Glossary

Résumé & Job Search Glossary

The words that come up when you apply for a job — especially a remote or international one — defined plainly. Where a term matters differently abroad, we say so.

Résumé: A short, targeted summary of your work history, skills, and achievements, usually one page (up to two for senior roles). It's the standard application document in the US and Canada, and it's tailored to each job rather than listing everything you've ever done.; Related:CV Applicant Tracking System (ATS)Reverse-chronological résumé
CV: Short for curriculum vitae. In the UK, Europe, and much of the world, "CV" is the everyday word for the application document and is typically 1–2 pages — effectively what Americans call a résumé. In US and academic contexts, a CV is a longer, comprehensive record of your full career, publications, and credentials. Which one a job wants depends on the country.; Related:Résumé Digital Nomad
Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Software that employers use to collect and filter job applications. It scans résumés for the literal keywords in the job posting so recruiters can search and shortlist quickly — which is why matching the posting's exact wording (for skills that are genuinely yours) matters, and why complex formatting can get a résumé misread.; Related:Keyword matching Résumé Screening
Keyword matching: Aligning the specific terms on your résumé with the skills, tools, and requirements named in a job posting, so an ATS keyword search finds you. It's literal, not clever: "Kubernetes" and "container orchestration" don't match. Only add a keyword that's genuinely true of you.; Related:Applicant Tracking System (ATS)Hard skills Job description
Cover letter: A short letter accompanying your résumé that addresses a specific role and explains why you're a fit, in prose rather than bullet points. A strong one references something concrete from the job posting and leads with substance, not "I am writing to apply for."; Related:Résumé Job description
STAR method: A structure for answering behavioural interview questions — Situation, Task, Action, Result. You tell a short, real story from your past, spending most of the answer on the Action (what you personally did) and closing with a concrete Result. It's the standard way to answer "tell me about a time when…" questions.; Related:Behavioural interview Quantified achievement
Behavioural interview: An interview built around questions about your past behaviour ("tell me about a time you…"), on the premise that past behaviour predicts future performance. Remote employers lean on these heavily to assess self-management and communication they can't observe across a screen. The STAR method is how you answer them well.; Related:STAR method Screening
Job description: The employer's posting listing the role's responsibilities and requirements. It's your keyword source and your tailoring target: mirror the terms that are genuinely true of you, and address the specific role — not the industry — in your cover letter.; Related:Keyword matching Cover letter
Hard skills: Specific, teachable, verifiable abilities — a tool, language, certification, or method (e.g. SQL, Salesforce, GAAP, Spanish). These are what an ATS searches for and what a résumé should name explicitly where you have them.; Related:Soft skills Keyword matching
Soft skills: Interpersonal and self-management qualities like communication, adaptability, and time management. They're real but hard to verify on paper, so show them through concrete examples and results rather than claiming them outright — especially important for remote roles.; Related:Hard skills STAR method
Quantified achievement: An accomplishment expressed with a real number — "cut response time 20%," "managed a 60-person team," "grew revenue to $2M." Numbers make claims credible and memorable, on both a résumé and in a STAR answer. Never invent one; a genuine qualitative result beats a fabricated figure.; Related:STAR method Résumé
Reverse-chronological résumé: The most common résumé format, listing your experience from most recent to oldest. ATS parsers read it reliably and recruiters expect it, which is why it's the safe default over functional or heavily designed layouts.; Related:Résumé Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Screening: The early filtering stage of hiring — an ATS keyword filter, a recruiter's quick scan (often just a few seconds), or a short screening call — that decides who advances. Passing it is about clarity and relevance, not volume.; Related:Applicant Tracking System (ATS)Recruiter
Recruiter: The person (internal or agency) who sources, screens, and shepherds candidates. They search the ATS by keyword and do the six-second first scan, so a clean, relevant, keyword-honest résumé is aimed as much at them as at the hiring manager.; Related:Hiring manager Screening
Hiring manager: The person the role reports to — who makes the actual hire and runs the deeper interviews. Where a recruiter screens for fit on paper, the hiring manager is evaluating whether you can do the job, which is where STAR-backed examples earn their keep.; Related:Recruiter Behavioural interview
Follow-up email: A short, timely note after applying or interviewing that keeps you top-of-mind. A pre-interview follow-up can't reference a conversation that hasn't happened; a post-interview one should add a specific, genuine detail from the actual discussion rather than a generic thank-you.; Related:Cover letter