GLOSSARY

Rival Learn: Integrated content for HR professionals

Unlock the power of human resource (HR) lingo with our comprehensive glossary. Packed with essential terms frequently used by HR professionals, this knowledge hub is here to empower you. Dive in, learn and put your newfound knowledge into action. Take advantage of this invaluable resource today!

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  • 30/60/90 Day Plan

    A 30/60/90 Day Plan is a structured roadmap designed for new employees to navigate their initial months in a company effectively. It allows individuals to outline their goals, objectives and critical deliverables within specific timeframes: the first 30, 60, and 90 days of their employment or transition into a new role in the event of a promotion or lateral move.

     

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  • Assessment Center

    Assessment Center is a collection of interviews, aptitude tests, and assignments intended to offer a standardized and objective measure of each candidates’ ability to perform the job for which they’re applying.

  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

    Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a tool used by recruiting and HR teams to organize open job listings, manage candidate applications, and track candidates as they move through each stage of the interview and hiring process.

  • Applicant Pool

    An Applicant Pool is the complete collection of candidates who apply for a given job position.

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  • Boolean Search in Recruitment

    Boolean Search is a method of navigating search engines that uses Boolean mathematical logic and words such as “and,” “or,” and “not” to achieve powerful and focused results. Boolean Search can be used by recruiters to search various hiring platforms (LinkedIn, Google, candidate portals, etc) for the best potential candidate matches.

  • Ban the Box

    Ban the Box is a hiring movement that seeks to promote legislation removing the “criminal record” check box from applications in order to minimize hiring discrimination against former convicts.

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  • Candidate Sourcing

    Initiating any outbound recruitment process begins with pinpointing suitable candidates for vacant positions. Given that this phase typically involves extensive research, it’s easy to overlook the manual and time-consuming nature of candidate sourcing. Recruiters commonly spend over 13 hours per week sourcing for a single role, underscoring the potential for significant reductions in time-to-hire and heightened productivity through streamlining. Various Recruiting Automation solutions are available to assist companies in automating the identification of passive candidates possessing the requisite skills and backgrounds.

    With the preceding section providing orientation, those eager to delve into Recruiting Automation are gearing up for the journey ahead. Rival Recruit and Engage are designed to aid in planning for what lies ahead, assisting in your Recruiting Automation strategy, and will help advocate for its adoption within your organization.

  • Cross-Boarding

    Cross-Boarding is training an existing employee in a new role, responsibility, or department.

  • Cover Letter

    A cover letter is a document that summarizes and synthesizes an applicant’s resume, skills related to the job, and reasons for applying.

  • Counteroffer

    A counteroffer is an offer made in responsive – and as an alternative – to an offer already presented, usually in the context of salary/benefit negotiations.

  • Compensation

    Compensation is agreed-upon payment to an employee for work or services performed. Also known as “salary” (if a set amount of money per calendar period) or “wage” (if an amount of money offered per hour of work performed). A “Compensation Package” encompasses not just base compensation, but benefits as well.

  • Candidate Portal

    Candidate Portal is an online platform or location within a website where job seekers can submit and manage applications, provide supplementary materials, answer questions, and more.

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E

  • Employee Referrals

    Employee referrals are one of many recruitment methods for filling open job positions. Essentially, current employees of a company recommend candidates for open positions within the organization. These referrals will often involve the employee endorsing someone they know, such as a friend, family member, former colleague, or acquaintance as a suitable candidate for a job.

    Employee referrals are a great way for companies to hire effectively! Reasons include the likelihood of finding candidates who fit the company culture, as well as potential cost savings and faster hiring processes compared to traditional recruiting methods.

    Typically, human resources teams will create their own employee referral programs as well. Companies often offer financial rewards, bonuses, or other internal reward program incentives to employees who refer candidates that make it through the hiring process. These incentives can vary in amount depending on the level of the position or the critical need for a specific skill set.

    For more reading, the Academy to Innovate HR has a great post on spicing up employee referral programs.

  • Employee Retention

    Employee retention refers to the organization’s ability to retain its employees over a certain period. It is a critical aspect of human resource management and is often measured as a percentage of employees retained over a specified time frame.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

    Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is ensuring that hiring is done without discrimination on the basis of legally protected classes, including race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, and physical or mental disability.

    Any organization with over 15 employees (including full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees, work program placements, and volunteers) who have had this number of employees (or more) for over 20 months are subject to Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

  • Employer Branding

    Employer Branding is aesthetic, linguistic, and cultural components of a company used to develop a coherent and unique corporate identity that can be used when marketing the workplace to potential workers.

  • Employee Socialization

    Employee Socialization is a part of the onboarding and orientation process that works to integrate new hires into the workplace socially and culturally. Examples include meet-and-greets with other departments, introductions to company clubs, and outside-the-office activities like corporate happy hours.

    A job is much more than just typing words into a computer, giving a presentation, or hammering a nail – it’s being part of an organization full of people that need to work together and get along in order to achieve success. So when an employee isn’t given opportunities to engage with other members of the organization, get to know them as individuals, and learn all their skills, positive traits, and personality quirks, that employee is far more likely to struggle, work below their abilities, or leave the organization quickly. Employee Socialization seeks to engage all employees with each other and with the organizational culture in order to avoid poor performance and high turnover.

  • E-Learning

    E-Learning is 0nline learning opportunities such as web certification programs or online education courses.

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  • Functional Job Analysis

    A method of analyzing jobs that seeks to gather information about all that goes into a particular role and what is required from a worker in that role, and qualitatively determine the best fit for the job. Functional Job Analysis (FJA) currently covers seven different categories for each job:

    1. Things (physical tools required to perform the job)
    2. Data (information relevant to the company that a worker must analyze)
    3. Worker Instructions (processes and procedures a worker is expected to follow)
    4. Reasoning (the need for a worker to think critically and make smart decisions)
    5. People (how well an employee must work with others)
    6. Math (how much a worker must work with numbers and mathematical skills)
    7. Language (a worker’s ability to read, synthesize, and communicate information effectively)
  • Full Life Cycle Recruiting

    Full Life Cycle Recruiting is a term used to describe a hiring process that covers all 6 stages of recruiting: preparation, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, and onboarding.

  • Facebook Recruiting

    Facebook Recruiting is using the social media platform Facebook (Meta) to recruit new workers by advertising open positions, attracting potential candidates, and engaging them to complete the application process.

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  • Generative AI

    In the landscape of human resources, technological advancements constantly reshape traditional practices, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in talent management. One of the most promising developments in this realm is the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which are poised to revolutionize how HR professionals operate.

    Generative AI, a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating new content, such as text, images, or even entire scenarios, has gained significant traction across various industries. In HR, its applications are diverse and impactful, offering innovative solutions to age-old challenges.

    One of the most immediate benefits of generative AI in HR is streamlining the recruitment process. Traditionally, recruiters spend countless hours sifting through resumes and conducting initial screenings to identify suitable candidates. However, with the assistance of AI-powered tools, this tedious task can be automated, saving time and resources while ensuring a more thorough analysis of applicant qualifications.

    To learn more about how AI is being utilized in the HR landscape, you can view our on-demand webinar on the same topic.

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  • Human Resources / HR

    Human Resources (HR) is a department or individual within a company who is responsible for handling the company’s workforce needs, including leading the recruitment and hiring process, managing employee benefits, and dealing with potential legal issues such as harassment and discrimination claims.

  • Human Resource Information System (HRIS)

    A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a system or platform used by a human resources department to catalogue, organize, and manage information related to a company’s workforce.

    This can include, but is not limited to:

      • HR core functions
      • Onboarding
      • Payroll
      • Benefits administration
      • Employee information
      • Attendance and timesheet tracking
      • Regulatory compliance
  • Human Capital Management

    Human Capital Management is practices that allow a company to optimize the potential of its workforce to provide the highest value for the organization. Human Capital Management can encompass recruitment, onboarding, professional development, upskilling, and more.

  • HR Software

    HR Software provides tools to Human Resources departments to help them better manage their work and their workforce.

  • HR Analytics / Data-Driven Recruiting

    HR Analytics or Data-Driven Recruiting A recruiting strategy that utilizes HR technology to produce data and metrics which are then used to optimize the hiring process for efficiency and meeting internal goals.

  • Hiring Process

    The hiring process is an umbrella term for the entire process that begins with identifying the need to hire a new employee, continues through the recruiting and interview stages, and ends with that new employee finishing their onboarding.

  • Hiring Manager

    The hiring manager is whom a candidate will report once the hiring process is complete. A hiring manager often collaborates with Human Resources to develop an appropriate job description and listing and will be a driving force in the interview process, as well as being the person that makes the final decision on which candidate to hire.

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  • Induction

    Induction is a component of the onboarding process that involves fully integrating a new hire into the company and helping them fully understand the company’s culture, values, and goals as well as how their specific role contributes to those attributes. Induction typically begins once a new hire starts digging into their daily work and can last weeks or even months.

  • Inbound Recruiting

    Inbound Recruiting is campaigning to attract more job applicants by using marketing tools, content creation, and social media platforms to promote a company’s strengths and competitive advantages.

  • I-9 Form

    An I-9 Form is the United States federal government’s Employment Eligibility Verification form. All companies based in the U.S. require this form to verify that applicants are legally eligible to work in the country.

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  • Job Leveling / Levels

    Job leveling is a process involving clearly defining the roles, responsibilities, and hierarchical positioning for each position within an organization. Beyond a simple job description, the job leveling process should make it clear what the career path and opportunities for advancement will look like for an employee in any given role.

  • Job Description

    A job description is a document outlining everything a potential hire (or current employee) may need to know about a particular position, including roles and responsibilities, compensation and benefits, necessary qualifications, and information on the organization’s mission, values, and culture.

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  • New Hire

    A new hire is any hire who has not been employed by the company for the past 60 days. Whether a hire is brand-new to the company or a former employee returning after a 60+ day span of unemployment, they are legally considered a new hire and must go through the onboarding process in full.

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  • Onboarding Documents

    In human resources, the term “onboarding documents” can involve a wide range of different documents. Not to be mistaken with just a stack of papers to sign; rather, they serve as a gateway to a successful integration of new employees into a company’s culture, processes, and expectations. Below, we’ll cover what goes into onboarding documents and why they are crucial for employers and employees.

  • Org Chart

    A visual framework for the organizational structure and internal hierarchies within a workplace. Typically broken down into departments, an org chart clearly lays out who reports to whom and who is responsible for what.

  • Onboarding

    Onboarding is the process of introducing a new hire to their role within an organization. The onboarding process typically begins on a new hire’s first day and covers administrative responsibilities (like signing up for a health care plan or setting up direct deposit), introductions, training, and the first several months of work as the employee gets up to speed.

    A good Onboarding process should not only cover the administrative tasks outlined above, but also provide full training, a proper introduction to the office and the new hire’s coworkers, regular performance check-ins with the hiring manager, a clear road map for what success looks like in their first month, 3 months, and year at the job, and opportunities for new hires to integrate socially with the rest of the staff. In short, the Onboarding process should include anything a new hire needs to be legally recognized, confident, and like a real member of the team.

  • Offboarding

    Offboarding is the transition process as an employee leaves the company, whether through voluntary quitting, layoffs, or being fired. This can involve reassigning tasks, conducting exit interviews, revoking access credentials, and returning company equipment.

    There are many reasons why your organization should have an Offboarding process every bit as robust and consistent as your Onboarding process. It helps avoid any unnecessary legal risk by ensuring the whole process is well-documented and applied equally to all employees; it minimizes the chances of security or data breaches due to disgruntled former employees or lost information; it ensures that projects, contacts, and work-in-progress is not left hanging; it can even help your organization maintain a positive reputation.

  • Offer Letter

    An offer letter is a letter or email sent to a candidate chosen at the end of the hiring process, extending an offer of employment. An offer letter can be an official or unofficial document and often includes information like salary/wage, a list of benefits, start date, etc.

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  • Pre-Boarding

    Pre-boarding is an extension of the onboarding process that serves to make a new hire feel welcomed by the organization before their first day on the job. This can include small touch points such as welcome emails, what to expect from the onboarding process, and even simple info such as where to park.

  • People Operations

    People Operations is the work Human Resources puts into developing programs focused on training, feedback, support and development, recognition, and organizational culture.

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R

  • Recruiting Automation

    Recruiting automation, a facet of Human Capital Management (HCM) software, empowers companies to streamline recruitment processes, enhance recruiter efficiency, expedite hiring timelines, reduce hiring costs, and elevate the caliber of talent within their organization. By automating various recruitment tasks and workflows, companies can bolster their competitive edge in talent acquisition amidst heightened competition for top-tier candidates.

    In recognizing the limitations of traditional hiring methods in today’s fiercely competitive talent landscape, forward-thinking companies leverage recruitment automation technologies to achieve superior outcomes within tighter timeframes and with optimized resource management. AI is also aiding in these processes.

  • Recruiter / Recruiting

    A recruiter is a professional whose job is to research, discover, and engage with potential job candidates on behalf of a hiring organization. Recruiters typically reach out to the strong candidates and conduct first-round interviews, at which point the process is handed off to the hiring manager or department head. A recruiter can be internal to an organization or contracted through a recruiting agency.

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  • Salary Transparency

    Salary transparency is the practice of being open about salary bands with potential job candidates.

    Salary Transparency is a practice where an organization will list a wage, salary, or Salary Band up-front as part of the recruiting/hiring process, rather than holding it back for the job offer or requiring applicants ask first. Organizations that practice Salary Transparency will often see more interest in their job openings, less risk of push-back from applicants, and a smoother hiring process (since applicants will know up-front of the Salary Band is suitable for them).

  • Systems / Platforms

    Systems and Platforms are tools that organizations or individual teams use to effectively communicate, provide feedback, track their work and benefits, and perform their jobs to the best of their abilities.

  • Stable Agility

    Stable agility is finding a balance between sticking to the tried-and-true foundational practices of your organization (stability) while maintaining the ability to stay responsive in constantly shifting environments (agility).

  • Salary Band

    Salary band is the range an organization is willing to pay for a particular position, with the exact salary determined by potential factors such as candidate experience, internal pay equity, and candidate negotiations.

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  • Upskilling

    Upskilling is employee training that works to develop and improve an employee’s existing skills.

    Upskilling has several benefits. It allows employees to learn new skills to make their own jobs easier and less-stressful, while also making themselves into stronger candidates for future jobs or promotions. In return, employers reap the rewards of a more skilled employee who can work more efficiently, is up-to-date with their industry knowledge, and is in a better position to be promoted internally – saving the costly process of hiring an outsider to fill a higher-up position.

  • Up-Boarding / Employee Training

    Up-Boarding and Employee Training is training a promoted employee for their new role as if they were a new hire, rather than assuming automatic proficiency.

    Up-Boarding is most necessary when someone is transitioning to a largely different position than the one they have; one that would require skills not used in their previous position. An example might be an employee transferring to an entirely new department within the organization (such as a sales person moving into an accounting role), or someone with no managerial experience being promoted into a role with direct reports.

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  • Workflow

    Workflow is how different tasks are sequenced in order to achieve a particular outcome or objective, or reach a certain goal.

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  • Yield Ratio

    Yield Ratio is the percentage of an applicant pool that advances to the next stage in the hiring process.

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