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 Lying about employment dates is the #1 reason offers get withdrawn at this stage — much more common than candidates think.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
Shared Parental Leave
UK scheme allowing parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay between th…
Compensation Package
The total value of base salary plus bonus, equity, pension, and benefits — not just the headline num…
Transferable Skills
Skills built in one context (industry, role) that apply to another — the engine of any career change…
PAYE
Pay As You Earn — HMRC's system for collecting income tax and NI directly from your salary, before y…