Recruiting & screening glossary

Plain-English definitions of the recruiting, screening, and hiring-automation terms we use across Criba.

Terms

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Software that stores job applications and moves candidates through hiring stages. An ATS organizes pipelines but rarely evaluates candidates. That first-round judgment is what Criba automates.

Candidate Screening

The early-funnel step of deciding which applicants are worth a recruiter's time. Screening can cover resumes, knockout questions, or a short structured interview before anyone schedules a live call.

AI Recruiting

Using machine learning to assist hiring tasks such as screening, ranking, and interview scoring. Done well, it removes repetitive first-round work while keeping a human in the loop for final decisions.

Structured Interview

An interview where every candidate answers the same predefined questions against a fixed rubric. Structure improves fairness and makes candidates directly comparable, the format Criba runs automatically.

Shortlist

The reduced set of top candidates surfaced after screening, ready for human review. A good shortlist comes with evidence for why each candidate ranked where they did.

Resume Screening

Reviewing CVs against role requirements to filter out clear non-fits before interviews. Automating it cuts hours of manual reading while flagging the experience that actually matters for the role.

Knockout Question

A pass/fail question used early in screening to filter on non-negotiable requirements, work authorization, location, or a required certification, so unqualified applicants exit the funnel quickly.

This glossary is expanding; new terms are added as we publish more guides.

Recruiting & Screening Glossary, Criba