What Are Resume Keywords?
Keywords are specific words or phrases that job seekers use to search for jobs and employers use to find the right candidates. Keywords are used as search criteria in the same way you do research on the web. The more keywords you use, the more closely the job will match what you’re really looking for.
Using the right keywords for your particular experience and education is integral to the success of your resume and cover letter if it is ever scanned or e-mailed into an electronic resume database. Without the right keywords, your resume will float in digital space forever waiting for a hiring manager or recruiter to find it. If your resume contains all of the right keywords, then you will be among the first candidates whose resumes are reviewed. If you lack only one of the keywords, then your resume will be next in line after resumes that have them all, and so on.
Your keywords are the experience and skills that come from the specific terminology or “buzz words” used in your job field. Where do can you find these key words and phrases? Here are some sources loaded with great industry key words.
• Major Search Engines (google.com, yahoo.com, msn.com, etc…)
• Online Job Postings on major job boards (indeed.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com, hotjobs.com )
• Professional Association Sites (e.g. www.shrm.org, www.ieee.org)
• Free Resume Databases (e.g. jobvertise.com)
• Enlist help of our resume writing firm to assist in writing your resume
www.CareerSolutionsCenter.com
Most keywords are qualifications, and job-specific terms employers and recruiters look for in a job candidate. Here’s a list areas to consider when listing your keywords:
• Degrees or Certifications
• University or College Names
• Job Titles
• Product Names
• Technical Terms
• Industry Jargon
• Job-specific Buzzwords
• Company Names
• Service Types
• Professional Organizations
• Software or Hardware Packages
• Computer Lingo
Great Resume Key Words
• Strategic planning
• Performance and productivity improvement
• Organizational design
• Infrastructure development
• New media
• Internet
• E-commerce / E-Business
• Change management
• Team-building
• Leadership
• Competitive market
• Product positioning
• Investor and board relations
• Oral and written communications
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• MBA
• Project management
• Customer retention
• Business development
• Corporate vision
• Long-range planning
• Cost reduction
Resume Help: Action Verbs to Use in Your Resume
Acknowledge
Administer
Advise
Allocate
Anticipate
Analyze
Apply
Assist
Attend
Balance
Budget
Chair
Coach
Collaborate
Collect
Communicate
Compare
Compile
Complete
Comply
Comprise
Compute
Condense
Conduct
Consolidate
Consult
Counsel
Decide
Define
Design
Determine
Develop
Diagnose
Direct
Disseminate
Educate
Ensure
Establish
Estimate
Evaluate
Examine
Explain
Facilitate
Follow Up
Forecast
Formulate
Guide
Identify
Implement
Improve
Influence
Inform
Initiate
Innovate
Inquire
Inspect
Instruct
Interact
Interpret
Interview
Investigate
Lead
Listen
Maintain
Manage
Meet
Model
Monitor
Motivate
Negotiate
Organize
Participate
Perform
Persuade
Place
Plan
Prioritize
Process
Produce
Program
Project
Promote
Propose
Provide
Purchase
Recognize
Record
Recruit
Research
Respond
Restate
Review
Revise
Reward
Schedule
Search
Seek
Select
Sell
Serve
Solicit
Summarize
Support
Survey
Train
Treat
Troubleshoot
Update
Upgrade
Use
Validate
Write