The recruiter says you are a passive candidate — what does this mean?
Active vs. passive: most experienced engineers are passive (headhunted via LinkedIn, referrals). Passive signal: "Open to Work" (private mode) on LinkedIn. Key vocab: "passive candidate", "active candidate", "open to opportunities", "inbound recruitment", "headhunted".
2 / 5
Building a referral network for job search — what is the most effective approach?
Referral network: long-term investment. Warm referral >> cold application into ATS black hole. Give before you ask: help others, share opportunities, engage genuinely. Key vocab: "referral network", "warm referral", "cold application", "ATS (Applicant Tracking System)", "give-first networking".
3 / 5
What is an inbound career strategy?
Inbound vs. outbound: outbound = cold apply (high rejection, ATS black hole). Inbound = blog/talk/OSS makes you findable. "People hire engineers they've heard of." Key vocab: "inbound career strategy", "outbound job search", "visibility-driven opportunity", "be findable".
4 / 5
Negotiating a job offer after being referred — what advantage does a referral provide?
Referral value: company saved recruiting cost, manager is invested. Vocabulary: "given the enthusiasm both parties showed", "I'd like to align on compensation before we proceed". Key vocab: "referral negotiation advantage", "pre-qualified candidate", "recruiting cost saved", "negotiation leverage".
5 / 5
An engineer is building LinkedIn visibility but worried about their employer seeing it — what are the professional norms?
Content safety: general technical topic = safe. Company specifics / client data / proprietary systems = not safe. IP clauses cover what you build, not what you learn and share generally. Key vocab: "professional content safety", "proprietary information boundary", "non-disparagement", "general technical content".