The online application process has changed the way to find a job and the way resumes are written. It used to be easy. Put together a great resume and formal cover letter, mail it to companies in response to a job opening and wait for a response. The only time you had to fill out an application was as part of an interview.
Now, to apply for a job you have to fill out an online application for every position--a tedious process without any certainty you will even get an interview. The resume you attach or cut and paste on the application will be scanned for keywords that match the job description. If there aren’t enough keyword matches, the application will never reach a hiring manager’s desk. That’s a lot of effort for little or no result.
How can you tell if your resume contains the right keywords for the position opening? There are several ways to be sure your resume is keyword friendly.
1. Match up responsibilities to your work experience. Go through your resume and mark the words that describe your past responsibilities, software, computer programs, certifications, etc. Next, do the same with the job posting. Modify your resume where possible to match the keywords in the job description.
2. Put the keywords in several areas. The summary statement at the top of your resume should contain the most frequent keywords from the job posting. Make a list of appropriate keywords and list them under your job titles for each position. Be careful not to overload your resume, since the automatic scanners can detect an overload and may reject the resume altogether.
3. Use an online keyword detector like www.wordle.net. Wordle is a word cloud generator that will pull out and display keywords according to their frequency in a document. First, cut and paste your resume into Wordle to create a visual of keywords. Next, do the same with the job description of the position you want to apply for. The keywords will be displayed with the most frequent showing as the largest words. It’s a great way to visually spot the major keywords and makes it easy to adapt your resume to match the keywords in the job description.
4. Turn the tables and find jobs that match your expertise and work experience. Use keywords from your resume to search for jobs on an online jobsite. This may limit your options, but it will make it easier for your resume to make it through the preliminary digital scanning.
It may seem like a cruel game, but outsmarting the digital scanner with the proper keywords is essential if your resume is ever going to be seen by human eyes. Keep it real, but including the right keywords can help make the phone ring with an interview opportunity.
What other ways can you find the magic keywords for your job search? Share your tips in the Comments section below.
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