Reference
Interview and resume glossary
Short, quotable definitions of the terms you meet while preparing for a job search, each linked to the guide that shows it in practice.
By the PrepNHire editorial team. Updated .
- AI interview coach
Software that runs practice interviews and gives automated feedback on the answers. A typical AI interview coach generates role-specific questions, listens to a spoken or typed response, and reports on structure, clarity, relevance, and confidence. It supports rehearsal and self-review; it does not predict a hiring decision.
- Applicant tracking system (ATS)
Software employers use to receive, store, search, and shortlist job applications. An ATS may parse a resume into fields and let recruiters filter by keywords. Clear headings, standard section names, and accurate use of the job description's terms help parsing, but no technique guarantees how a particular system ranks a document.
- Behavioral interview
An interview that asks candidates to describe how they actually behaved in past situations, usually with prompts such as 'Tell me about a time you...'. Employers use it on the premise that past behavior predicts future performance. Answers should describe a real event, the candidate's own actions, and the result.
- Competency-based interview
The term commonly used in the UK and Europe for a behavioral interview. Questions are organized around named competencies such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, and ownership, and each answer is scored against indicators for that competency. Preparing a few strong stories per competency covers most questions.
- Cover letter
A short letter, usually 250 to 400 words, sent with a job application to explain the connection between the candidate's experience and one specific role. It has an opening that names the position, one or two paragraphs of evidence, and a brief close. It should complement the resume, not repeat it.
- Follow-up email
A polite status request sent after the update timeline an employer gave has passed, or after roughly a week when none was given. It names the role and interview date, asks one clear question, and offers any further information. One follow-up and one final message are usually enough.
- Hard skills and soft skills
Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities such as a software tool, a language, or a technical method, and belong in a resume's skills section. Soft skills are working capabilities such as communication or teamwork, which are more convincing when demonstrated inside experience bullets than when listed as labels.
- Informational interview
A conversation a job seeker requests with someone working in a target role or organization to learn about the work, not to ask for a job. Good questions cover daily responsibilities, how the team makes decisions, and what skills matter most. It is also a useful way to prepare questions for real interviews.
- Mock interview
A rehearsal interview that simulates the real thing so a candidate can practice answering out loud, handle follow-up questions, and receive feedback before the actual conversation. Mock interviews can be run with a friend, a careers adviser, or an AI interview coach that generates questions and reviews the answers.
- Panel interview
An interview in which two or more interviewers question the candidate together, often a hiring manager, a future teammate, and someone from HR. Each panelist may focus on a different area. Candidates should address the person who asked while keeping the whole panel engaged, and follow up with each member afterward.
- Phone screen
A short first-round interview, usually 15 to 30 minutes by phone or video, in which a recruiter checks basic fit: background, interest in the role, relevant experience, salary expectations, and availability. Its purpose is to decide who progresses to a fuller interview with the hiring manager.
- Resume objective
A short statement at the top of a resume describing the role or direction the candidate is seeking. It is most useful for first jobs and career changes where the work history alone does not explain the application. A summary describes what you offer; an objective describes what you are looking for.
- Resume summary
A two to four line paragraph at the top of a resume that states the candidate's professional area, most relevant experience, and what they bring to the target role. It is built from specific evidence rather than adjectives and is adapted to each application so the reader sees the connection immediately.
- Second interview
A later-stage interview that goes deeper than the first round. It typically probes the reasoning behind earlier examples, introduces role-specific scenarios, and involves the team the candidate would join or senior managers. Progressing to it means the employer is seriously considering the candidate, not that an offer is guaranteed.
- Situational interview question
A hypothetical question that describes a workplace scenario and asks what the candidate would do. Unlike behavioral questions, it tests judgment and reasoning rather than past experience. A strong answer clarifies assumptions, explains priorities, describes an action within the role's authority, and says how the outcome would be checked.
- STAR method
A four-part structure for answering behavioral interview questions: Situation (brief context), Task (your responsibility), Action (what you personally did and why), and Result (the honest outcome, including lessons learned). Most of the answer should sit in the Action, and the Result can be a process change when no metric exists.
- Story bank
A prepared set of six to eight true examples from a candidate's experience, each documented with the situation, task, action, and result, and tagged by the competencies it demonstrates. A story bank lets a candidate adapt a small number of well-understood examples to many different behavioral questions.
- Tailored resume
A version of a resume adjusted for one specific job: relevant bullets moved higher, the summary rewritten for the role, and the posting's terms used where they accurately describe the candidate's experience. Tailoring changes emphasis and wording, never the underlying facts such as titles and dates.
- Thank-you email
A brief message sent within 24 hours of an interview that thanks the interviewer by name, references one specific point from the conversation, and restates interest in the role. It closes the conversation professionally and is distinct from a follow-up email, which asks about the status of a decision.
- Transferable skills
Capabilities developed in one setting that apply in another, such as communication, organization, prioritization, and learning new tools. They allow candidates with no direct experience, or those changing careers, to show relevant evidence from coursework, volunteering, projects, or unrelated jobs, provided the setting is described honestly.