Reverse Recruiting and Executive Search Glossary
Plain-language definitions of 71 terms used in reverse recruiting, executive search, career representation and global talent sourcing.
- Reverse recruiting
- A service in which an agent works for the job seeker, not the employer, to identify target employers, reach the people who make hiring decisions, and manage introductions.
- Candidate representation
- An agent acting on a job seeker's behalf in dealings with employers and recruiters.
- Executive career representation
- Candidate representation for senior professionals and executives.
- Job search agent
- A person or firm that carries out parts of a job search for a candidate, such as outreach, applications and interview preparation.
- Talent sourcing
- Finding and approaching potential candidates for a role, whether or not they are applying.
- Global talent sourcing
- Talent sourcing that searches for candidates across several countries rather than one local market.
- Passive candidate
- A skilled person who is currently employed and not actively applying for jobs.
- Active candidate
- A person who is actively applying or looking for a new role.
- Executive search
- Recruitment of senior leaders, usually through research and direct approach rather than public job adverts.
- Headhunter
- An informal name for a recruiter who finds senior or hard-to-find candidates and approaches them directly.
- Open fee model
- KOV fees are flexible and agreed individually based on client requirements and scope. The fee, deliverables and expectations are agreed in writing before work begins. KOV does not charge a percentage of a candidate's salary.
- Hidden job market
- Roles that are filled without a public job posting, through networks, referrals or direct approaches.
- Unadvertised role
- A vacancy that has not been publicly listed.
- Decision-maker mapping
- Identifying the people at a target company who have the authority to hire for a given role.
- Talent mapping
- Charting the relevant people, employers and market conditions for a role or sector.
- Market mapping
- Researching which companies, teams and competitors are relevant to a search.
- Company mapping
- Building a list of target companies and understanding how each is organised.
- OSINT
- Open-source intelligence: information gathered from publicly available sources.
- OSINT recruiting
- Using publicly available information, lawfully, to identify and research candidates.
- Search brief
- A written statement of what a search is for: the role, scope, location, must-haves and constraints.
- Success profile
- A description of what a successful hire in a given role looks like.
- Candidate shortlist
- A short list of qualified, interested candidates presented to a client.
- Warm introduction
- An introduction made through a connection or with shared context, rather than a message from a stranger.
- Cold outreach
- A first message to someone with whom the sender has no prior relationship.
- Recruiter outreach
- Contacting recruiters and executive search firms so that a candidate is considered for relevant roles.
- Hiring-manager outreach
- Contacting the person who manages the role directly.
- Targeted application
- A job application chosen for fit and tailored to the specific role.
- High-volume applications
- Submitting many applications per week; results depend on how well each is targeted and tailored.
- ATS (applicant tracking system)
- Software that employers use to receive, filter and track job applications.
- ATS optimization
- Formatting and wording a resume so that applicant tracking systems can read it correctly.
- Resume and CV
- Documents summarising a person's work history and skills; 'CV' is the more common term outside North America.
- Dual-track resume
- Two versions of a resume aimed at two different types of role.
- Personal branding
- How a professional presents their expertise consistently across profiles, documents and conversations.
- LinkedIn optimization
- Improving a LinkedIn profile so that relevant recruiters and employers can find and understand it.
- Interview loop
- The series of interviews a candidate goes through at one company.
- Mock interview
- A practice interview, followed by feedback, held before a real employer meeting.
- Story bank
- A prepared set of real examples a candidate can use to answer interview questions.
- Behavioral interview
- An interview format that asks for examples of past situations.
- Offer negotiation
- Discussion of pay and terms after a job offer has been made.
- Total compensation
- Base salary plus bonus, equity, benefits and allowances.
- Compensation benchmarking
- Comparing pay for a role against market data.
- Equity compensation
- Ownership in a company given as part of pay, such as shares or options.
- Counteroffer
- An improved offer from a current employer made when an employee resigns.
- Notice period
- The time between resigning and the last working day.
- Multi-offer strategy
- Managing several job offers at once so they can be compared and decided on fairly.
- Confidential job search
- A search run so that the candidate's current employer is not informed.
- Exclusion list
- A list of companies that must not be approached on a candidate's behalf.
- Career transition
- A move to a different role, level, industry or country.
- C-suite
- Top executive roles with 'chief' titles, such as CEO, CFO, CTO, COO and CRO.
- Vice president (VP)
- A senior management level, usually below the C-suite.
- Board advisor
- An external adviser to a board or leadership team.
- Operating partner
- A senior operator who works with a private equity firm to improve its portfolio companies.
- Private equity
- Investment firms that buy and manage companies.
- Venture capital
- Investors who fund early-stage and growth-stage companies.
- Portfolio company
- A company that an investment firm owns or has backed.
- Series B to E
- Later-stage venture funding rounds.
- Scale-up
- A company that is growing quickly after proving its product or market.
- Cross-border hiring
- Recruiting someone who lives or will work in a different country from the employer.
- Right to work
- Legal permission to work in a particular country.
- An employer supporting a candidate's work-visa application.
- Executive intelligence
- Researched background on a candidate's career, achievements and fit, drawn from public sources.
- Talent intelligence
- Research and data on talent supply, locations, skills and competitors.
- Talent pipeline
- A pool of qualified candidates built for current or future roles.
- Boutique agency
- A small firm in which the principal stays closely involved in the work.
- Founder-led
- Run and delivered directly by the founder.
- Outplacement
- Support given to people leaving an employer to help them find a new role.
- Recruitment process outsourcing
- Handing all or part of a company's hiring process to an outside provider.