Interview & HR Glossary
Master the terminology used by recruiters, hiring managers, and interview panels. Explore clear definitions, preparation blueprints, and common mistakes for essential interview concepts.
Behavioral4
STAR Method
The STAR method is a structured behavioral interview framework that organizes responses into four chronological parts: Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Behavioral Interview
A behavioral interview is a job assessment where employers evaluate candidates based on their past workplace actions, leadership decisions, and problem-solving behaviors.
Interview Anxiety
Interview anxiety is a state of nervous apprehension, cognitive stress, or physical discomfort experienced before or during an evaluative job interview.
Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a concise, engaging 60-to-90 second spoken summary of your professional background, core accomplishments, and future career direction.
Process & Formats8
Mock Interview
A mock interview is a realistic simulation of a job interview where a candidate practices answering verbal technical and behavioral questions under simulated test conditions.
Structured Interview
A structured interview is an assessment process where every candidate for a role is asked identical, pre-determined questions evaluated against standardized scoring rubrics.
Interview Scorecard
An interview scorecard is a standardized evaluation rubric used by hiring panels to rate candidate performance across specific dimensions like technical competency, communication, and cultural alignment.
Interview Rubric
An interview rubric is a set of defined scoring criteria that outlines what constitutes poor, average, good, and exceptional candidate responses.
Adaptive Interview
An adaptive interview is a dynamic conversational assessment where subsequent questions, difficulty levels, and clarification probes adjust in real time based on the candidate's preceding answers.
AI Interviewer
An AI interviewer is an automated software system utilizing speech-to-text, large language models, and voice synthesis to conduct natural spoken mock interviews and evaluate performance.
Panel Interview
A panel interview is an interview format where two or more interviewers (e.g., hiring manager, peer engineer, HR representative) question a single candidate simultaneously.
Screening Interview
A screening interview is an initial 15-to-30 minute conversation conducted by a recruiter to verify basic qualifications, salary expectations, and communication fit before advancing a candidate to full interview loops.
HR & Compensation2
HR Round Interview
An HR round interview is a formal evaluation conducted by human resources to assess candidate cultural alignment, career expectations, communication skills, and compensation requirements.
Salary Negotiation
Salary negotiation is a professional dialogue between a candidate and employer to agree on an equitable total compensation package including base pay, bonuses, stock options, and benefits.