After just a bit more than 15 years in the BPM space, I will say two things:

Thing One: What BA Essentials has to say about how to name stages holds true throughout the BPM industry. In general, a stage (milestone) name should provide a clue as to where a case is in its lifecycle. This is typically best accomplished using a noun or noun-phrase. For example, in a mortgage application case, using stage names such as "Origination," "Underwriting," and "Pre-Closing" make it very clear what state my case is in. 

Thing Two: When it comes to naming stages, lines are rarely drawn. While I do not agree with all of the stage names used for the Candidate case you refer to, the stage names do provide some clue as to the state of a candidate's job application. A candidate is currently being "Interview"ed or maybe has an "Offer" on the table.

If one were to draw a line in the sand over how to name stages, draw this line:

Does the name provide a clue as to the state of the case? And, bear in mind that this clue needs to be meaningful to the business, or customer.

p.s. Did you know that "collect" can also be a noun? 

(in church use) a short prayer...

I bet there are some job applicants that would see that as appropriate.

eddie

I agree with every "thing" you said, Eddie, I just wanted to point out the inconsistency for content creators going forward.

Despite 13 years of parochial primary education, and some graduate seminary, I had never known the noun, "Collect". I appreciate the additional education, and heartily agree with your figurative bet. :-)

-tom

BTW, I have noticed that IT folks with rather "pure" BPM background tend to use nouns for stages, while those from more programming-oriented background tend use verb phrases. For what that observation is worth, put that in my stake on your bet. :-)