Hiring & AI Glossary

Key terms in structured hiring, AI evaluation, and recruitment compliance.

Structured Interview

An interview method where every candidate for a role is asked the same questions in the same order and evaluated using the same scoring criteria. Research shows structured interviews are 2× more predictive of job performance than unstructured interviews (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).

Competency-Based Evaluation

A candidate assessment approach where interview responses are scored against a predefined set of role-specific competencies — such as problem solving, communication, or technical depth — rather than general impressions. Each competency has defined scoring criteria with behavioral anchors.

Evidence-Linked Scoring

A scoring method where every rating given to a candidate must be supported by a specific piece of evidence — typically a quote from the interview transcript — accompanied by an explanation of the reasoning. This creates an auditable trail from score to source.

Adverse Impact

A situation where a hiring practice disproportionately affects members of a protected group. The four-fifths rule (80% rule) provides a practical threshold: if the selection rate for a protected group is less than 80% of the rate for the highest-scoring group, adverse impact may exist. Also called disparate impact.

STAR Method

A structured framework for answering behavioral interview questions. STAR stands for Situation (context), Task (responsibility), Action (what the candidate did), and Result (outcome and impact). Interviewers use STAR to assess the quality and completeness of candidate responses.

Selection Validity

The degree to which a hiring method accurately predicts future job performance. Expressed as a validity coefficient from 0 to 1. Structured interviews have a validity of 0.51, compared to 0.38 for unstructured interviews and 0.54 for work sample tests (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).

Deterministic AI

An AI system configuration where the same input always produces the same output. Achieved by setting temperature to 0 and using a fixed seed derived from the input. In hiring, deterministic AI ensures that re-evaluating the same interview transcript with the same competency framework always yields identical scores — making results reproducible and auditable.

Human-in-the-Loop

A system design where AI outputs are presented to human reviewers for validation, override, or approval before being acted upon. In AI hiring, this means AI evaluations are shown alongside — never instead of — human ratings. Required for high-risk AI systems under the EU AI Act (Article 14).

High-Risk AI System

Under the EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689), an AI system classified as high-risk due to its potential impact on fundamental rights. AI systems used in recruitment and selection of candidates are explicitly classified as high-risk in Annex III, point 4(a). High-risk classification triggers mandatory requirements for transparency, human oversight, data governance, and accuracy.

DSAR (Data Subject Access Request)

Under GDPR, the right of any individual to request a copy of their personal data held by an organization (data export) or request its deletion (data erasure). In recruitment, this covers candidate application data, interview transcripts, evaluation scores, consent records, and any derived profiles.

Time-to-Hire

The number of days from when a candidate enters the hiring pipeline to when they accept an offer. The average across industries is 36 days (SHRM, 2023). Top candidates are typically off the market within 10 days, making speed a competitive advantage.

Interviewer Calibration

The process of aligning interviewers on how to apply a scoring rubric so that different interviewers give similar scores to equivalent candidate performance. Regular calibration sessions reduce inter-rater variability and improve hiring consistency.

Behavioral Anchors

Concrete descriptions of what each score level looks like for a specific competency. For example, a score of 4 on "Problem Solving" might be anchored to: "Candidate broke a complex problem into components, evaluated multiple approaches, and measured the outcome with specific metrics." Anchors turn subjective ratings into evidence-based assessments.

AI Bar Raiser

An AI coaching system that provides real-time guidance to interviewers during live interviews. Suggests follow-up questions based on the competency framework, identifies gaps in candidate responses, and helps maintain interview quality across all hiring managers — inspired by Amazon's Bar Raiser program.

Talent Pool

A database of pre-screened candidates who have been evaluated but not yet matched to a specific open role. AI-powered talent pools use vector matching to instantly surface relevant candidates when new positions open, reducing time-to-first-interview from days to minutes.