9 Things Recruiters Are Sick of Hearing

Like any other noble profession, recruiting has its jargon and catch phrases. And these terms are just like your typical Top 20 hit song – they were so fun (maybe even a little addictive) when you first heard them. But after some time, that was enough. You just can’t stand them anymore.

Here are some phrases that scored highest on the recruiter annoyance meter:

1.“War for talent”

Yes, finding top talent is challenging…but war? According to Lars Schmidt, this is a “zombie phrase that can’t be killed.” It’s everywhere.

Suggested by Lars Schmidt (Founder at Amplify Talent, LCC). 

2. “Big data”

Most recruiters can agree that big data seems to be a critical jargon mass right now or, as Lars puts it, the “panacea to all talent challenges these days based on frequency of use.”

Suggested by Brendan Browne (VP Global Talent Acquisition at LinkedIn) & Lars Schmidt

3. “We need a rockstar”

Do you? Unless you’re hiring for a rock band…some more details would be great. Ninja, guru, all-star – these all fall into the same bucket. What does it mean!

Suggested by Nando Rodriguez (Head of Employment Branding, North America at Ogilvy & Mather)

4. "Your brand needs to be authentic”

Many businesses take “authentic” to mean "original" or "creative" and start over thinking it – even embellishing. What employer brands really need to be is accurate. And that shouldn’t be a revelation.

Suggested by J.T. O’donnell (Founder & CEO at CAREEREALISM Media)

5. “Recruiters should be like marketers”

Writing compelling job descriptions, updating social media, and being relevant aren’t skills that exclusively belong to marketers. Any recruiter can do them and many already do. Recruiters should be like recruiters!

6. “Social recruiting”

It’s 2015 – “social recruiting” is just recruiting. If a talent acquisition team isn’t routinely using social networks to attract and find talent…Houston, we have a problem.

7. “Post and pray”

This idea is antiquated. A modern recruiter – one that has a multi-channel approach and talent pipeline – simply doesn’t need this phrase in their vocabulary.

Suggested by Katie Perconti (HRIS Manager, Strategic Talent Systems at Deloitte Canada)

8. "My ATS sucks"

Well yes...it's a slow, convoluted, poorly supported, 1980s-process oriented system. What's not to love?

Suggested by John Vlastelica (Founder & Managing Director at Recruiting Toolbox, Inc.)

9. “Passive candidate”

Glen Cathey argues that thinking of talent as “passive” vs. “active” is out-dated. Instead, they should be viewed as applicants and non-applicants. Ultimately, everyone is a potential candidate, regardless of their job seeking status.

Suggested by Glen Cathey (SVP Talent Strategy and Innovation at Kforce)

So there you have it. But, we’re sure we missed some very annoying recruiting jargon. Let us know any other phrases that push your buttons by tweeting them to @HireOnLinkedIn.

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*Featured image from Imgur