Keywords are critical to the successful electronic search of your resume. Job boards and employers use database systems that have built-in search engines, which look for keywords associated with particular job openings. (These search engines work similarly to those you use on the Internet.)
There’s no set list of keywords; they will vary from one job opening to another, depending on what the job opening requires. Keywords are determined and input by the recruiter or hiring manager who’s looking for a candidate to fill a particular job.
A keyword search might look for up to 60 keywords. The keywords in your resume indicate important information about you, such as:
- Technical expertise
- Management skills
- Industry knowledge
- Education and training
- Geographic location
- Employment history
Once the database system’s search engine has been given a list of keywords, it will locate all resumes in the database that contain any of the keywords, count the number of keywords per resume, and rank the resumes accordingly.
More sophisticated systems employ synonym-search capabilities to locate similar words as well as exact keywords. For instance, if a search engine is asked to find the keyword “writing,” the engine may also find resumes with words such as “documentation,” “report,” and “proposal” — all very similar terms.
Some systems allow recruiters and hiring managers to give selected keywords more weight in the ranking system, based on the keywords’ relevance to the job opening. For example, if leadership is more important than technical knowledge for a particular job, the recruiter can tell the system to give more value to leadership (compared to technical knowledge) when ranking candidates’ resumes.
Because keywords are so important to the success of your resume, let’s go over some tips for good keyword placement.
List of Keywords
On a sheet of paper or separate word processing document, list 20 to 60 terms that describe your qualifications for the job you’re interested in. These terms can be both technical and nontechnical. For example, you can list the computer applications you know (e.g., Adobe Photoshop and QuarkXPress) as well as your business management skills (e.g., conflict resolution and negotiations). If there’s a choice between various forms of the word (noun, verb, adjective, or gerund; e.g., manager, manage, management, or managing), include all forms so the computer definitely finds it. It’s fine to place adjectives with keywords (e.g., “team management”).
To be sure your qualifications are found by the search engine, list acronyms and their spelled-out versions. You don’t want to take a chance that an acronym could be ignored by a search engine because the hiring manager forgot to ask the engine to find either the acronym or the spelled-out version of the acronym. For example, if you put only NFL on your resume and the manager asks for National Football League, the search engine may not pull up your resume.
Keywords in the Text
Incorporate all of your keywords into the statements in your resume text. Look for opportunities to list your keywords under logical headings. For example, you could put all of your computer applications under a Computer Skills heading, or you could list your management skills in one of your Summary of Qualifications statements (e.g., “Skilled at contract negotiations, conflict resolution, benefits administration, and internal communications.”).
For example here’s the list of keywords for Tina Juan, followed by a portion of her resume containing those keywords.
The keywords in Tina’s resume are highlighted here so you can see them. On the resume she sent the employer, of course, they are not highlighted.
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Step 2: Make a List of Keywords for Your Resume
Keywords are critical to the successful electronic search of your resume. Job boards and employers use database systems that have built-in search engines, which look for keywords associated with particular job openings. (These search engines work similarly to those you use on the Internet.)
There’s no set list of keywords; they will vary from one job opening to another, depending on what the job opening requires. Keywords are determined and input by the recruiter or hiring manager who’s looking for a candidate to fill a particular job.
A keyword search might look for up to 60 keywords. The keywords in your resume indicate important information about you, such as:
Once the database system’s search engine has been given a list of keywords, it will locate all resumes in the database that contain any of the keywords, count the number of keywords per resume, and rank the resumes accordingly.
More sophisticated systems employ synonym-search capabilities to locate similar words as well as exact keywords. For instance, if a search engine is asked to find the keyword “writing,” the engine may also find resumes with words such as “documentation,” “report,” and “proposal” — all very similar terms.
Some systems allow recruiters and hiring managers to give selected keywords more weight in the ranking system, based on the keywords’ relevance to the job opening. For example, if leadership is more important than technical knowledge for a particular job, the recruiter can tell the system to give more value to leadership (compared to technical knowledge) when ranking candidates’ resumes.
Because keywords are so important to the success of your resume, let’s go over some tips for good keyword placement.
List of Keywords
On a sheet of paper or separate word processing document, list 20 to 60 terms that describe your qualifications for the job you’re interested in. These terms can be both technical and nontechnical. For example, you can list the computer applications you know (e.g., Adobe Photoshop and QuarkXPress) as well as your business management skills (e.g., conflict resolution and negotiations). If there’s a choice between various forms of the word (noun, verb, adjective, or gerund; e.g., manager, manage, management, or managing), include all forms so the computer definitely finds it. It’s fine to place adjectives with keywords (e.g., “team management”).
To be sure your qualifications are found by the search engine, list acronyms and their spelled-out versions. You don’t want to take a chance that an acronym could be ignored by a search engine because the hiring manager forgot to ask the engine to find either the acronym or the spelled-out version of the acronym. For example, if you put only NFL on your resume and the manager asks for National Football League, the search engine may not pull up your resume.
Keywords in the Text
Incorporate all of your keywords into the statements in your resume text. Look for opportunities to list your keywords under logical headings. For example, you could put all of your computer applications under a Computer Skills heading, or you could list your management skills in one of your Summary of Qualifications statements (e.g., “Skilled at contract negotiations, conflict resolution, benefits administration, and internal communications.”).
For example here’s the list of keywords for Tina Juan, followed by a portion of her resume containing those keywords.
The keywords in Tina’s resume are highlighted here so you can see them. On the resume she sent the employer, of course, they are not highlighted.
90 Resume Samples
Susan Ireland’s Ready-Made Resumes
Professional Resume Writers