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Human Resources vocabulary · Recruitment & Hiring

Candidate

Meaning in human resources, with examples

/ˈkændɪdət/nounCore term

In human resources, candidate means: A person who is being considered for a job, for example because they have applied or because a recruiter has contacted them.

In Turkish: aday, iş adayı

How it is used

Recruiters use it for anyone in the hiring process: strong, ideal or internal candidates. Applicant means someone who has formally applied; candidate is wider and is the usual word once interviews start.

Example sentences

  1. We've got three strong candidates for the finance role, and I'd like you to meet all of them.

  2. The hiring manager would prefer an internal candidate if possible.

  3. Please let the unsuccessful candidates know by Friday.

Common collocations

  • strong candidate
  • shortlisted candidate
  • internal candidate
  • unsuccessful candidate
  • ideal candidate
  • shortlistTo choose a small group of the best applicants for the next stage, usually an interview. As a noun, it is the list of these people.
  • screeningThe first stage of checking applicants to see whether they meet the basic requirements for a job, before deciding who to interview.
  • interviewA formal meeting in which an employer asks a candidate questions to find out whether they are suitable for a job.
  • recruiterA person whose job is to find and hire new employees, either in a company's own HR team or at a recruitment agency.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Recruitment & Hiring

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