Browse Knowledge Center
Glossary
Plain-language definitions for recruiting and career terminology.
A
- ATS parsing
- The process an applicant tracking system uses to read a resume and place details such as work history and skills into fields.
- Accomplishment statement
- A resume statement that explains a specific action and the result it produced, rather than only listing a duty.
- Achievement
- A meaningful result a candidate helped produce, such as improving a process, meeting a goal, or completing a project.
- Action verb
- A strong verb, such as led, improved, or created, that begins a resume bullet and describes what a candidate did.
C
- Career summary
- A brief introduction near the top of a resume that highlights relevant experience, strengths, and career focus.
- Certification
- A credential awarded after meeting defined requirements, often through an exam, training program, or assessment.
- Credential
- Evidence of a person's qualifications, such as a degree, license, certification, or completed training.
- Cross-functional
- Involving people or work from more than one department, specialty, or professional function.
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- A detailed record of academic and professional background, commonly used for research, academic, and some international roles.
D
- DOCX
- A document file format commonly used by Microsoft Word and many other word-processing applications.
F
- Freelance work
- Independent paid work completed for clients on a contract or project basis rather than as a permanent employee.
- Functional resume
- A resume format that emphasizes skills and accomplishments more than a chronological work history.
H
- Hard skill
- A teachable, job-specific ability such as data analysis, accounting, coding, or operating equipment.
- Hybrid resume
- A resume format that combines a skills-focused summary with a reverse-chronological work history.
I
- Impact
- The meaningful effect of a candidate's work on a team, customer, process, revenue, quality, or other outcome.
- Internship
- A time-limited work experience that helps a learner or early-career candidate develop skills in a professional setting.
K
- Keyword
- A role-relevant word or phrase that describes a skill, tool, qualification, responsibility, or industry concept.
L
- Leadership
- The ability to guide people, decisions, or work toward a goal, with or without a formal management title.
M
- Metrics
- Measurable results, such as revenue, time saved, error reduction, or people served, used to show the scale of work.
P
- Performance review
- A structured discussion or assessment of an employee's work, goals, strengths, progress, and development needs.
- Professional experience
- Relevant work, projects, internships, or other activities that demonstrate skills developed in a professional context.
- Professional profile
- A concise overview of a person's experience, strengths, and career focus, often used at the top of a resume or online profile.
- Project
- A planned piece of work with a defined goal, scope, and outcome that can demonstrate relevant experience or skills.
- Promotion
- A move to a role with greater responsibility, scope, seniority, or compensation within an organization.
Q
- Quantifiable achievement
- A work result supported by a number, percentage, amount, time period, or other concrete measure.
R
- Resume
- A concise document summarizing a candidate's relevant experience, education, skills, and achievements.
- Resume bullet point
- A concise statement that describes a responsibility, contribution, or achievement in a resume's experience section.
- Resume format
- The overall structure used to organize a resume, such as reverse-chronological, functional, or hybrid.
- Resume headline
- A brief, role-focused line near the top of a resume that identifies a candidate's professional specialty or target position.
- Resume keyword
- A term from a role or industry used accurately in a resume to connect experience with job requirements.
- Resume objective
- A short statement that names a candidate's target role and the value they hope to contribute, most useful when context is needed.
- Resume parsing
- The extraction of resume details into structured fields so a hiring system can store, search, and display the information.
- Reverse-chronological resume
- A resume format that lists the most recent relevant experience first and works backward through earlier roles.
S
- STAR method
- A way to structure an example by explaining the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
- Skills section
- A resume section that lists relevant tools, technical abilities, languages, or other capabilities in a scannable format.
- Soft skill
- A transferable behavior or interpersonal ability, such as communication, collaboration, or adaptability.
- Stakeholder
- A person or group affected by a project, decision, or outcome, such as a customer, colleague, manager, or partner.
T
- Tailored resume
- A resume adjusted to emphasize the experience, skills, and evidence that are most relevant to a particular role.
- Transferable skill
- An ability developed in one setting that remains useful across different roles, teams, or industries.
V
- Volunteer experience
- Unpaid work for an organization or community that can demonstrate relevant skills, responsibilities, and results.
W
- Work experience
- Paid, freelance, volunteer, or project-based work that demonstrates relevant responsibilities and results.
- Work history
- A chronological record of a person's jobs, employers, dates, titles, and relevant responsibilities.
Y
- Years of experience
- The amount of time a candidate has spent developing relevant skills or performing related responsibilities.