Remote Job Jargon—What CRM, KPIs, And 20 Other Acronyms Mean In 2024

Job searching is difficult enough.

Getting a remote job? It’s proving to be even more difficult.

Now, you’re trying to demystify corporate jargon in your efforts to land a remote job? Almost impossible, right?

It’s a lot to think about when job-hunting. You come across a job ad that includes terms and acronyms such as “CRM,” “ROI,” and “POS,” and you wonder if you should apply, because although the role seems like a good fit, those terms are strangely unfamiliar to you.

What’s worse, you don’t want to apply for the role and end up being embarrassed at the job interview and come off as a fraud or incompetent because you are new to the game.

In a study conducted by The Marketists which analyzed more than 1,000 job adverts on LinkedIn and Indeed, specifically for marketing roles, it was revealed that marketing jobs in particular are rife with corporate jargon and industry acronyms, which can leave many candidates confused.

Top Corporate Acronyms And Definitions In 2024

Interestingly, the top five corporate acronyms used the most in marketing job adverts are CRM, comprising 14% of job adverts, ROI, with nearly 11%, and SaaS, making up close to 5%, followed by CMS (4.40%), and DOE (2.53%). KPI comes seventh on the list.

1. CRM—customer relationship management software
2. ROI—return on investment
3. SaaS—software as a service, for example Microsoft products or Salesforce
4. CMS—content management system, such as WordPress
5. DOE—depends on experience—used in adverts regarding expected salary range
6. KPI—key performance indicators, these are used as benchmarks throughout a project and ensure everyone is working according to the same goals and delivering quality, and on time; this ensures individual, department, and company-wide success are measured accurately.

More Corporate Acronyms And Definitions

Some other corporate acronyms you may be sure to come across when applying for jobs, and especially remote ones due to the reliance on technology and ease of communication when using collaborative platforms, include:

1. WFH—working from home
2. RTO—return to office mandates—as a professional seeking remote work, let’s hope you never have to encounter this again in your career, right?
3. DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion, which refers to strategies and initiatives to promote diverse and inclusive workplaces globally.
4. EOD—end of day, meaning your manager or co-worker needs or expects you to complete a task or assignment by the end of your workday.
5. VPN—a virtual private network, which is a technology that protects your laptop or other mobile device when working, allowing you to connect securely to the company’s network without hackers or other cyber intruders accessing your network as they would if you relied on your home Wi-Fi alone.
6. SLA—service level agreement, which formally sets out expectations for the service that will be delivered to clients remotely.
7. AI/ML—artificial intelligence and machine learning. You might be more familiar with these terms, as they have increased in popularity over the past few months.
8. LMS—the learning management system your company uses to host your onboarding training and learning and development.
9. TAT—Turnaround time for a project.
10. ETA—similarly to TAT, ETA refers to turnaround time, as estimated time of arrival.
11. FTE—you might see this term come up quite frequently when applying for remote jobs and other flexible opportunities such as part-time work, as FTE means “full-time-equivalent” which means the salary for the job is calculated pro rata to the actual hours you are working.
12. BYOD—you might be instructed to not BYOD—that is, do not bring your own device for work use. Or if attending a work training conference in-person, they may request you to BYOD.
13. MFA—multi-factor authentication, which refers to the two or more steps you need to take to verify your identity before entering your organization’s software, laptop, or other company-owned system. This extends beyond a mere username and password, and can include biometric information such as facial recognition, your fingerprint, or a code sent to your work email or phone. MFA is a core component of cybersecurity and enables you to maintain the integrity of your data and lessen the risk of exposing your systems to hackers.
14. B2B/B2C—sales and transactions that are conducted on a business to business level (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C). For example, Microsoft and LinkedIn both sell software solutions to companies at the enterprise level (B2B), but they also provide solutions for individuals such as the LinkedIn Premium plan or the individual Microsoft 365 subscription.

Hopefully, this list of commonly used corporate acronyms will be your best friend as you embark on your new role, adding to your remote work vocabulary and enabling you to approach job interviews and your first day in your dream job with confidence and positivity.