Hiring and AI Terms Glossary for Small HR Teams
A hiring and AI terms glossary for small HR teams: 28 short definitions, each linked to a ReadyATS guide on ATS, screening, fairness, and industry hiring.
By ReadyATS Team · · 6 min read
This hiring and AI terms glossary is a short reference for small HR teams that are adding software to their hiring process. Each entry is a plain-English definition with a link to a ReadyATS guide or product page that explains the idea in more detail. Use it when a vendor, a counsel, or a hiring manager uses a phrase you want to pin down, such as applicant tracking system, AI resume screening, or bias audit.
The list is not a legal dictionary and is not legal advice. For rules in New York City and the EU, read the official sources in our legal guide.
Hiring and AI terms, grouped
Comparison table 1: scroll horizontally or focus the table region and use the arrow keys to read every column.
| Group | Terms in this glossary |
|---|---|
| The hiring system | Applicant tracking system, career page, job description, talent pool, source of hire, time to fill, time to hire |
| AI in hiring | AI hiring software, AI recruiting software, AI resume screening, Ask Maya, deterministic scoring, conversational apply |
| Fairness and rules | Automated employment decision tool, bias audit, Local Law 144, EU AI Act, high-risk AI system, human oversight, knock-out question, adverse impact |
| Day-to-day practice | Text recruiting, video interview, structured interview, background check, onboarding |
| Industry pages | Cannabis applicant tracking software, QSR ATS, hospitality ATS |
The glossary of hiring and AI terms
Adverse impact
A selection step that has a disproportionately large negative effect on a group protected by anti-discrimination law, even if the step looks neutral. Federal law still applies when the step uses software or AI. See is AI hiring legal.
AI hiring software
Software that uses AI for routine hiring work, such as screening applications against a job, sending follow-ups, and booking interviews, while people make the hiring decisions. Read the ReadyATS page for AI hiring software.
AI recruiting software
Tools that use AI to help recruiters source, screen, message, or schedule candidates. Some are add-ons. Some sit inside an ATS. See best AI recruiting software and our comparison of AI recruiting software vs applicant tracking system.
AI resume screening
Software that reads a resume, compares it with a job's stated requirements, and suggests a match or a score so a recruiter can review the file. It should show its evidence and should not reject anyone on its own. See AI resume screening.
Applicant tracking system (ATS)
The hiring system of record: jobs, applicants, stages, notes, messages, and interviews in one place. See applicant tracking systems explained and the current best ATS systems guide.
Ask Maya
The plain-language search in ReadyATS. You ask about people in your own records, by skills, experience, location, or stage, and you can edit the filters before you contact anyone. See Ask Maya and AI hiring software.
Automated employment decision tool (AEDT)
The term used in New York City Local Law 144 for a computer-based tool that uses machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or AI, helps make employment decisions, and substantially assists or replaces discretionary decision-making. See is AI hiring legal and the NYC DCWP FAQ.
Background check
A review of information such as a criminal record or employment history, usually run by a screening provider after a person has progressed in hiring. In ReadyATS, Checkr background checks are available on Pro. This is not the same as any work-eligibility process. See background checks and hiring.
Bias audit
Under Local Law 144, an impartial evaluation of an AEDT by an independent auditor, including selection or scoring rates and impact ratios across required demographic categories, repeated at least yearly if the tool stays in use. See is AI hiring legal.
Cannabis applicant tracking software
An ATS used by cannabis operators to post roles, collect applicants, and manage hiring across locations, often with employer-set application questions. See the cannabis applicant tracking software page.
Career page
The employer's own jobs page, usually on the company domain, where people can read openings and apply without depending only on a job board. See job boards and microsites.
Conversational apply
An application that happens in a chat or text thread, with questions asked one at a time on a phone, instead of a long web form. See AI hiring software and text recruiting software.
Deterministic scoring
A scoring method that gives the same result when the same resume is measured against the same job. ReadyATS describes its match score this way on the AI Fairness page.
EU AI Act
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. It treats AI used in recruitment and selection as high-risk. The high-risk duties for Annex III systems apply from 2 December 2027. See is AI hiring legal.
High-risk AI system
In the EU AI Act, a class of AI systems that must meet extra duties. Recruiting and selection tools are listed in Annex III. See is AI hiring legal.
Hospitality ATS
An applicant tracking system used by hotels, resorts, restaurants, and venues to hire for steady and seasonal roles, often with text apply and a talent pool for later rehire. See the hospitality ATS page.
Human oversight
A person reviews, accepts, changes, or rejects what the software suggests, and the hiring decision stays with that person. See AI Fairness.
Job description
The written account of the role, including the work, the pay or pay range where you provide it, the hours, the location, and the real requirements. Those requirements are also what an evidence-based screen should use. See crafting job descriptions.
Knock-out question
An application question the employer writes, such as a required license, that can stop an application when the answer is no. It should be visible to the candidate and not inferred in secret by a model. See AI Fairness.
Local Law 144
New York City's 2021 law on automated employment decision tools. It requires a yearly independent bias audit, a public summary, and notice to New York City residents when an AEDT is used in the city. Enforcement began 5 July 2023. See is AI hiring legal.
Onboarding
The steps after an offer is accepted: paperwork, e-signatures, and the tasks that get a new hire ready to start. See onboarding best practices.
QSR ATS
An applicant tracking system used by quick-service and fast-casual restaurants to fill crew and shift-manager roles, often with mobile apply, QR codes, and a multi-location view. See the QSR ATS page.
Source of hire
The channel that produced a hire, such as a career page, a job board, a referral, or a rehire from a talent pool. It is more useful when you count hires, not only applications. See recruiting metrics.
Structured interview
An interview that uses the same job-related questions, and a shared way to score answers, for every person in the same role. See interview questions to ask.
Talent pool
A saved group of people you have already screened or hired, whom you can contact when a similar role opens again. See AI hiring software for how ReadyATS can resurface past applicants from your own records.
Text recruiting
Hiring communication sent by SMS from the ATS, such as an acknowledgement, an interview invite, or a reminder. ReadyATS includes 1:1 texting, with 1,000 messages a month included; more can be added, and SMS usage may cost extra. See five ways text recruiting software simplifies hiring.
Time to fill and time to hire
Time to fill is usually the days from an approved opening to an accepted offer. Time to hire is usually the days from application, or another defined start point, to acceptance. Agree on one definition and keep it. See recruiting metrics.
Video interview
A live or recorded interview on a camera, including Google Meet or Zoom for live conversations. In ReadyATS, Meet and Zoom scheduling is on Basic; recorded asynchronous video interview is on Pro. See video interviews and candidate screening.
If a term is missing, start with the AI hiring software page or this hiring and AI terms list and follow the linked guide.
ReadyATS is the ATS behind many of the examples above, from $199 a month with unlimited users and no per-user fees. No long-term commitment, cancel anytime.
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FAQ
What is this hiring and AI terms glossary for?
It is a short reference for small HR teams. Each definition links to a ReadyATS guide or product page, so you can move from a word to a fuller explanation.
Is this legal advice?
No. Definitions of Local Law 144, the EU AI Act, bias audits, and related terms are plain-English summaries with links to official sources and to our legal guide. Talk with your counsel about your own jobs and tools.
How many terms are included?
This version has 28 entries, from adverse impact to video interview, including fairness terms and three industry ATS phrases.
Does ReadyATS include AI hiring tools and an ATS?
Yes. ReadyATS is an applicant tracking system with built-in AI hiring tools, including resume scoring with evidence and Ask Maya. People make every hiring decision.