Your Comprehensive Guide to Resume Keywords

Understanding how to find them and why they can make or break your job search.

Have you applied to job after job without getting so much as a nibble from any potential employers? It’s probably because you don’t have the right keywords on your resume.

This seems like such a simple thing, but did you know that 95% of resumes don’t even get seen by a recruiter? Yup! You read that right… All because of something called an Applicant Tracking System.

If you don’t know anything about me yet, I’ve been a corporate recruiter for the last decade working with some big name Applicant Tracking Systems on a daily basis. They are very helpful to me because they help save me time by showing me the resumes that match the closest to the job I’m trying to fill.

I’m also a professional resume writer and have really enjoyed getting to write resumes that I know will get in front of a recruiter. It’s almost like a game to me!

The main job of an Applicant Tracking System is find the resumes who match closes to their job and they have a very specific way of doing that.

They see a job description that has been uploaded into their system and what keywords the recruiter may have ranked as important. Then, they scan thousands of resumes in the blink of an eye and throws out 95% of them.

The lucky 5% get to be seen by the recruiter where they will also personally scan for keywords that fit the job description.

The good news is that it’s not hard to tell which keywords should be on your resume.

The easiest thing to do is take a look at the job description that you’re trying to apply for and write down any words that show up a lot or seem to be an important skill.

Make note of any skills, certifications, licensure, or education that may be required for that position. If you see specific software programs that the job description mentions and you have some experience with it… write it down!

You don’t need to be an expert at a particular skill or program that they are listing. Definitely don’t lie and say you have something you don’t, but don’t sell yourself short either.

Look for soft skills as well like “team player” or “creative”. Those will be good words to dot throughout your resume as well.

There are a few options when listing out your keywords and they vary by which kind of keyword you are using.

You can create a separate section in your resume for the formal details. For things like certifications, licensure, or education, they should be carefully listed out with all the details that are required and everything the recruiter is going to want to know.

This can include the name of the certification/degree, where you got it from, what year if applicable, and any licensure numbers and expiration dates.

Hard Skills are more measurable skills that you have demonstrated ability in.

These can include experience doing some part of the job duties or some skill that you’ve acquired through on the job training.

I recruiter for healthcare positions. So when I’m filling a nursing assistant role, I look for experience with things like direct patient care, EKGs, bladder scans, blood draws, etc.

These are skills that you need to know to do the job successfully and something that, as a recruiter, I am going to want to make sure you know before I interview you.

It’s the same for any job — look in the job duties or requirements section in the job description. They will spell out exactly what you will be doing and what you will be required to know.

Make sure the appropriate hard skills for whichever job you are applying for are front and center on your resume. You can add a “Skills” section towards the top of your resume so it’s easy to scan and see quickly.

These days, soft skills are super important. Recruiters want to know if you’re going to be able to fit with the team or organization.

These can usually be found in the organization’s mission or values statements. You can also find them on the job description usually in an opening or closing paragraph that gives some information on the company.

Certain skills like “problem solver” or “creative thinker” can be added to the skills section on your resume.

Most will be added in your summary section on your resume. You can use them as ways to describe yourself, such as “Dedicated and Loyal Team Player”.

It’s important to know how a recruiter reviews a resume so you can see where to put keywords on your resume.

Recruiter may be getting hundreds or thousands of resume for a single job that they will be tasked to review. Even after an ATS scans and throws out most resumes, there will still be a lot left over to personally review.

With that in mind, know that the average recruiter spends 6 seconds reviewing a resume and deciding whether to interview the person or not.

I can personally vouch for that!

My eye immediately goes to the keywords section and the job titles and dates on a resume. If I see what I’m looking for, I usually set up an interview to discuss things further.

If it’s not painfully obvious that you have the skills I’m looking for to fill my job, you usually don’t get the opportunity to interview even though you might be a perfect fit for the position.

Your resume is your first impression. It’s like your elevator speech. You are going to want to prove you can do the job just to get a shot at an interview.

The keywords on your resume are probably the most important thing to worry about.

Now go check out a job description and see how many keywords you can find!

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