Resumé Tips

Resume Keywords

To Get Attention, Think like Google

Ok, be honest. How many hours have you spent scrutinizing fonts and cross-checking the thesaurus to give your resume some creative punch? Sure, it looks good, but something may be missing. While legibility and creativity are important, keyword content is crucial. Before spending another second on aesthetics, think about how you'd rate on the Google scale if your resume were posted online. Resume writing is a numbers game. Every keyword in your resume is a point towards hitting page one on a potential employer's search result.

Why is a Google mind important for your job hunt? Because most hiring managers and recruiters use a similar process to weed out unqualified candidates and find the best talent with applicant management software or online database services, like Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com.

Here's the bottom line: If your resume doesn't match the keywords companies used to find the ideal candidates, you may be lost in space.

"In today's economy, most industries have a bottleneck of new applicants over a limited number of choice positions. Keywords are more vital than ever for resumes, cover letters and your own searches for job openings," says Kathleen O'Grady, Director of Recruiting at 24 Seven and choosing the right words, she says, takes more than a few lucky guesses. It requires some homework to make sure the words you use lead you to your ideal job - or at least to the interview table."

Do You Speak Buzz?
Take a close look at the way your potential employers describe people like you. Most job postings are filled with industry- and position-specific buzzwords. Many of them have more than one term and that can cause some confusion when using a tracking system to find good candidates. If you need a refresher, start by browsing through a few job search websites and take your cues from postings that sound like they were written just for you. Then, use those postings to glean keywords or buzzwords you can use on your resume.

Look at multiple ads for the same position at various companies. Go through each posting and highlight the words and phrases that could be keywords used in the employer's search criteria. After you've reviewed several ads, make a list of keywords common to all ads. Those are the keywords that have the best chance of pulling your resume to the top of the heap when employers and recruiters do their searches.

Be a Detective.
Other sources for targeted keywords may include researching news articles on industry trends. Keeping up to date on issues employers and your colleagues face in the current environment will help you best position your accomplishments and the words used to describe them. Also, take a look at the top professional association websites and "movers & shakers" announcements in trade magazines or the business section of your local paper.

If you've got your sights set on a few specific companies, browse through their websites to better understand how they are organized, how they describe themselves, and individual position names if listed in the contacts section. You should also take note of the key values of the companies you are targeting. These values can generally be found in the "About Us" section of the website or in the mission statement.

Use Specific Keywords.
The more specific keywords you use, the more likely you are to find a match. For example, if you type the word "marketing" into a search engine, you'll get literally thousands of job descriptions. But if you type the phrase "online marketing manager," you're going to get fewer and more targeted results. Avoid using abbreviations for titles as they may not match what a company has entered in its search criteria.

Be Flexible.
Doing your keyword research may also give you a better idea on what positions are currently in demand in the work force. You can use this information to navigate your career in a direction that is in greater demand and attract more competitive offers.

Prioritize Your Keywords.
Not all keywords are created equally. To make sure your resume gets through the gatekeeper software, start by choosing the keywords that are most significant to recruiters and hiring managers and rank them in descending order.

Here are some basic guidelines rating your keywords:

1. Keywords that most commonly describe the position title and industry segment you're applying for. (ie. Senior Designer, Marketing Director, Entertainment)
2. Experience listed as "preferred" or "required" skills in job descriptions, usually found in the first two sentences (ie. Excellent oral and written communication skills, working knowledge of Action Script 3, Illustrator and Photoshop, etc.)
3. Names of companies or top brands you've worked for.
4. Keywords related to industry trends or business strategy (ie. Recruiting, store launch strategy, customer retention, cost reduction, etc.).
5. Active leadership words (ie. Managed, designed, created, upgraded, oversaw, etc.)
6. Technology, e-commerce, software and hardware. (ie. Illustrator, Photoshop, Tech Paks, Powerpoint, etc.)
7. Personal and Company values (ie. Progressive, forward-thinking, design style descriptors, etc.)
8. Top educational requirements

Front Load & Repeat.
Many experts recommend front loading your resume with the most important keywords in a "Summary of Qualifications" or "Professional Profile" section. Remember to repeat the most important keywords and skills several times in your resume and cover letter. Many search programs look for "keyword density," ranking your resume by how many times keywords are used throughout the document.

Put Your Resume to the Test.
Now for the final review. Once you've researched and ranked your keyword list, cross-checked it with your resume and analyzed for any adjustments, take a final look at the entire document or ask a friend to read it. Which words are missing? Which ones do you need to move to the top? What can you do without?

By using your Google mind, the frequency and relevance of keywords will move your resume to the top of the search results and help you land a position at the interview table!