The complete hiring and
recruiting glossary
Every ATS, talent acquisition, and HR term, defined clearly, without jargon. 100+ terms and growing.
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Software that manages the recruitment process from job posting through to hire. An ATS stores candidate information, tracks application status, and enables collaboration across hiring teams. Recrofy is an AI-native ATS.
Approval Workflow
A configured sequence of human sign-offs required before a candidate advances to the next stage, typically involving HR, a hiring manager, and sometimes finance or leadership. Multi-stage approval workflows ensure every hire is reviewed by the right people.
Bias-Aware Screening
An AI screening approach that evaluates candidates based on skills, experience, and role-fit criteria, deliberately minimising signals that correlate with protected characteristics like gender, age, or ethnicity.
Candidate Pipeline
The visual representation of all candidates for a role, organised by hiring stage (e.g. Applied, Screened, Interview, Offer, Hired). A healthy pipeline shows candidates moving forward, not stalling.
Credit-Based Pricing
A pricing model where you pay per AI action (e.g. generating a JD, scoring a resume) rather than per seat or per user. Recrofy uses credit-based pricing, 1 credit = 1 AI action.
E-Sign (Electronic Signature)
A legally binding digital signature used to sign employment contracts, offer letters, and NDAs electronically. Eliminates the need for printing, scanning, or in-person signing.
Fit Score
A numerical rating (typically 0–100) assigned to a candidate by AI, representing how well their resume matches the requirements in a job description. Higher scores indicate stronger alignment. Recrofy generates fit scores for every uploaded resume.
HRMS (Human Resource Management System)
Software that manages employee data, documents, and processes beyond recruitment, including onboarding, attendance, payroll, and leave. Recrofy includes an HRMS Lite for post-hire onboarding.
Job Description (JD)
A written document that describes a role's responsibilities, requirements, compensation, and company context. A well-written JD attracts the right candidates and forms the basis for AI resume screening.
Offer Letter
A formal written document sent to a candidate confirming their job offer, including salary, start date, role details, and any conditions of employment. Offer letters can be sent digitally and signed via e-sign.
Onboarding
The process of integrating a new employee into the organisation after they accept an offer, including document collection, contract signing, system access setup, and orientation.
Pipeline Velocity
A metric measuring how quickly candidates move through each stage of the hiring process. Low velocity at a specific stage indicates a bottleneck, often in scheduling, approvals, or feedback collection.
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
A security model that restricts system access based on a user's role. In a hiring platform, RBAC ensures recruiters can't see offer salaries, hiring managers only see their own roles, and finance can approve offers without accessing candidate profiles.
Resume Screening
The process of reviewing candidate resumes to assess suitability for a role. AI resume screening automates this, processing hundreds of CVs against a JD and ranking candidates by fit score, eliminating manual review for unqualified candidates.
Sourcing
The proactive search for candidates who haven't yet applied for a role. Includes job board posting, social media outreach, referrals, and headhunting. Distinct from inbound recruiting.
Talent Acquisition
The strategic function responsible for attracting, evaluating, and hiring employees. Broader than recruiting, includes employer branding, sourcing strategy, and workforce planning.
Time-to-Hire
The number of days between when a candidate applies (or is sourced) and when they accept an offer. Industry average is 23–45 days depending on role. AI screening significantly reduces this metric.
Zero-Day Offer
An offer extended to a candidate on the same day as their final interview. Rare in traditional recruiting, but achievable with AI-assisted pipeline management that compresses evaluation and approval timelines.
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