Job Search Glossary
Job Search Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms that shape a modern job search: what they mean, how they actually work, and what the folklore gets wrong. Written and maintained by NextRole; claims about how our own features work are documented on the methodology page.
Applicant tracking system (ATS)
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the database software employers use to receive, store, and organize job applications.
Auto-apply
Auto-apply is a job search feature that prepares and submits applications on your behalf.
Career Intelligence™
Career Intelligence™ is NextRole's term for running a job search on evidence instead of memory and mood: one system that gathers the data, scores every option against your profile, tracks pipeline state, and keeps the campaign moving.
Ghost job
A ghost job is a job posting for a role the company has no immediate intention of filling.
Ghosting (in hiring)
Ghosting in hiring is when one side of a job search conversation goes silent without explanation: an application, interview loop, or offer discussion simply stops.
Job posting scam
A job posting scam is a fake listing built to extract something from applicants: personal data, money for equipment or training, or unpaid work.
Job search pipeline
A job search pipeline is the set of applications you are actively managing, organized by stage: identified, applied, interviewing, offer.
Resume tailoring
Resume tailoring is adjusting your resume for one specific job posting: aligning your headline, reordering your strongest evidence, and mirroring the posting's language where it is true of you.