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Terms Commonly Used In Staffing
The terms below reveal rhetoric that is utilized within the recruitment, MSP, RPO, workforce development and overall staffing space.
Requisition
In staffing, a requisition is an official request to fill a job opening within an organization. It’s the first step in the hiring process and serves as an internal authorization for recruitment activities.
LDAP
LDAP enables centralized storage and retrieval of directory information and is widely used for authentication and authorization, allowing applications to verify user credentials.
CWS
Contingent Workforce Solutions refers to the systems, processes, or platforms used to manage non-permanent workers such as contractors, freelancers, and temporary staff
APAC
APAC refers to operations, markets, or teams located in the Asia-Pacific region
EMEA
EMEA stands for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. It’s a regional designation commonly used by global organizations to group these three geographic areas for business operations, reporting, and management.
LATAM
LATAM refers to the collective region of countries in the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese, or French are the dominant languages, encompassing parts of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
NAM
NAM stands for North America. In business and regional contexts, it typically refers to the countries in the northern part of the Americas, primarily: United States, Canada, Mexico (sometimes included, though it’s also often grouped under LATAM)
Extended Workers
In staffing, extended workers typically refer to individuals who are not permanent employees but work for an organization under alternative arrangements. These workers are often part of a contingent workforce
Offer to Hire
In staffing, “offer to hire” refers to the stage in the recruitment process where a candidate has accepted a job offer but has not yet officially started employment.
Offer to Hire Extended
“Offer to hire extended” usually refers to the situation where a job offer has been extended (sent out) to a candidate, but the candidate has not yet accepted it.
Intake Call
An intake call in staffing is a meeting (usually a phone or video call) between a recruiter/contingent workforce representatives and a hiring manager to gather all the necessary details about an open position before starting the recruitment process. It sets the foundation for successful hiring.
Pre-identified
In staffing, “pre-identified” refers to candidates who have already been sourced or selected before a formal requisition or job posting is created. These individuals are typically known to the hiring manager or recruiter/contingent workforce representatives and are considered strong fits for the role.
Time to Hire
In staffing, “time to hire” refers to the total amount of time it takes to move a candidate from the start of the hiring process to the point they accept the job offer.
Ageing
In contingent staffing, ageing refers to how long a job requisition, candidate submission, or assignment has been open or pending without action. It’s essentially a measure of elapsed time for items in the staffing process.
Shortlist to Hire
In staffing, shortlist to hire refers to how many candidate resumes were sent to the hiring team before an offer was accepted.
Temporary Staff
In staffing, temporary staff refers to employees hired for a limited duration to meet short-term business needs. These roles are often filled through staffing agencies or recruitment firms and can include positions such as administrative support, seasonal workers, or project-based roles.
Vendor
A vendor contractor typically refers to an external individual or organization engaged under a contract to provide goods or services on behalf of a vendor or as part of a vendor relationship. This term often appears in workforce management and procurement contexts, where companies rely on third-party vendors to supply contingent labor or specialized services.
Contractor
A contractor is generally an individual or company hired under a contract to perform specific work or provide services for a client, without being a direct employee of that client. Contractors often work on a temporary or project basis and can operate independently or through staffing vendors.
LOS
In staffing, LOS commonly refers to Length of Service. This term is used to indicate how long an employee, contractor, or contingent worker has been engaged with a company or within a specific program. It’s an important metric in workforce management.
Tracker
In staffing, a tracker usually refers to a tool or document—often a spreadsheet or system feature—used to monitor and manage recruitment activities, candidate progress, and job requisitions. It helps recruiters, contingent workforce staff, and staffing agencies stay organized and maintain visibility across multiple roles and processes.
Supplier
In staffing, a supplier typically refers to a third-party organization—often a staffing agency or vendor—that provides talent to a client company. These suppliers are part of contingent workforce programs and Managed Service Provider (MSP) models, where they source, recruit, and deliver candidates for temporary, contract, or project-based roles.
MSP
In staffing, MSP stands for Managed Service Provider. It refers to a company or program that manages the sourcing, engagement, and administration of a client’s contingent workforce (temporary staff, contractors, and sometimes vendors) through a centralized model. MSPs act as an intermediary between the client and multiple staffing suppliers, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and cost control.
Bill Rate
In staffing, a bill rate refers to the amount a staffing agency charges a client company for the services of a contingent worker (such as a contractor or temporary employee). It is usually expressed as an hourly rate and includes, pay rate,
markup, additional costs.
Mark Up
In staffing, a markup refers to the percentage or amount added by a staffing agency on top of the worker’s pay rate to determine the bill rate charged to the client. This markup covers the agency’s overhead, administrative costs, benefits, and profit margin.
Work Order
In staffing, a work order is a formal document or request that authorizes and details the engagement of a contingent worker, contractor, or temporary employee for a specific assignment. It serves as the official instruction for the staffing supplier or agency to provide talent under agreed terms.
Shortlist
In staffing, shortlisting refers to the process of narrowing down a pool of applicants to a smaller group of candidates who best meet the job requirements and qualifications. These shortlisted candidates are often moved forward for interviews or further evaluation.
Unique Identifier
In staffing, a unique identifier is a distinct code or number assigned to an individual, record, or transaction to ensure accurate tracking and prevent duplication across systems. It’s a critical element in managing contingent workforce programs, recruiting, MSP/VMS platforms, and HR systems.
Job Code
In staffing, a job code is a unique alphanumeric identifier assigned to a specific job or position within an organization’s HR or recruitment system. It serves as a reference point for tracking, reporting, and managing job requisitions and employee roles.
Business Justification
In staffing and business contexts, a business justification is a clear explanation of why a particular action, decision, or resource allocation is necessary and how it aligns with organizational goals. It typically supports requests such as hiring, role changes, budget approvals, or project initiation.
FTE
In staffing and HR, FTE stands for Full-Time Equivalent. It’s a unit of measure that represents the workload of an employee in a way that makes workloads comparable across different contexts.
Counter Offer
In staffing and recruitment, a counter offer is a proposal made by an employer to a candidate (or sometimes by a candidate to an employer) in response to an initial job offer or competing offer. Its purpose is to persuade the candidate to accept or remain with the organization by improving the terms of the original offer.
L7
In a staffing or corporate context, L7 typically refers to a job level or grade within an organization’s internal leveling system. Companies use levels (e.g., L1, L2, … L7) to classify roles based on seniority, responsibility, and compensation.
Job Function Group
In staffing and HR, a job function group refers to a category that groups similar roles based on their primary responsibilities or the type of work performed. It’s used in organizational structures, job classification systems, and workforce planning to organize positions logically.
OTHA
In staffing and recruitment, offer to hire acceptance refers to the stage in the hiring process where a candidate formally accepts a job offer extended by the employer. This step confirms the candidate’s commitment to join the organization under the agreed terms.
MRA
MRA
Job Level
In staffing and HR contexts, MRA most commonly stands for Market Rate Analysis. This is a process used to determine competitive pay rates for specific roles based on industry standards, geographic location, and skill requirements.
Re-queing
Re-queuing a job can reset its status, placing it back in the queue potentially at a different priority level.
Temp to Temp Transfer (T2T)
A temp-to-temp transfer in staffing refers to moving a temporary employee from one assignment or department to another within the same organization or staffing program.
Proxy
In staffing and business contexts, a proxy generally refers to someone who acts on behalf of another person or entity, often with delegated authority. It can also mean a substitute or representative used in processes or systems.
BIS
In staffing, BIS (Break In Service) refers to a period when an employee or contingent worker has a gap in employment with the same organization.
SOW
In staffing and workforce management, SOW stands for Statement of Work. It is a formal document that outlines the scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and terms for a specific project or engagement, often used when hiring contractors or vendors for defined tasks.
Spotlight Call
In staffing, a spotlight call typically refers to a scheduled meeting or discussion where a team highlights key updates, achievements, or focuses on specific roles, candidates, or program initiatives. These calls are often used in MSP (Managed Service Provider) or recruitment environments
VMS
A VMS typically refers to a Vendor Management System. It’s a software platform used by organizations to manage and procure staffing services, including temporary workers and contractors.
Direct to Hire
Direct hire refers to a recruitment method where a company hires an employee directly onto its payroll for a permanent, full-time position, rather than on a temporary/contract basis.
Time to Fill
Time to fill is a key recruiting metric that measures how long it takes to fill a job opening from the moment the requisition is opened until the position is accepted by a candidate.
RPO
RPO stands for Recruitment Process Outsourcing. It’s a staffing model where a company outsources all or part of its recruitment activities to an external provider.
Screening
In staffing, screening refers to the process of evaluating job applicants to determine if they meet the basic qualifications and requirements for a position before moving them forward in the hiring process. It’s an essential step to ensure only suitable candidates proceed to interviews.
KPI
KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. It’s a measurable value that indicates how effectively an individual, team, or organization is achieving specific objectives. In business and staffing, KPIs are used to track progress and performance against strategic goals.
Evergreen
In staffing and recruiting, “evergreen” typically refers to a job requisition or role that remains open continuously because it’s a recurring need for the organization. These positions are not tied to a single vacancy but are kept active to build a pipeline of candidates for high-demand roles.
Labor Type
In staffing and workforce management, a labor type refers to the classification of work or employment category used to define how a worker is engaged and compensated. It helps organizations organize roles, manage compliance, and track costs.
Broadcasting
In staffing, broadcasting typically refers to the process of sending a job opening or requirement to a wide audience of potential candidates, often through multiple channels at once. It can also refer to sending to vendors/suppliers.
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