How can you use resume keywords to land your dream job?

Keywords matter, but you know what matters the most? Showing hiring managers and recruiters why you are the best fit for the job. Showcase your metrics and measurable impact through short stories using the PSI (problem, solution, impact). Every hiring manager is envisioning you in the position, and showing them how you have made an impact previously can help them see you in the job doing the same thing. Remember, anyone can say, "I'm a team player, I'm dependable, I have integrity," but metrics and impactful stories help you stand out from everyone else.

You can't put jelly beans on top of steak and serve it as a dessert. It is just a weird a*s way of serving steak. Similarly, if you can't shoe horn keywords onto a resume and expect that they will make you qualified. If a company is seeking a Director of Human resources who has multinational experience in nonunionized plant operations, that should be appearing naturally in your resume as a description of your role and the context of that role. Write a resume which reflects the context, your responsibilities, and your key accomplishments. Keywords appear naturally, like sugar in a lovely cake you serve for dessert.

Keywords are those pesky words and phrases used in job descriptions. They are created to help recruiters search for applicants based off of their listed skill sets (this is found on your resume, cover letter and even on your LinkedIn profile - so don’t neglect them). Examples if you still are not understanding keywords: Do you drive “innovation strategies” or lead “continuous improvement”? These are the terms needed to help ATS systems sort and categorize applicants and they carry significant weight in your applications. These can change depending on the role you’re applying for and the employer and their needs. Make sure to update them on your resume as you apply to roles and update on LinkedIn as you progress in your career!

Currently, there are over 500 ATS systems, so you never know which one you will get when applying for a job. Resumes go through a parser and are read by a bot before a human. The bot assigns a mathematical score to your resume against the job description as it reads entire phrases and not just keywords. The terminology that reads phrases in your resume with the words before and after the keywords is called contextualization. You must have one solid base resume and then customize the keywords and key phrases for each resume to match each and every job application. So, you will take the base resume and "save as." Avoid the ATS and network your way to your next job, but you still need keywords and meet qualifications. :-)

The ATS is not a robot, it’s more like a CRM—simply a database Recruiters use to store applications & candidate info. In my 8 years of recruiting—using at least 5 different ATS at companies like Amazon, Uber, & ThoughtWorks—I’ve never encountered an ATS that auto-rejects based on keywords. The only auto-rejection I’ve seen is on application screening questions (do you have a bachelor’s degree, do you require sponsorship, etc.) I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it is uncommon. That being said, keywords are still helpful because Recruiters use ATS to search for past applicants that may fit new roles. If I’m looking for a Marketing Specialist with Marketo experience, I’d use “Marketing” & “Marketo” in the search function.

ATS, the gatekeeper of job applications, uses sophisticated algorithms to scan for keywords and rank resumes based on their match with job criteria. They're a time-saving tool for employers, helping filter out unqualified candidates. ATS scans in various ways: exact match, synonym match, phrase match, and keyword density. Understanding how these scans work is key to optimizing your resume for success!

The job description is your road map. If the job description is asking for experience with something and if it's not on your resume, hiring teams will assume you don't have that skill set. Use the keywords to your advantage. Think of it this way: If I'm hiring a backend software developer with experience in Ruby on Rails frameworks, I'm going to be looking for Ruby on Rails in your resume AND backend engineering. If your resume reads front-end React developer, how am I going to think you're a fit for the backend Ruby developer role? I'm likely going to assume you didn't read the job description and move on. Be strategic with how you articulate your experience and use the keywords in the job description to help you identify your skillset

Choosing the right keywords for your CV would help you rank higher when applying to jobs on company websites and LinkedIn jobs. Tailoring your CV to the keywords you typically find in job descriptions would help you match what most employers ask for a specific job. You can use two ways to find the best keywords to show in your CV. The first option is to manually scan different job descriptions and pick the keywords you see most often (Or you can ease this process using Chat GPT) The second option would be to sign up for LinkedIn Premium. LinkedIn would suggest the most common keywords you would need to use to rank higher when applying for jobs. Adding the right keywords would help you reach recruiters and hiring managers more easily.

Unlock the secret to selecting the perfect resume keywords with these steps! - First, dissect the job description to understand its requirements. - Second, craft a list of keywords aligning with your skills and achievements. - Third, prioritize the most relevant ones for the job. - Fourth, cross-verify against the company website, industry publications, and LinkedIn profiles to ensure consistency. - Fifth, leverage tools like keyword analyzers or word cloud generators for added insights. Elevate your resume game with targeted keywords that make you stand out!

Keywords are useless without context. For my clients, we use keywords in the experience section and in the Highlights section (which I use instead of a Summary) and then we tie them to tangible results. The higher your level, the less you need to name-drop tools and technologies in your Experience section (unless it's directly called out as a requirement in the job description.) However, you should still include those in a section near the bottom of your resume for quick searchability.

The most underutilized section for capturing keywords is the experience section. From my experience, I have found that when candidates hear the word "keywords", they only think about: - Title section - Branding Tagline - Dedicated Skills section - Key Highlights section In actual sense,the experience section too can be tapped into. For instance, by categorizing achievement bullets under small subheadings of a keyword or infusing direct keywords or variations in the bullets,is a great way to communicate keywords with context as opposed to just listing. In conclusion, reordering bullets that contain the most important keywords or required skills to appear first is equally valuable.

An idea is a good as the implementation! Integrate them seamlessly into your summary, work history, education, and achievements sections. Context is key, so showcase your value and impact naturally. Remember, strategic and selective use is the name of the game—enough to demonstrate your fit, but not so much that it feels forced. And don't forget variety! Experiment with synonyms, acronyms, abbreviations, and plurals to align with both ATS and human readers. Elevate your resume with precision and flair!

The ATS scanning and simulators are a joke. Want to truly test your resume? Hold it up side-by-side with the job description and look at it from an outside perspective. If you were reading your resume for the first time, would you consider yourself the MOST qualified for this role? Not any general role, but this specific role. If your answer is no, it's time to go back to the drawing board. Shift your mindset from beating a system to just clearly showcasing your qualifications. Don't let the fear-mongering of magical ATS bots deter you from applying.

Honestly, I don't think resume keywords need to be--or should be--tested. The real test lies in how closely your resume relates to the jobs you are posting to and how well you can 'talk the talk' at the interview, on the job, or out in the field.

Stop worrying about ATS, it's literally a digital file storage system. It doesn't reject you, and it has zero power to make hiring decisions. Remember, your resume should be written and tailored to fit your audience for each job. Every recruiter and hiring manager wants to clearly see how you are a fit for the job. If you are not tailoring your experience, you are making it exponentially harder for people to move you forward to an interview, especially if they can't figure out why you are the best qualified. This isn't rocket science.

I like to think of a job description as a list of problems. Your role as the candidate is to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best person to come in and fix their problems. Use keywords from the job description on your resume because each company has their own unique language / jargon. And you want to highlight problems you’ve solved in the past relevant to their keywords aka problems. This can make it easier to pass ATS while hiring managers / recruiters are able to connect your relevant experience to what they looking for. When we are able to tailor the keywords to make the hiring managers job easier, it helps us stand out and increases our chances of landing more interviews.

You only have an audience of 3 for your resume: focus on the recruiter, the hiring manager, and the ATS. A dedicated Keywords section will 'survive' the ATS. Learn to 'game the system' with a doc that gets attention. Lastly, heartbreaking but true, more ATS are focusing on the online application and digitizing (photographing) rather than scanning treating the resume as a redundant doc. I suggest filling leftover space in ATS fields with keywords after you complete your response. THERE ARE NO RULES to applying for a job. A keyword section is OK online and on paper. Do what you must to rise to the top of the ATS pile. PS ALSO, time is of the essence. Copy/Paste redundant content to the online. Don't rewrite every time. Just modify.

Yes, keywords matter. But let's get real...if you fill your resume with keywords you don't know how to use, it will come out eventually. You'll need to read the job description and input your relevant skills and accomplishments in your resume. Highlight the points where you excel. Describe your successes with data and examples that are applicable to the job. If you find yourself packing your resume with keywords that you don't know, that job is probably not for you.