This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Judy writes:
I have worked information systems in many different industries and am attempting to streamline my resume to each company’s “buzz words” or keywords. Do you have access to or can you refer me to site to find these words?
Keywords are nouns and phrases that employers use to search internal and external resume databases when searching for job candidates. While this practice started in the technology industry, it has certainly spread to many other industries, and more and more job-seekers are placing keyword sections on their resumes to strengthen their chances of being selected. (See our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness, for more details.)
The best way to develop a list of keywords for your resume is to first examine your accomplishments and skills areas. Second, examine the type of job you are seeking to move into. Third, conduct some job searches at our job board and some of the other major job sites and make a list of the keywords from the job postings (using, for example, job title, job description, qualifications, skills, software, industry jargon, etc.). You might also consider searching the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for keywords.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Judy writes:
I have worked information systems in many different industries and am attempting to streamline my resume to each company’s “buzz words” or keywords. Do you have access to or can you refer me to site to find these words?
Keywords are nouns and phrases that employers use to search internal and external resume databases when searching for job candidates. While this practice started in the technology industry, it has certainly spread to many other industries, and more and more job-seekers are placing keyword sections on their resumes to strengthen their chances of being selected. (See our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness, for more details.)
The best way to develop a list of keywords for your resume is to first examine your accomplishments and skills areas. Second, examine the type of job you are seeking to move into. Third, conduct some job searches at our job board and some of the other major job sites and make a list of the keywords from the job postings (using, for example, job title, job description, qualifications, skills, software, industry jargon, etc.). You might also consider searching the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for keywords.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
In larger corporations, resumes will be entered into a keyword-searchable database, so job-seekers should know key skills and software packages and list them as appropriate, said human resources manager John Logan in the Q&A interview he did with Quint Careers.
Having those key words on a resume will get a candidate into the search pool, but employers still have to review each resume to understand the depth of skills in desired areas. Job-seekers should remember that it’s NOT about buzzwords, it’s about having the skills that an employer needs. Employers should remember that resume databases are tools to help find candidates with required skills, but those databases cannot replace reviewing resumes against the job specifications. “Despite technology, I believe there is still some art in the employment process,” Logan said. Database systems may not format a resume correctly, and appearances do count to interviewers. Job-seekers in creative fields (graphic design, advertising, performance, etc.) have more leeway in resume format.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
Use the right keywords in your resume, writes Deborah Walker in her article for Quint Careers, Is Your Resume Lost in the Great Internet Void?.
More than ever, resumes are stored in a database and queried for keywords to indicate candidate match. If you aren’t using the right words to describe your employment experiences, then your resume might be rejected before it’s ever seen. Review the keywords your resume uses to:
- Describe your dream job. Do your qualifications match the job description? Look closely at areas listing your technical skills, job responsibilities and core competencies.
- Attract your desired industry. Are you using industry buzzwords? In other words, does your resume talk the employer’s talk?
- Attract your occupational field. Do the phrases you use prove your level of experience in your field? [See our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume.]
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
Have health goals in 2010, but no time to exercise and eat right?
Propose a flexible work arrangement and you'll have the margin of time to prepare healthier meals, work out more often and lose weight as a result. Learn more.
|
Job Search: |
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, a subsidiary of
EmpoweringSites.com -- DeLand, FL 32720
Home Page: http://www.quintcareers.com/
Email: randall@quintcareers.com
Copyright © Quintessential Careers. All Rights Reserved
Serviced by Movable Type Solutions Company