The Ultimate List of Job Hunting Jargon: 100 Terms to Know
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THE LC STUDIO Te Ultimate List Of Job Hunting Jargon: 100 Terms To Know 1. Assessment — A skills-based or knowledge-based test given to a job applicant, usually during the initial application or in the early stages of the interview process. 2. At-will employment — The right for en employer to fire an employee for any legal reason without notifying the employee in advance. At-will employment only applies in certain states. 3. Bandwidth — Slang for “manpower.” Companies usually bring up bandwidth when talking about how much work their team can reasonably take on. 4. Behavioral interview — An interview focused on behavioral or situation-based questions. Behaviorial interviews usually happen after a phone screen and/or an initial in-person interview. 5. Benefits — Traditional and nontraditional advantages of working with a particular company. Benefits can include paid time off, healthcare coverage, staff training programs, etc. 6. Boomerang employee — Slang for an employee who leaves a company only to come back later. The negative connotation it once had is slowly going away as recruiters have started re- recruiting past employees. 7. Bootstrapped — The process of growing a business by putting all profits back into the business. Taken from the idiom “to pull yourself up by the bootstraps.” 8. Burnout — The state of being overworked or under extreme amounts of work-related stress. Burnout is a common cause of employees quitting a company, and sometimes company culture is to blame. 9. Business casual — A professional dress code with a slightly less traditional feel than business formal. Business casual clothes generally include slacks, blouses, loafers/flats and other classic items. 10. Business formal — A more modest (and usually more expensive) dress code that generally includes pantsuits, blazers, skirts and heels. 11. Business model 12. CV (Curriculum Vitae) — A longer and more detailed version of a resume, though the two terms are often used interganebly. CVs are usually reserved for the medical field or academia. 13. Career development — Any type of training or education that helps you advance in your career. Some companies offer this as a benefit. THE LC STUDIO 14. Career fair — An event in which different companies set up booths or tables and talk with potential applicants. Career fairs are often held on college campuses and are considered a great form of networking. 15. Casual Fridays — When a company allows its employees to dress casually every Friday. Casual Fridays are often considered a perk, especially in more formal environments. 16. Co-working — The relatively new practice of teams renting part of a space that’s shared with other companies. It can also replace remote working in order to give teams face-to-face interaction without the cost of a regular office. 17. Compensation — Refers to everything an employee is given in exchange for their work, both actual pay and benefits. 18. Competitive salary — A salary that’s in range (or even slightly higher) with the average salaries for that particular role at nearby companies. For example, a competitive salary for a graphic designer in New York City would be between 41k-75k, with an average of 55k. 19. Conflict resolution — A soft skill that refers to your ability to avoid arguments, solve problems and keep a calm demeanor during times of dispute. 20. Core competencies — The most important skillsets an employee needs to have to successfully do a job. 21. Core values — The main tenets of a company’s culture. Core values are usually also the personality traits that the company looks for in new hires. 22. Cover letter — Something usually requested along with a resume/CV. A cover letter is usually a single page that summarizes how your particular skills and experiences will fit the job and/or company. 23. Deductions — Anything taken out of an employee’s paycheck in advance, such as insurance and federal withholdings, that don’t count toward the total taxable income. 24. Culture fit — To have a personality that aligns with the company culture and its values. 25. Digital footprint — A person’s online presence. 26. Digital native — A person who’s extremely accustomed to using technology, specifically the internet. Millennials and Gen Z are digital natives. 27. Downsizing — When a company reduces the number employees they have or gives up certain resources that are costing them too much. 28. EOD — End of Day. A common deadline given for work tasks. 29. Elevator pitch — A summary of who you are and why you’re a good fit for the job (i.e. something short enough to convey in an elevator ride). 30. Emotional intelligence (EQ) — A soft skill that refers to being aware of other people’s emotions and knowing how to respond to them. 31. Employee engagement — The amount of enthusiasm employees of a company have for their work, usually referred to when talking about the whole workforce as opposed to a single person or group. THE LC STUDIO 32. Endorsement — A featured of LinkedIn through which a person’s connections can “endorse” them for skills listed on their profile. A quantifiable alternative to recommendations. 33. Enterprise — A type of company that has more than 1,000 employees. 34. Entry-level —The lowest-level role a person can take to enter a field 35. Equal opportunity — Anti-discrimination aws that prevents job applicants from being denied employment based on age, gender, religion, race, sexuality and other personal factors. 36. Exempt/non-exempt — A label that describes whether an employee is or is not eligible for overtime pay. 37. Flat hierarchy — A style of management in which employees treat one another as equals and share responsibilities. 38. Franchise — A “chain” of businesses all operating under the same name and following similar practices but under different ownership. 39. Freelance — A type of job in which the person works by contract or per-project. Freelancers techncially work for themselves and have to seek out work on a recurring basis. 40. Gig economy — Slang that describes the trend of hiring freelancers, aka someone who works per “gig.” 41. HR — Human Resources. This is the department of a company that handles hiring, payment, insurance and other administrative tasks. 42. Hard skills — Opposite from soft skills. Hard skills include technical skills and job-specific skills, like with certain software or hardware. 43. Headhunter — Slang for a hiring manager or a member of a staffing agency. 44. I-9 — A form filled out by an employee after being hired that proves their eligible to legally work in the United States. 45. Internship — A longer-term type of job shadowing in which the intern takes on entry-level responsibilities in exchange for pay, school credit or simply experience. 46. Interview panel — A job interview that involves a group, or “panel”, of people all interview a job applicant in the same sitting. 47. Job board — Where companies post open positions that applicants can apply to, aka job sites. 48. Keynote — Slang for a presentation, usually given in front of a large crowd. 49. Knowledge worker — A person whose job requires extensive knowledge, such as an engineer, researcher, analyst, etc. 50. Learning curve — The natural challenge that comes with learning how to do a new job or task. 51. Merit-based — Rewards, such as raises or bonuses, that are given strictly based on performance as opposed to how long an employee has been with a company or what their role is. 52. Micro-manage — A management style in which leadership is overly involved and controlling toward their employees. THE LC STUDIO 53. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator — A personality test commonly used in workplaces, also known by its acronym MBTI. The accuracy of the test is highly debated, making it controversial as an indicator of culture fit. 54. NDA — Non-Disclosure Agreement. You may have to sign one before going through an interview, taking an assessment or starting a mock project. It basically protects the business from blabbermouthing applicants. 55. Networking — Relationship-building for work purposes. Networking can involve going to formal networking events, job shadowing, career fairs or seminars and connecting with others online. 56. Notice — Annoucement that an employee plans to leave their current company. Notice is usually given two weeks ahead of time, in writing. Not all states require an employee to give notice. 57. Offer letter — An official offer of employment that includes the company name, the role, the payment agreed upon and the new employee’s start date. 58. OOO — Out Of Office. This is often included in automatic email replies from employees who are on vacation or taking sick leave. 59. Onboarding — The process of “bringing someone on” to the company after being hired. Onboarding involves training, learning company policies, setting up a computer and work accounts, etc. 60. Open layout — An office space that’s designed to be collaborative. Open layouts have few internal walls and doors, with employees working side-by-side. 61. Open-door policy — The attitude of company leaders that there “door is always open,” sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively and sometimes both. 62. Orientation — Part of new employee training, usually within large companies where a lot of employees are involved. 63. Outsourcing —Giving work to someone outside the company, such as a freelancer. Outsourcing is usually a cheaper alternative to hiring a new employee in-house. It can also help take some work off the internal team’s plate. 64. Overtime — Work hours that exceed an employee’s standard hours. Overtime only applies to hourly workers and is paid at a higher rate (by law, at least 1.5x normal hourly wage) 65. Overqualified — A job applicant who has more experience or skills than the role they’re applying for requires.