There’s a lot of terminology used to navigate and define candidate experience. Here’s your one-stop guide to common terms.
Abandon Rate
A recruiting and HR metric used to measure the percentage of candidates who begin an application but don’t finish it.
Applicant
Anyone who has applied to an open position.
Assessment Test
Tests designed to help hiring managers understand which candidates have the skills and temperament to succeed in a position. This is also called a pre-employment test.
Behavioral-based Interview
An interview technique where job candidates are assessed based on how they answer questions about specific hypothetical situations, or situations that arose in their past work experience.
Candidate
Individuals who the employer is considering for an open position. They meet the minimum qualifications for the vacancy.
Candidate Engagement
The process of keeping your candidates well engaged. Nothing will define candidate experience more than your method of communication. Typically, candidate engagement involves communicating with candidates by email, text, or in person. But anything you do to stay in touch can qualify as candidate engagement. To learn more about candidate engagement best practices, download our free e-book here.
Candidate Experience
How candidates perceive the hiring process, from application to offer. Different companies will define candidate experience in different ways, based on their workplace culture and values.
Candidate Portal
A secure digital location where candidates can apply to jobs, submit documentation, and communicate with potential employers.
Communication Collapse
Miscommunication, confusion, or a lack of communication between a candidate and employer during a hiring process. Business communication best practices can help avoid this.
Conversions
An action that a job-seeker takes to show interest in an open role. Most commonly, this means sending in a job application.
Conversion Rate
A measurement of how many potential candidates apply for a job. A common way of tracking this metric is by comparing the total number of views on a job post against the number of applications. A high conversion means that your job posting is getting noticed.
Direct Hire
When a candidate is offered a permanent job by an employer without the use of a third party, such as a staffing agency.
Easy Apply
An option that allows applicants to upload their resume and other materials in a single click, often found on job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed.
Employer Brand Reputation
How the public, including candidates and applicants, views an employer based on direct and indirect interactions.
Equal Employment Opportunity
An employer that pledges to not discriminate against employees based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
Full Life Cycle Recruiting
A holistic approach to recruiting that encompasses every step of the process. The six main stages of full life cycle recruitment are preparing, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, and onboarding. Also known as end-to-end recruiting.
In-house Training
A training program for improving skills and knowledge created by an organization for use by its own employees.
Ghosting
The phenomenon in which a candidate disappears during the recruitment process. According to a 2021 report, 28% of employers reported ghosting an employee in the past year. Employers can also ghost candidates.
Inbound Recruiting
A method of creating targeted, branded content with the aim of building employer reputation and visibility and attracting ideal candidates.
Job Advertisement
An announcement that advertises a job. Effective job ads are clear, concise, and accurate.
Job Board
A website used by multiple employers to advertise jobs and attract candidates. Many job boards also allow employers to search candidate resumes.
Job Description
A description of roles, responsibilities, ideal qualifications, salary and benefits, and working conditions associated with an open position. Job descriptions for job ads are often concise, but they can also be elaborated upon for later stages of the hiring process.
Job Distribution
The process of sending job postings to multiple websites and channels, based on where the candidate is most likely to see it and engage.
Job Offer
A formal document from an employer offering a job to a candidate. The job offer also typically specifies the terms of the position.
Job Requirements
The skills, certifications, and general attributes required by an employer for all potential candidates.
Knock-out Question
A question asked early in the recruitment process to easily qualify or disqualify candidates. There are many examples of knockout questions, such as “are you willing to relocate?” or “do you have X degree?”
Mobile Recruiting
The process of finding qualified candidates through job postings and content optimized for mobile devices.
Negotiation
Usually taking place after an offer is made, this is the process of bargaining between a candidate and an employer. Salary negotiation is most common, though the process may also involve a discussion of responsibilities, benefits, and more.
Non-disclosure Agreement
A legally binding contract that establishes confidentiality between two parties. This may be a useful tool for employers who choose to disclose confidential topics as part of the hiring and interview process.
Observational Interview
A type of interview where the hiring manager passively observes the candidate do a set of work-related tasks. This allows the employer to see the candidate in action.
Onboarding
The process of introducing a new hire to a company and their job.
Panel Interview
A form of interview where a candidate is assessed by a group of interviewers.
Passive Candidate
Individuals who are not actively seeking employment, but who may be open to new opportunities as they come up.
Retention Rate
A measure of how many employees remain in their roles each year.
Social Recruiting
The process of identifying possible candidates and recruiting through social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
Talent Pipeline
A pool of candidates who are at any stage of the assessment process.
Time-to-Fill
The time it takes to fill a vacancy. This includes the time it takes to find a candidate, so this is typically longer than the time to hire.
Time-to-Hire
The length of time it takes between connecting with a candidate and officially hiring them for a role. The average time to fill a position in healthcare is 49 days, compared to 36 days in other industries.
Touchpoints
Touchpoints, or candidate touchpoints, are any moment that the candidate interacts with your company. Increasing the number of touchpoints can improve candidate engagement.
Turnover Rate
The percentage of employees who leave an organization each year. Replacing these employees can be costly. RNs and CNAs have a particularly high turnover rate.
Unstructured Interview
Also described as discovery interviews, unstructured interviews are more informal and allow the candidate freedom in what they want to express. Questions are usually not pre-decided, or else are left very open ended.
Work-Life Balance
An employee’s ability to manage both their work life and their personal or home life. A good work-life balance can improve workplace culture and decrease stress.
Yield Ratio
A recruiting metric that measures what portion of candidates move from one stage of the hiring process to another.
Better Healthcare Hiring With Apploi
Regardless of how your company chooses to define candidate experience, Apploi is here to help. Apploi can employers source candidates, streamline hiring, and onboard new recruits. Interested in learning more about how you can recruit, hire, and onboard healthcare staff quickly? Contact us today for a free demo of our talent management solution.
