UK Recruitment Glossary
Flexible Working
In recruiter context
The 2024 reform removed the old 26-week qualifying period. You can now ask for compressed hours, part-time, term-time, hybrid, or fully remote from day one, and you can make two requests in any 12 months. Employers must respond within two months and can only refuse on one of eight statutory grounds (cost, customer demand, etc.). In practice, recruiters tell me employers are using "insufficient work" and "performance impact" as the soft refusals. Frame the request around business benefit, not personal need — that's what gets approved.
Related terms
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
A contract that legally restricts what you can say about an employer or its information.
Cold Application
Applying to a job without any prior contact, referral, or recruiter conversation.
Screening Interview
The first interview, usually 20-30 minutes by phone or video, run by a recruiter.
Onboarding
The process of setting up a new hire — paperwork, equipment, training, introductions.