If you’re in the middle of searching for a new position then chances are you might have come across what I like to call ‘job advert jargon’.

Most of these abbreviations are pretty commonplace – but saying that, even I occasionally come across one that has me stumped!

Therefore, I thought I’d put together a brief guide to job advert jargon so you know exactly what the employer is asking for before you submit your application.

CCDL: Stands for ‘Clean current driving licence’, meaning a full, in-date driving licence that doesn’t have any penalty points on it.

Circa: Means ‘about’, and indicates that the pay on the advert might not be exactly what you get.

Competitive pay: Sometimes, you’ll see this instead of a salary on a job advert. It means that you should be paid a similar amount to what other employers are offering for the same job. You should research what pay is on offer elsewhere so that you know what to expect – and what to ask for.

DBS check: Stands for ‘Disclosure and Barring Service check’. This is a check of your criminal record and other police information, required in certain jobs.

DOE: Stands for ‘dependent on experience’, meaning that how much you are paid if you get the job will depend on how much experience you have.

Fixed contract, fixed term contract or FTC: A job that lasts only for a certain amount of time, such as six months, or until a certain piece of work is finished. Once the fixed contract is up, the employer might offer you a permanent job, but they don’t have to.

Freelance: Means you’re applying to do some work for the organization, but they won’t be taking you on as an employee, which affects your rights and how you pay tax.

FT: Full-time.

Internship: A job you do mainly for the experience rather than the money, which means you’re likely to get paid less – or not at all.

OTE: Stands for ‘on-target earnings’. In a job where what you are paid depends on your results, this is the amount that you will make if you hit your targets.

P.w: Per week (used when showing pay).

Per annum or p.a: Per year (used when showing pay).

Permanent: A job that doesn’t have a scheduled end point, unlike a fixed-term contract.

Pro rata: Used when listing pay for a part-time job, this means that the figure shown is what you’d get if the job was full-time, and you’ll get a proportion of it based on the hours you work. For example, if a job offers £20,000 a year pro rata for three days’ work a week, you’d get £12,000 a year.

PT: Part-time.

Remuneration: Pay (and anything else you get in return for your work).

Unsociable hours: Work outside the normal working day, such as night work.

Article source: https://www.brightknowledge.org/knowledge-bank/career-pathways/jobhunting-tips/understanding-job-advert-jargon