If you’re just stepping into the world of recruitment, whether you’re starting out in the industry or joining a recruitment business in a support role, some of the everyday terms can feel a bit overwhelming at first.
We’ve pulled together this glossary to help make things clearer. No jargon, no complicated explanations, just the basics, broken down simply so you can get up to speed quickly and confidently.
From words like “CV” and “offer” that you’re probably already familiar with, to phrases like “retained search” and “billing,” this guide gives you a helpful snapshot of the terms you’re likely to hear day-to-day working in recruitment.
Recruitment glossary
‘Recruitment’ meaning
The process of finding and hiring the right person for a job.
Billing
The money a recruiter brings into the business by placing candidates with clients.
Candidate
A person who is being considered for a job.
Client
A company that hires a recruitment agency to help them fill a job.
Commission
Extra money a recruiter earns based on how much they bill – usually a percentage.
Contingent Search
A type of recruitment where the agency only gets paid if they successfully place a candidate.
Contract Role
A temporary or fixed-term job, often for a set number of months or a specific project.
CV
A document that shows a person’s work history, skills, and qualifications (also called a résumé).
Database
A system where recruiters store information about clients, candidates, and jobs.
Desk
A recruiter’s area of focus – usually a mix of roles, clients, and locations. For example, ‘Nuclear Projects in the UK’ or ‘Data Centre Construction in the USA’.
Exclusive Search
The client agrees to work with only one recruitment agency for a set time, giving the recruiter sole access to the job.
Executive Search
A specialist type of recruitment focused on finding senior leaders or highly skilled professionals, often through headhunting.
Fee
The payment a client makes to the recruitment agency when a placement is made.
Job Specification (Job Spec)
A document from the client explaining what the job involves and what kind of person they’re looking for.
Offer
When a client tells a candidate they want to hire them and shares details like exact salary and start date.
Perm Role
A permanent job where the candidate becomes a full-time employee of the client.
Pipeline
A list of candidates a recruiter is working with for current or future roles.
Placement
When a candidate accepts a job and agrees to start – this is when the recruiter earns their fee.
Qualification
The process of asking questions to understand if a candidate or job fits what the client or candidate is looking for.
Retained Search
A client pays part of the fee upfront to secure a recruiter’s time and focus, usually for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Sector
An industry or specialism a recruiter focuses on, like construction, tech, or finance.
Shortlist
A small group of the best candidates sent to the client for review or interviews.
Sourcing
The process of looking for candidates who might be a good fit for a job, often using LinkedIn or job boards.
Recruitment has a language of its own, but once you get the hang of the basics, things start to fall into place.
This glossary is just a starting point. The more you hear these terms in real conversations, and start using them yourself, the more natural it’ll all begin to feel.
Interested in recruitment?
We’re hiring recruitment consultants to work in our critical infrastructure sectors. No experience required! Send us your CV and we’ll get in touch.