A resume is how you give your first impression to hiring managers and they will use it to decide if they want to move further with you. While it is important to know what to put on a resume, how you include it is also crucial.
Because many recruiters and companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) today to rank, sort, and organize applicants, the keywords you add to the resume can make or break whether you get the job. That is why using a keyword optimization tool is so important.
This article is going to look in greater detail at why it is so important for job seekers to use keyword optimization in their resumes.
It Will Ensures Your Resume Actually Gets Seen By a Person
The main reason why you need to optimize your resume in terms of keywords is so that it actually gets seen by a person. If you don’t include the right keywords, an applicant tracking system may flag or eliminate your resume before anyone sees it. They allow and deny resumes based solely on their content, and many have several predetermined words or phrases that they want to see in a resume.
If yours doesn’t have these, you simply won’t be chosen. Many resumes will get caught by these systems, even if the applicants themselves were perfect for the job. A company will input a few words into the system, and the tool will scan through all of the resumes and only the ones with the right keywords will be pushed forward in the process.
It is also important not to make spelling mistakes in your resume. They look for very specific words, and if you spell one wrong, the system may not be able to tell. While a person may be able to understand what you meant, an ATS likely won’t.
It Shows You Are the Right Person for the Job
Once you get past the tracking systems in place, these keywords are also helpful for people who may see your resume. If you use the right keywords and industry slang or jargon, hiring managers may see this as you being right for the job.
They may look for specific types of software being included, hard skills, or even soft skills you possess. Of course, be sure not to keyword stuff and just fill your resume with a number of buzzwords, but if you can add them and have them be relevant, while also highlighting your experience, it can go a long way.
Choosing the Right Keywords to Use
While you have now seen why it is so important to think about the words you add to your resume, what types of keywords should you use? Well, it differs from industry to industry. In general, these will include pieces of software that may be often used in the industry, skills you possess, courses or certificates you have, and things like that.
Consider also using variations, as that can help. For example, if you have a Masters in Business Administration, it can be valuable to not only add that as a keyword, but also MBA. Both mean the same, but you never know which one the company may have instructed their ATS to look for.
Something like using power words is also a good idea as they can jump off a page and catch the eye of hiring managers, who normally just skim resumes. These words can include things like managed, planned, designed, as they show that you have had success in the past, and were trusted to make decisions.
If you are struggling with which words to include, or can’t narrow it down, consider checking the job posting or advertisement. Try to match the keywords in the ad and you should generally see favorable results.
As you can see, it is very important that you consider keyword optimization when creating your resume in 2022 and beyond.
