21 Definitions : A candidate's guide to recruiter-speak
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spam mails, but this is so true and informative about our lingo.
Please read on:
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Every industry and profession carries with it its own distinct jargon.
In fact, it is the measure of recruiters' worth to be able to pick up
on the unique lexicon of the positions for which they recruit.
Being able to spout off the verbal equivalent of Google Adwords also
preempts most candidates' assumptions that as recruiters, we're
slightly above amoeba but slightly beneath bonobo monkeys on the
evolutionary ladder. (The monkeys do admittedly win by default, though
like recruiters, they have been known to eat their young, although
most of us do this figuratively through the invention of the concept
of "entry-level" employment.)
There's been a lot of attention paid to the banalities of "corporate
speak," those words such as synergy, deliverables, scalable, and, my
personal favorite, paradigm shift, which sounds suspiciously like a
Led Zeppelin cover band or a Tom Clancy novel.
Additionally, there is a preponderance of words that have absolutely
no meaning whatsoever to anyone outside of a specialized functional
area.
As an accounting and finance recruiter, I am able to speak quite
convincingly about Tier One ERPs, f(x) hedging, and econometrics. In
fact, I can come across sounding a bit like a wonk, which I will
consider a professional asset, given my inability to do simple
arithmetic.
I feel a little bit like an expatriate; I'm able to speak the language
with some proficiency, but throw in an idiom or colloquialism, and I'm
rooting around for my dictionary.
*Meaningless Catch-Phrases Take Off *
Slowly but surely, these buzzwords have trickled into the public
consciousness because most of these words are reserved for candidates
specifically. The overwhelming majority of our etymology, in fact, was
specifically created for less-than-desirable candidates.
As recruiters, it is vocational anathema to create a negative
impression on a candidate, or to in any way create a negative
reflection on the organization we represent. A successful recruiter
strives to make each candidate feel like his or her interaction with
the company was a successful one, even if it was, in fact, the worst
disaster since the Hindenburg.
To prevent further confusion, I've provided a quick guide for
candidates to decipher recruiter-speak with the hope that it eases the
search process by providing the subtext of the terminology recruiters
use the most.
While corporate recruiters are honest, we are never brutally honest.
Our errors are of omission, and we tend to accentuate the positive,
whether in presenting an opportunity, rejecting a candidate, or even
closing an offer.
*A Growing List*
This list is by no means definitive, but it is a start…any suggestions
or additions are greatly encouraged.
• Sourcing (v) Usage: "I sourced your resume and thought that you
might be a great fit…" Definition: The entry of keywords onto a job
board.
• Exciting (adj.): Usage: "We've got an exciting opportunity currently
available…" Definition: An open headcount that needs to be filled as
quickly as possible.
• Prescreen (n) Usage: "I'd like to set up a brief, exploratory
prescreen." Definition: The conversation by which recruiters ascertain
if they can afford the talent in question.
• Visibility (adj.): Usage: "This role has high visibility to all
levels of management throughout the organization." Definition: The
phrase most often used to describe a position with the smallest margin
for error and highest turnover rate in the company.
• Growth (n): Usage: "This position is really a great growth
opportunity." Definition: The naturally occurring phenomenon by which
workers find fulfillment doing exactly the same job in a different
company.
• Ad-hoc (adj.) Usage: "There will also be some ad-hoc projects
required." Definition: A catch-all phrase used by corporations to
describe the countless hours of manpower invested in activities
unrelated to one's job function, generally evoked at the whim of
departmental heads.
• Expectations (n) Usage: "What are your expectations for your next
position?" Definition: The test commonly used during the screening
process to see whether the candidate is capable of reading a job
description and changing tense from third- to first-person.
• Stable (adj.) Usage: "It's a very stable business unit." Definition:
When the collective tenure of a department's employees preempt any
consideration of change or improvement upon the status quo.
• Reinventing (v) Usage: "We've had challenges in the past, but we're
reinventing ourselves and our processes." Definition: A commonly used
tactic employed by recruiters to explain recent or forthcoming layoffs
(see: derecruit, reorganization, shared services, offshoring,
outsourcing, et al).
• Competition (n) Usage: "You've got some pretty stiff competition for
this position." Definition: A word used by recruiters to preempt
disappointment for the candidate by establishing expectations upfront.
Alternative definition: A tactic employed to make an extremely
undesirable position appear more enticing.
• Team (n) Usage: "We're looking for a team player." Definition: The
intangible qualities associated with a candidate who will not make
waves and demonstrates the willingness to accept abuse by supervisors
and fellow staff.
• DOE (acr.) see also depending on experience.Usage: "I am unable to
provide a salary range for the position as it is DOE." Definition:
Whereby a company unable to pay market rate for a position compensates
by placing the blame on candidate deficiencies.
• Best practices (n): Usage: "We're a best practices organization."
Phrase has not yet been defined. See meaning of life, UFOs.
• Work-life balance (phrase): Usage: "We put a real premium on work-
life balance." Definition: The ratio of one's time at home to one's
time at work. The smaller the ratio, the more likely the employee is
paid on an hourly basis.
• Overtime (n) Usage: "There may be some slight overtime involved."
Definition: An institution imposed by corporations to increase
shareholder value without increasing headcount by maximizing working
hours of employee population, up to and including Saturdays, holidays,
and seminal life events.
• Feedback (n) Usage: "I'll provide feedback from my hiring manager as
soon as I get it." Definition: Generally construed as a one- or two-
word answer by which hiring managers summarily reject top candidates.
• Next steps (phrase) Usage: "We'll be in touch regarding next steps."
Definition: A phrase used to put off rejecting marginal candidates for
as long as possible until an offer is accepted by a more qualified
party.
• References (n) Usage: "We're going to begin checking your
references." Definition: The process by which a recruiter contacts
previous coworkers of a potential hire from a list provided by the
candidate in an attempt to bring objectivity to the hiring process.
• Background check (n) Usage: "You're our final candidate, but I can't
extend an offer until your background check clears." Definition: A
control imposed by corporations in order to slow recruiters' ability
to extend an offer for a period of time that perfectly coincides with
a candidate's extension and acceptance of other offers. Alternate
definition: An industry whose practitioners continue to thrive despite
the Internet's abilities to perform the same functionality at a
fraction of the cost.
• Benefits (n) Usage: "We are proud to offer a comprehensive,
competitive benefits package to all employees." Definition: A tactic
used by corporations to attract full-time employees and entice
temporary ones into menial labor.
• Offer letter (n) Usage: "Congratulations on joining our team. I'm
sending over an offer letter that contains all the information you're
going to need." Definition: A document or set of documents that
contains all information relevant to one's employment with a company,
denoting the last communication between recruiter and candidate until
the candidate becomes eligible for transfer consideration