Welcome to our Career Center glossary. Here, you’ll find a list of terms and concepts frequently mentioned in our articles. These terms often carry unique meanings within the context of our Career Center, which might differ from common understanding. Therefore, think of this glossary as our way of ensuring we’re all speaking the same language.
abbreviation
A shortened version of a word or phrase, used to save space or time, for example, “info” for “information".
absent interview
The 'absent interview' refers to the online search employers or recruiters conduct, primarily on social media platforms, to gather additional information about potential candidates before scheduling personal interviews. It's crucial to exercise caution and good judgment regarding the content you share on social media, as it could impact your professional opportunities.
acronym
A word formed from the first letters of a phrase, usually pronounced as a word, like “GPS” for "Global Positioning System".
affordable
The Technology is deployed and used - in synchronicity with human involvement - to enhance an appropriate discussion, feedback and coaching strategy.
alternatives

ambition

anxiety

assurance
A state of mind in which one is free from doubt with faith in oneself or one's abilities.
authentic
Authentic indicates undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine. Therefore, authenticity means you're true to your own personality, values and spirit, regardless of the pressure that you're under to act otherwise. You're honest with yourself and with others and you take responsibility for your actions, the successes and failures or mistakes.
autonomous
Autonomy is all about having the freedom to call the shots in your life, making choices, and taking the reins independently, without feeling like you're constantly under someone else's thumb. It's about thinking for yourself, making decisions and acting in a way that aligns with your values and beliefs, rather than feeling swayed by what others expect of you or the pressures from society, authority figures or any other external factors.
calm
Free from distress or disturbance and emotional or mental control.
collapses geography
Implies that time and space restriction, segregations and divisions, increasingly becomes less of an obstacle when doing business, conduct work activities or being involved in the economy.
comfort zone
The comfort zone is a secure mental and emotional space where we feel at ease, with minimal stress or fear. It fosters confidence and stability, helping us navigate challenges. However, becoming too reliant on familiar routines and beliefs can limit growth and self-awareness. This resistance to change may hinder personal development and mindfulness, preventing us from embracing new opportunities and perspectives. Balancing comfort with openness is essential for meaningful progress and self-discovery.
composure
Evenness of mood or emotions or temper.
confusion
A state of mental uncertainty in which everything is out of order.
courage
Strength of mind to carry on in spite of adversity or in the face of danger.
covert
Covert actions or behaviour are concealed, secretive actions meant to evade detection. They occur discreetly, hidden from public view, contrasting with overt behaviour. These actions aim to achieve goals discreetly, maintain secrecy or manipulate outcomes subtly.
delight
To feel or express happiness, joy or triumph.
depression
A state or spell of very low spirits.
desperation
Utter loss of hope, faith and aspiration, encounter hopelessness and despair.
distress
The state of not being protected from injury, harm or evil and of great suffering of body or mind. Thus, distress normally results in severe stress, anxiety, depression, fears, helplessness, frustration, worries, fears, panic, agony, misery, …etc.
eclectic
An eclectic stance or approach deriving ideas, style or tastes from a broad and diverse range of different sources. The methods, techniques, beliefs, ideas, ...etc. that eclectically combine whatever seems the best or most useful things from a variety of different areas or systems, rather than following a single system approach.
economy
Economy is pertaining to the production, distribution, earning and use of income, wealth and commodities. In essence, economy is what does people do to earn a living and is an indication of how prosperous communities are.
environment

Excelling
Excelling is the process of becoming everything you are capable of becoming (i.e to become the best version of yourself). To be greater, better or stronger than you were the day before.
false positives
It may seem like everything is smooth sailing on the surface, but beneath that facade, there's a simmering pot of adversities, aggression, resentments, and hostility just waiting to boil over at any moment, triggered by even the slightest provocation."
fear
The feeling experienced in the presence or threat of danger. Regardless of whether real or perceived.
flow
Flow is a state of peak performance where a person is deeply focused and fully immersed in an activity. In this state, tasks feel effortless, time seems to pass quickly, and there’s a sense of control and enjoyment. Flow occurs when the challenge of a task matches a person’s skills, creating a balance that drives focus and engagement. It enhances productivity and creativity, allowing individuals to perform at their best without distraction or stress.
forces

Foster
To foster your growth means actively engaging in experiences that support development—such as seeking feedback, pursuing learning, embracing challenges, and making use of support and guidance over time.
globalization
Globalization is the the worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade and communications integration. Globalization implies the evolving of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods and services across national frontiers. However, it does not yet incorporate the unhindered movement of labor and - as suggested by some economists - might bruise smaller or fragile economies when applied indiscriminately.
happiness derailers
Happiness derailers are those pesky feelings that can really place a damper on our joy, bliss and delight in life, either by totally squashing them or knocking them off track.
Holistic
A holistic approach means looking at the whole person, not just one part of their life or a single problem. It’s based on the belief that everything in a person’s life is connected: mind, body, emotions, relationships, and surroundings all influence each other. Instead of only treating symptoms or focusing on one area, a holistic approach considers physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being together. It sees people as part of a bigger picture.
humanoid
A merging of human reasoning & android applications, which implies individuals performing as conditioned and trained algorithms, mainly employing a set of rules to be followed with obstacle-solving operations, lacking any creativity, improvisation and/or context.
informed consent
Informed consent to treatment is fundamental in both ethics and law. Clients have the right to receive information and ask questions about recommended therapeutic techniques so that they can make well-considered decisions about support, assistance and guidance. effective communication in the client-therapist relationship fosters trust and encourages shared decision-making.
Thus, before starting with any therapeutic strategy, a therapist should explain to a client what s/he intends to do, what s/he hopes that it might accomplish and any possible risks or potential consequences the client might face. Then, the client can either agree to the strategy, adjust, refine or reject it.
integrative
Integrative is combining two or more things to form an effective unit, system or service.
life-enhancing
Something that makes one feel happier, more content and makes life more fun. Thus, it is something that is directionalising and filters your mind, attention and unconscious responses so that you get and achieve more success, happiness and joy in your life. Thus, to make life better, more desirable and markedly greater in measure or degree.

minimum requirements
Minimum requirements are the basic skills, traits, or mindsets you need to make the most of Career Center services. They help you engage effectively, benefit fully, and stay prepared for change, so future challenges don’t catch you off guard.
misery
A situation or state that causes great suffering, agony and unhappiness, lack of joy.
modern day technologies
Available modern day technologies such as Skype, Hangouts, DropBox, WhatsApp, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Emails, Cellphones, ...etc.
monitor
Monitor or Monitoring implies continued close attention and checking the progress standard and quality of something for some time and keeping it under systematic Review through observations, evaluations and keeping a continuous record by deploying the monitoring cycle.
Therefore, assessing, evaluating and monitoring aims to either correct, adjust or tweak something SMARTly if and when necessary. For accurate monitoring and record-keeping, keeping a journal generally is the best way to do so. The RedNotebook application - available as open-source - is quite a handy journaling tool to use for this purpose.
optimism
An inclination to believe in the most favourable outcome.
overt
Overt actions are easily observable behaviours, readily apparent to external observers. They include visible actions like speaking or moving, openly displayed without needing interpretation. Overt behaviour contrasts with covert behaviour, which is concealed or hidden from view.
Paradoxical
When something is paradoxical, it involves two facts or qualities which seem to contradict one another, for example...
- Some sedatives produce the paradoxical effect of making the person more anxious.
- We were a team of individuals, as paradoxical as that may sound.
peacefulness
A state of freedom from troublesome or oppressive thoughts or emotions or feelings.
poise
A calm confidence in a person's way of behaving, or a quality of grace and balance in the mannar a person preserves him/herself under pressure or in a crisis.
productive

purview
Purview refers to the full scope and understanding of a subject, often tied to one's authority, responsibilities, or expertise. It's frequently used to define the boundaries within which an individual, group, or system operates or holds sway. In a broader sense, it represents the range of knowledge or comprehension within a particular field or topic.
question everything
Whatever the media is telling you, whatever the medicine industry is force feeding you, the assurances and promises of politicians, the salvation message preached by organized religions, generally accepted standardizations, the presented benefits of education and training, predictions of a future workplace, …etc.
Review
A detailed review to assess the quality, completeness, and relevance of submitted documentation.
robust
In a career context, robust means resilient, future-ready, and built to last. A robust strategy or tool, such as your Professional Portfolio, is grounded in clear goals, adaptable planning, and skill development. It’s designed to withstand setbacks, stay relevant as industries evolve, and support long-term success through thoughtful, ongoing preparation.
SCIO

semiotics
Semiotics is the exploration of signs and symbols in human communication, delving into various systems like language, gestures, and even attire.
signal to noise ratio
The 'signal to noise ratio' implies the difficuly we experience to allocate and identify useful/worthwhile/meaningful information, amongst the many useless information we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Thus, the frustration we experience to separate the wheat from the chaff.
space
In this context, space refers to your surrounding environment—both physical and mental. It includes the places, situations, tools, and conditions that shape how you think, feel, and act. Your space can support or hinder your focus, growth, and productivity, so it's important to be intentional about where and how you work, learn, and plan your future.
specialist
A specialist is a person who concentrates primarily on a particular subject or activity. A person highly skilled or competent in a specific and restricted field - for example - "he is a specialist in psychometric testing".
Stop to Think
When you stop to think, go beyond surface thoughts—look inward and reflect on the stories you tell yourself. These inner scripts shape how you see yourself and the world. Taking time to explore and test them helps you grow stronger, think clearly, and move forward with purpose.
TAFE
The abbreviation TAFE stands for "Technical and Further Education," describing vocational learning institutions.
Technology
Technology imply and refer to all methods, systems, processes and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes (e.g. cellphones, computers, the Internet, ...etc.).
the powers that be
"The powers that be" is a phrase referring to those individuals or groups of people who collectively control and hold authority over a particular domain or area of expertise. For example...
- Governments, both central and local, and the accompanying civil services.
- The upper management of businesses and organisations.
- Those who control the dissemination of information
- People who are highly regarded like Scientists, Researchers, Academics, Church leaders, etc.
Therapy
Regarded in a Career & Healing Center context, therapy should not be narrowly viewed as "to make well again" or to "fix" something that went "wrong". Therapy involves much more than that, it involves a process of identifying something undesirable and how to counteract, manage or correct it, deploying a variety of techniques such as psychological assistance or support, guidance, facilitation or coaching as needed to efficiently deal with the obstacle.
transactional
The idea that giving should always result in receiving often leads to keeping score in relationships. This habit of tracking who's given what and when can be unhealthy, especially in personal connections. While it might make sense in the realm of work and business, it can wreak havoc on our personal lives.
transformational
Relating to or involving transformation, or the process of change. It denotes the capability to bring about significant improvements or alterations in a given situation or circumstances.
trauma
Trauma stems from experiences that we couldn't properly handle at the time, leaving us overwhelmed when facing life's challenges. There are three main types:
- Acute trauma: This comes from a single, terrible event like an accident, assault, or natural disaster.
- Chronic trauma: It results from ongoing stressors like domestic violence, bullying, or abuse.
- Complex trauma: This happens when someone faces a range of traumatic events, often interpersonal and invasive, especially during crucial times like childhood.
unproductive

unsure
Not feeling, showing or taking action with confidence and certainty. As in sceptical and not being sure about the truth, wisdom or trustworthiness of someone or something.
vice versa
Vice versa indicates that what was said or written is also true in the opposite order. For example, if you're not particularly fond of someone and think the feeling is mutual, you can say: "I don't like Paul and vice versa".
well-being
The state of doing well, especially in relation to one's happiness or success.
Whole-Person
A whole-person approach sees the full picture - mind, body, emotions, relationships, and environment - all interconnected. It helps us avoid the dissected frog trap of missing the bigger picture by focusing only on isolated details.
worries
To experience concern, anxiety and frenzy, a troubled and uneasy mind.
Wise Words, Simple Truths
"Strong people are made by opposition, like kites that go up against the wind."
Frank Harris