Make your Resume Stand out by Using Keywords

Keywords are an often-used tool on the internet, but many job-hunters don’t realize that they can be a powerful tool in resumes, too. Adding carefully-chosen keywords to web content gives web site owners an advantage because those keywords increase the chances of a search engine pulling up the web site in a search. The same principle applies with resumes.

Why use Keywords?

The use of keywords improves your resume in two ways. First, a hiring manager or recruiter can pick out those keywords when scanning your resume. A busy hiring manager may not have time to read every word on every resume they receive. Instead they might simply scan each document looking for important words or phrases that describe the type of candidate they’re most interested in.

The second reason to use keywords is that hiring managers and recruiters often enter resumes (and sometimes cover letters) into searchable databases. Adding keywords to your resume gives you a better chance of having your resume pulled up by the hiring manager or recruiter when they search the database.

Choosing the Right Keywords

The first step in choosing the keywords that will get your resume noticed is to examine the job posting for the position you’re applying for. Note the key phrases that appear in the posting, and then make sure as many of those phrases as possible are included in your resume.

Often the most important keywords are industry-specific, and you’ll need to examine job postings to discover the right ones to use. However some key words and phrases are more general, and are important to most hiring managers. These include items such as problem-solving, team-work, leadership, management, and communication skills.  View our resume keyword database.

Adding Keywords to your Resume

When adding keywords to increase the database visibility of your resume, nouns that relate to the skills an employer is looking for are all-important. However, you’ll still need to add action verbs to make your resume more attractive to the people who read it.

Take a lesson from smart web site owners, and add keywords to your resume in a way that makes sense. Don’t add keywords that describe skills you don’t have—you might end up getting a call-back based on your resume, but then you’ll have to deal with telling an interviewer why you don’t have the skills you claimed to.

Also, please review our Resume Writing section for resume examples, tips and tools.  If you need more help, please consider using a Career Counselor.