What's the big deal about resume keywords?

During the 1990s, technology capabilities advanced significantly and the Internet became an indispensible tool for job seekers as companies began posting openings on job boards and Web sites.

Today, job applicants can literally fire-off hundreds of resumes per day.  To keep up with the huge volume of applicants, HR departments have turned to Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).

There are many manufacturers of HRIS software, each offering a variety of bells and whistles.  What job seekers need to know about is the applicant tracking software (ATS) module of the HRIS because it's this part of the software that processes, evaluates and stores resumes.

How does applicant tracking software work?

It's a simple process.  When a company has an open position, the supervisor writes a job requisition.  HR puts the data in the ATS and posts the opening on the company Web site and job boards.

When you send a resume to apply for the position, the ATS checks your resume against the job requirements.  Depending on the number of qualified candidates, HR may or may not enter more requirements to narrow the pool more or a human reviewer may step in to evaluate the resumes.

Why your resume needs keywords.

The resumes that score the highest on the ATS evaluation are the resumes that are flagged as the most qualified for the open position.  The more your resume keywords match the words in the job listing - the higher your resume will rank.

But wait - there's more than resume keywords to consider.  As technology continues to advance, so do software capabilities.  Initially, ATS performed only simple resume keyword searches.  It would look for particular words and count how many times they appeared, assuming the more times a word showed up, the more qualified the candidate.

Today's ATS systems are capable of complex calculations based on individual resume keywords, a combination of keywords, patterns, job title progression and other factors - they can even learn.  It's called contextualization.  The software finds keywords and evaluates the surrounding information to further identify the most qualified candidates.  It interprets how recent the required experience is and it can even figure out how far away from the office you live.

What resume keywords should you use?

Scan job requirements and descriptions in your field to identify your best resume keywords.  If you're interested in a particular position, make sure you use keywords from that opening in your resume.

Use as many resume keywords as you can without overdoing it.  And don't just start throwing words in your resume willy-nilly.  Support your keywords with additional data that reinforces your expertise.

Resume formatting is just as important as keywords.

Keep the format of your resume simple.  Limit pictures, graphics, lines and logos.  These items don't communicate well with applicant tracking software.  Don't use a lot of italics either.  Some computers don't read italics fonts.  You don't want to be eliminated from the running because of a formatting issue.

Customize your resume with keywords.

Customizing your resume to each opportunity is the best strategy for today's job market.  Consider having a general resume as a starting point, then tailor your resume with keywords for each position.

Is your resume getting the results you need?  If not, call or email us for a free resume critique, info@executiveresumeresource.com or 251-895-2125.