What’s better?

People?

It's suitable but not sufficient - all candidates are people but not all people are candidates, and it's important to have a single word that is used consistently throughout the hiring process.

Prospect?

A bit salesy, especially when our engagement should be as much about them and their needs as ours.

Customer?

Customers bring custom and can walk away with no consequence – not so easy for a job seeker that is emotionally invested.

My view remains that the best word is Candidate. A term that can be used consistently across the whole process, with further definition depending on their suitability or status.

I don’t think any other word has the right substance.

Looking for work is one of our key challenges. It needs the right word to represent this.

What’s wrong with Candidate?

Too clinical, too cold?

Only if we let it.

The problem isn’t the word. It’s the connotation it’s become associated with – bad service, ghosting, commodity recruitment, no respect from employers. And so on.

The same can be said for the term Recruiter. How many great Recruiters are embarrassed to say what they do, out of work, because of a bad reputation being built in industry?

“I’m a recruiter but, you know, not like the others”

I’m proud to be a Recruiter.

We repackage words to try and reinvent the industry. To get away from bad connotation.

The problem isn’t words.

It’s the behaviour that underpins them.

Don’t change the words – change the behaviour.