Do you have the right keywords on your resume?

Your resume only has a few seconds to impress – not only recruiters, but also screening software! Many companies now use these tools to do a first selection from the pile of resumes received online.

Using the right keywords is essential: it must be appropriate, precise and strategic. To understand this well, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a robot, and in the shoes of a recruiter. It is the latter who determines the elements that the software will look for and how they will be written. Here are a few tips that should help you seduce them.

1- The resume must match the job offer

Read the title and description of the position to be filled carefully and identify the keywords: usually, the most important responsibilities are listed first.
The required skills must appear on your resume, under the same label: if the offer requires mastery of Word, write that you master Word, don't count on the search software to deduce it from your years of experience in office automation.

Use the common vocabulary of your field or employment sector,and don't hesitate to use other job offers or publications, forums, etc., to get the right terms and those used nowadays.

Make sure to write the keywords in the same way as in the description, avoid acronyms (an MBA does not contain the word "administration" for a robot), unless the sector requires it, and use synonyms, for example: project management, project direction, project completion.

Synonyms are essential for unsolicited applications. Consult offers in your field or sector and identify all the combinations that describe your experiences and skills.
The higher the "lexical" match between the resume and the offer, the more likely your resume is to be selected.

2- Action verbs and words
Recruiters are looking for candidates who are able to perform tasks and perform functions. If they use a robot first, you must appear very alive and active.

Identify the verbs in the offer and make sure they are present in your resume:
Recruiters want to know if you are able to manage, plan, organize, evaluate, develop, and not to "do development" and others.
Some offers seem to be written to facilitate the work of the recruiter and the selection software, take advantage of it.

Think and write in terms of skills:
Answer the question "I am able to..." and add what corresponds to the ellipsis. For example, replace your "functional English" with "converse, read and write in English".
Avoid classic words such as leadership, dynamism, teamwork and many others. Use instead motivator, unifier, mobilizer and their verb conjugations if they are important skills for the offer.


The right keywords in the right places
The most important keywords should be placed in strategic places. The software, and subsequently the recruiter, will interpret the position of the words in your resume.
The words used in the job title should ideally be found in a good position in your resume (your professional title, for example), while less important words can be found in the text (job description, training).

Indicate your field or sector of activity at the beginning of your resume:
you are a seasoned programmer, but the word "computer science" does not appear anywhere. In addition, it is often the first keyword entered by a recruiter, which can define its importance in the selection.
Add a "Skills" section to your resume. This can contain important keywords related to an offer, which you can easily adapt to another offer (yes, you have to adapt your resume to each job offer!).
Describe yourself in a few words and in a strategic and complete way... recruiters may well keep your resume in their candidate databases.

Specify your section titles to include keywords:
For example, the teacher you are will benefit from writing "Teaching experience" rather than "Professional experience".


This work requires time, reflection and precision. It is not just a matter of matching your resume to the announcement of the day... but of obtaining an interview to hope to be "employee of the month"!


Louise Bouchard.


Workopolis.com

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