Your Resume Keywords
Why? Because resume databases contain thousands if not hundreds of thousands of resumes. Recruiters search company data bases and internet job boards using position specific keywords. So it follows that your resume must contain position specific keywords. These keywords only need to appear one time on your resume for it to get found. How do you know which keywords to use? The job posting or advertisement is your best source of information. Most job postings consist of a position title, position or job description and the position requirements. Position TitlePosition titles are almost always included in a recruiter's search parameters. Position titles vary from company to company for similar job duties. A Customer Service Representative at one company may have the same responsibilities as a Client Account Coordinator at another.I do not recommend changing your actual position title to conform to a particular target job. That may come back to bite you when an employment reference is obtained. Instead, use the target position's title in your career profile or when describing your functional responsibilities. In the example above you would keep Client Account Coordinator as your title and include the keyword phrase 'customer service representative' in your career profile or your
functional work history. Position RequirementsAfter the job title, the position requirements are the next place to look for position specific resume keywords. The job requirements will list the education, experience, skills and abilities that are being sought.Notice here that some things will be listed as 'must haves' and others will be listed as 'desired' or 'a plus'. Focus on the 'must haves' first paying special attention to specific software skills, certifications and functional business experience. Include as many as possible that apply to you. And, of course, if you possess the 'desired' qualifications be sure to include those keywords as well. Job DescriptionThe job description is where the functional responsibilities of the position are shared. The primary responsibilities are typically listed first.Just as with position titles every company has its own way of phrasing certain functions. If you have experience performing basically the same functions, change the phrasing on your resume to match the target job. (Be sure not to overstate your experience though. You must be able to support everything you put on your resume or you run a big risk of losing credibility in the interview.) What if you're not able to customize your resume keywords for each position? Perhaps you're about to attend a job fair, are posting your resume on the job boards, utilizing a resume distribution service such as , or are responding to a two line classified ad. You won't be in a position to customize your resume keywords for each position. But you can still include relevant keywords. Gain a sense of which keywords to use by scanning jobs posted on internet job boards. Pay attention to the sections of the postings discussed above. Or go to the web sites of your target companies (or the companies slated to be at the job fair) to learn how those companies phrase certain functions or services. Check that you're including the optimum keywords by performing internet job searches using the keywords you've selected. If positions come up that you could be excited about you're on the right track. Including position specific keywords will make your resume easily scanned and readily found by computers. But to get face-to-face with the hiring manager there are other things to consider. For more help on how to write a resume
look here. Home to Job-Seekers-Edge.com from Resume Keywords How to Write a Resume
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