Working with scores of job seekers, the question about the importance of resume keywords often comes up. The answer, of course, is yes, but you must be strategic in how you go about incorporating them into the document and you must be selective in terms of the keywords you chose to include.
Why is this even an Issue?
Some of you may be wondering why this is a concern, as it is obvious to you that keywords must be used in a resume. However, many candidates feel that these buzzwords don't mean anything and that the hiring manager will say "so what" when reading their information. They are concerned that anyone can put a list of buzzwords together, especially if they do so in a separate competencies section in which they don't have to support the inclusion of those terms with any detail.
If this describes you, remember that the hiring manager is not the only one that will be reviewing your resume. In fact, they won't be the first to view it, as resumes must successfully pass through the HR screening process in most organizations. It is for this audience, the HR representative, that the keyword list is so essential. They will generally only spend between five and twenty seconds scanning each resume to determine whether a candidate should get passed along to the hiring manager. In that short window, they will not be able to read the resume, so they look at how your keywords match up with some of the requirements and preferences listed on the job posting.
Where Do I Place the Keywords?
Although having the keywords spread throughout your resume will generate hits on database searches, the HR folks won't have enough time to locate them in that manner. Instead, add a separate keywords section after your profile summary so that HR representatives can easily spot them and quickly scan through them.
What Keywords Do I Use?
Selecting your keywords appropriately is important. The best strategy is to review the content of the job posting to identify some of the language used, which will clue you in on the types of terms that the HR folks will be looking for on each candidate's resume. Also, consider the position you are pursuing and some of the most important attributes of a candidate in that type of job. Even if they are not included in the job posting, it may be beneficial to include them in your resume. One word of caution, however. Don't overdo it. Too many keywords will possibly turn off a prospective employer. Try to limit your number of buzzwords to about three or four lines of text, which may equate to between nine and sixteen terms.
If you have not been receiving calls from employers with your current resume, start by reviewing the keywords you have included in conjunction with the job descriptions you have posted for.
So who am I anyway? Why do I think my advice is so valuable?
My name is Stephen Van Vreede. My company is called No Stone Unturned, and I have spent 15 years on both sides of the corporate hiring experience. The short story is that I have an MBA in Marketing from Villanova University and a dual B.S. degree in Finance & Logistics from the University of Maryland. I am a certified professional résumé writer (CPRW) and a member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC). As I mentioned, I paid my dues in the corporate world eventually running a large-scale call center for a major truck rental company, and I have spent the past 7 years with No Stone Unturned, assisting job seekers in achieving their goals.
In February 2009, I launched a new group job hunting networking site: NoddlePlace.com. It is absolutely FREE to join, and you have access to everything on the site. Come check it out at NoddlePlace. You can also follow me on Twitter.
