Jargon from the Jungle

All business subcultures have their own way of talking, and recruiters are no different. Here’s some slang from the front lines of the talent wars.
By Inc. Staff

Lift-out n. When an entire team of employees is recruited from a competitor at once: “Good news: We engineered a complete lift-out of ACME Corp.’s programmers.”

On-boarding v. To hold frequent follow-up meetings with a recent hire to ensure he or she is happy in the new position: “I’ve been on-boarding with Jane ever since she became a vice president; frankly, I’m worried that she’s being poached by ACME.”

Peel v. To dig through a company’s Web site in search of its staff roster: “Take a couple of hours and peel ACME’s site; I’d like to know how many vice presidents they have.”

Peel back the onion v. To learn more about a candidate by conducting several lengthy, in-depth interviews and asking a battery of pointed questions: “The guy’s a Harvard M.B.A., but he starts to stink when you peel back the onion.”

Poach v. To use aggressive and questionable tactics to lure away a rival’s top talent: “Who needs recruiting when you can be out poaching?”

Ruse v. To call a competitor’s office and misrepresent yourself, play dumb, or work the receptionist until you’re connected with a job prospect: “To hell with the receptionist—just ruse her.”

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