Use Keywords to Stand Out from the Crowd

Q: Where can I find industry “keywords” to include on my resume and LinkedIn profile?

A: If you’re on the job hunt, it is critical to be conscious of industry keywords. From application materials to resumes and social media sites, you want to be sure to remain on-brand with your target industry. Your goal is to make it easy for the employer or recruiter to see that you have exactly what they are looking for in a job candidate. It is your job to anticipate the keywords that employers and recruiters will search. Here are two ways to identify “keywords” to get an employer’s attention:

1.) Print out the job description for each position you are interested in. Highlight specific skills, technical experience, job responsibilities, and knowledge that match your qualifications for the position. Include the exact language and terminology used in the job description on your application materials. (Synonyms won’t cut it!) Many employers and recruiters do keyword searches. You may be the most qualified candidate for a certain position, but if you do not have the appropriate keywords on your resume and/or LinkedIn profile, you will not show up in the employer’s search. Tailor your resume for each individual position to help the employer recognize that you are a good fit for the position.

2.) Use Word Clouds! A word cloud is a grouping of keywords generated from a mass of text. A visual representation of word frequency in a given text is produced. For example, if you were to copy and paste a job description into a word cloud database, the word cloud system will identify the most significant terms from the text and group them into a word cloud. You can then implement keywords that were determined into your LinkedIn profile and resume. It is a good idea to create a word cloud of your resume, and compare it to the word cloud of a particular job description. Ideally, you will have the same keywords in both word clouds. If you don’t, perhaps you could rework your resume to reflect the job description.  Wordle is a great source. “Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.”wordle.net

The importance of keywords can’t be stressed enough. Many companies, large and small, use Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates before they ever make it through the application system to a hiring manager. This helps companies weed out unqualified candidates. Unfortunately, the computer system is not always the best judge. Click here to learn more about Applicant Tracking Systems on the CareerCat Blog. Use keywords to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. 

Posted by Kelly Allgeier