Recruitment & Career Glossary

Every term you'll encounter in your job search, explained

Job searching has its own language — and if you are early in your career or switching industries, that language can feel like a barrier. What is an ATS, and why does it matter which keywords you use? What is the difference between a competency-based interview and a situational interview? What does 'culture fit' actually mean to a recruiter? This glossary answers all of it, in plain English, without jargon piled on top of jargon.

The terms here span the full career journey: from writing and formatting your CV, through the screening and interview process, to negotiating an offer and onboarding into a new role. We have also included the vocabulary that has emerged around AI-powered job searching — applicant tracking systems, match scores, auto-applications — because these tools are now a core part of how companies hire and how smart job-seekers compete.

Each definition is written to be useful, not just accurate. Where a term has practical implications for how you should behave — for example, why certain CV formats trigger ATS rejections, or how competency frameworks shape the questions you will be asked in an interview — we have included that context. Use the alphabet navigation above to jump to any letter, or search for the term you have in mind.