Job search glossary
The words of CVs, applications, follow-ups and interviews, explained in a few lines, each with the guide that goes further.
Your CV
- ATS Applicant tracking system
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Software employers use to receive, sort and track applications. Recruiters search it by keyword, job title or skill, so a CV with readable text that uses the words of the job ad is easier to find.
- Employment gap CV gap, career break
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A period without work between two jobs: job search, parental leave, illness, retraining, travel. Named in one factual line, it becomes a simple detail of your career.
- Europass
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A free online tool from the European Union for creating a CV and other application documents in a common format. Handy when applying in another European country, it is one template among others.
- GPA Grade point average
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In the US, the average of your grades over a degree. Recent graduates often list it on a resume when it helps them or when the employer asks for a minimum.
- Graduate scheme Graduate programme
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A structured entry programme for recent graduates run by some large employers, often with rotations, training and a set start date. Applications usually open many months before the start.
- Keywords
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The words in a job ad that describe the role: job title, skills, tools, qualifications. Using them as written in your CV, when they genuinely describe your background, helps both the recruiter and the applicant tracking system make the link.
- Language levels (A1 to C2) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR
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A European six-level scale, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (mastery), that lets you state your level in a language clearly on a CV. A language certificate, if you have one, confirms it.
- Personal profile Professional summary, resume summary
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The two to four lines at the top of a CV saying who you are professionally, what you bring to the role and one fact that proves it. It is often the only part read in full.
- Soft skills Interpersonal skills
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Qualities in how you work: attention to detail, teamwork, adaptability, communication. On a CV they convince when linked to an experience that shows them, rather than listed as adjectives.
- Tailored CV Tailored resume, targeted CV
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A version of your CV reworked for one specific job: headline, profile, experience and skills chosen for what the role asks. Tailoring means selecting and rewording, never making things up.
- Transferable skills
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Skills gained in one job that are useful in another: persuading, organising, analysing numbers, managing people. They are the core of a career change CV, each backed by a concrete example.
- XYZ formula
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A way to describe an achievement on a CV: “Accomplished X, as measured by Y, by doing Z”. Proposed by Laszlo Bock, former head of people at Google, it turns a list of duties into results, as long as you never invent the measure.
Applying
- Cover letter Covering letter
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A short text sent with your CV explaining why you are applying to this employer, for this role, and what you will bring. By email or in a form, the message often serves as the letter.
- Essential and desirable criteria Required and preferred qualifications, person specification
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A job ad mixes firm requirements (“essential”, “required”) with nice-to-haves (“desirable”, “preferred”). Telling them apart shows whether you can apply without ticking every box.
- Job scam Fake job offer
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An ad that leads to no job and is after your money or personal details. Warning signs: being asked to pay for a starter kit or training, a cheque to deposit and forward, big earnings for little work.
- Pay transparency
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European rules saying employers must give candidates the starting salary or its range, in the ad or before the interview, and may no longer ask about their pay history. Details depend on each country’s law; outside the EU, rules vary.
- Person specification
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In UK job ads, especially in the public sector, the list of what the ideal candidate brings, often split into “essential” and “desirable” criteria. Applications are frequently scored against it, so address each essential point.
- Speculative application Unsolicited application, cold application
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An application sent to an employer that has not advertised a job. It needs to say exactly which role you are offering and why this employer, and to reach the right person.
- Talent pool CV database
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Applications an employer keeps for future roles, for example after a speculative application. In the EU and the UK, data protection law lets you ask what your data is used for, how long it is kept, and to have it erased.
Tracking and follow-ups
- Application tracker Job search spreadsheet
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An up-to-date list of each application: employer, role, date sent, status, contact, next action. It stops you forgetting a follow-up and shows what is working.
- Employee referral Referral
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Hiring where an employee recommends a candidate they know. The application then reaches the recruiter directly, with someone who can speak about your work.
- Follow-up
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A short message to the recruiter when an application or interview has had no reply, to restate your interest and ask where the process stands. One follow-up, perhaps a second well spaced out, no more.
- Networking Professional network
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The people you know through work or study: former colleagues, tutors, professional bodies. Kept up before you need it, a network brings information and referrals.
The interview
- Gross and net pay
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Gross pay is the amount before tax and social contributions; net pay is what you actually receive. Job ads and negotiations usually talk in gross annual pay: always check the basis of a figure.
- Probationary period Probation
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The start of a job during which the employer, and often the employee, can end the contract more easily. Whether there is one and how long it lasts depends on the contract and the country’s law.
- References
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People, often former managers, an employer can contact to confirm your background and how you work. Always ask their permission before giving their details.
- Salary expectations
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The pay you ask for in a role, usually as a gross annual figure. A range based on market data works better than a single number, and your minimum stays private.
- STAR method
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A way to answer interview questions about your experience: Situation, Task, Action, Result. It gives a structured, concrete and checkable answer rather than a general claim.
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