UK Recruitment Glossary
Pre-Employment Screening
In recruiter context
Standard for UK roles above £40k and most regulated industries (finance, healthcare, legal, public sector). Typical scope: identity verification, right-to-work check, employment dates and titles for last 5-10 years, qualification verification, reference calls. Some industries add: basic DBS or financial-services FCA check, social media screening, credit check. Run by third parties: HireRight, Sterling, Onfido. Lying about employment dates is the #1 reason offers get withdrawn at this stage — much more common than candidates think. Be precise across CV, LinkedIn, application form. Discrepancies under 30 days are usually overlooked; longer ones get queried.
Related terms
DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)
An umbrella term for hiring practices that broaden candidate pools and reduce bias.
Shortlist
The 3-7 candidates a hiring manager interviews after the recruiter has filtered the full applicant p…
Panel Interview
3-5 interviewers questioning a single candidate simultaneously — common at senior or competitive UK …
Worker vs Employee Status
UK employment status hierarchy: employee (full rights), worker (some rights including holiday and mi…