Keywords get extra notice on resumes

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, March 13, 2007

In the old days, job seekers filled their resumes with buzzwords or catch phrases to show their knowledge and experience in a particular field.

An employer would pick up a resume and quickly scan for specific words, titles or phrases such as finance, marketing executive, controller, administrative assistant, project manager or customer service.

Keywords are the same thing with a modern twist. Many companies use database technology to manage the resumes they receive, and electronically search the documents based on industry-specific words or phrases. In the past, job candidates had to impress the secretary in order to be referred to the human resources department.

These days, the computer software serves as the gatekeeper to other departments, and the only way to get through the door is to include the right words and phrases in your resume. For this reason, it is essential that you use keywords to strengthen your document before you send it to a company.

One of the best sources of keywords is the actual job announcement, which will likely contain many of the terms that an employer will use to search the resume database. Read the position description carefully, and look for phrases that are typical to the industry, position and particular company.

For example, most employers in the education sector will use keywords such as education, academics, teaching and curriculum development to streamline their hiring processes. If you are seeking a leadership role, add keywords such as administration, decision making, financial planning and strategic planning.

To find more keywords, read the Web sites of many companies in your field. The most important words and phrases will appear repeatedly, in various sources.

Now, review the job posting one more time, noticing the special requirements of the position. For instance, you may find an advertisement that says, “Team player with 10+ years of experience in educational leadership including budgeting, supervising 80+ personnel and designing programs for middle and high school students.”

If these qualifications apply to you, find a way to incorporate them in your document. Insert the actual phrases from the ad, such as “team player,” “10+ years of experience,” “educational leadership,” “budgeting,” and “designing programs,” and combine them with other words that are used widely in your industry.

Here a few additional tips for using keywords in your resume: