion.
FCRA
The US Fair Credit Reporting Act, which governs employment background checks, including consent, disclosure, and the adverse-action process.
Hiring funnel
The sequence of stages from application or outreach to hire, analysed by conversion rate at each step.
HRIS
Human resources information system: the employee system of record for payroll, benefits, and personal data, into which hires flow after the ATS.
InMail
LinkedIn's paid messaging product for contacting members outside your network, allocated as monthly credits on Recruiter seats.
Interview intelligence
Tools that record, transcribe, and analyse interviews to produce notes, scorecards, and interviewer coaching.
Job distribution
Posting a job to many boards and aggregators from one place, usually through the ATS or a distribution service.
One-way video interview
A recorded interview in which candidates answer preset questions asynchronously for later review.
Passive candidate
Someone not actively looking for a job who may respond to a compelling, personalised approach; the main target of sourcing tools.
Programmatic job advertising
Automated buying of sponsored job placements across boards, optimised toward a target cost per application.
Quality of hire
A composite measure of how well hires perform and stay, typically combining performance ratings, retention, and manager satisfaction.
Rediscovery
Searching an existing ATS database for past applicants who match a new role.
Scorecard
A structured interview feedback form that rates candidates on predefined attributes, enabling consistent comparison.
Silver medalist
A strong candidate who reached the final stage but was not hired, and who is worth re-engaging for future roles.
Source of hire
The channel — job board, referral, sourcing tool, agency — that first introduced a hired candidate.
Structured interview
An interview in which every candidate is asked the same job-related questions and rated on the same scale.
Talent intelligence
Analytics about the external labour market and internal workforce — supply, compensation, skills, competitor movement — used to plan and source.
Time to hire
Days from a candidate's first contact or application to accepted offer; distinct from time to fill, which starts when the requisition opens.
Work-sample test
An assessment that asks candidates to perform a realistic piece of the job rather than answer abstract questions.