Resume Key Words and Phrases employers look for|How to find.

To find the appropriate resume key words and phrases that employers look for on resumes is the most annoying but important part while writing resume for job application. It is now an established fact that choosing the right key words and phrases for resumes writing and placing them in the appropriate places are keys to get calls for interviews. There are specific words meant for different segments of the resume statement such as job titles, objectives, summary, education, experience description etc. I have seen from my long experience as HR head of an organization that many job seekers are eliminated just due to not having the appropriate key words the employers look for in the resumes. It has also been seen that rejections of resumes are not infrequent for use of some negative words. Therefore, for writing a winning resume you should not only be particular about using the appropriate resume key words and phrases but also be careful to avoid using a list of negative words.

What are resume key words and phrases for resumes writing?

Key words for resumes are those specific words used by the employers in their job posting to categorize the classifications that include knowledge, skills, talents, and experience, which employers look for in a candidate. There are software applications that employers use which search out the resume key words and phrases used in the job applications of the candidates relevant to the expertise they are seeking for. To speed up the selection process among a large number of applications received against the job posting the employers use such software to scan the resumes for the key words and select the ones that match the most relevant resume key words they are looking for. The employers sometimes also enter negative key words in the program database to eliminate the resumes using those negative words. While you may be otherwise a desirable candidate as per your skills and experience, if you are not able to find out the right key words for the resumes your application may not get selected. You must, therefore, use resume key words and phrases correctly and in a planned manner in descriptive locations so as to get picked up by the employer's software in the scanning process.

How to find resume key words and phrases

There are mainly two sources from where you can find the resume key words and resume key phrases for employers that have impact and the power to sell your resume. The first source is employer’s job description in his job posting. By reviewing the employer’s job description thoroughly you can find out the key words the employer has used in the job posting relevant to qualification, skills, talents and experience required by him in the candidates.

The second source from where you can find the key words and phrases for resumes is by examining the employer’s website, media releases and articles about his business from where you can often discover some terms specific to the company and the business that can be used as keywords into your resume statements.

How to Use the Key Words and phrases in a Resume

Once you have a list of resume key words and phrases for employers, you need to know how to use them in the resume. First you should categorize theses words according to their significance. The words relevant to education, skills and experience that are essentially ‘required’ for the job should form one category while the qualifications, often referred to as ‘helpful or desired’ may form another category. Similarly, the words attested to skills or abilities which you ‘possess’ may be under one category and those you ‘do not possess’ may form a separate category.

Next, ensure that the key words to use in a resume make sense. Try to include the resume key words and resume key phrases that are relevant and relatable to the ‘required skills’ for the job in the introductory summary of skills and under your work experience section where they make the most sense. If you had several employments in the past you should include the latest one first and then mention about those jobs only, which you feel most pertinent to the position you are looking for. This would permit you to use the ‘desired’ category of key words for resumes writing quite easily. Always try to avoid employment gaps on a sequential resume even if it needs mentioning of any past employment not relevant to the skill requirements. However, disclosure of information about such work experience should be kept at minimum. Here, let me give you some tips on how the skills or experience description required for the position, which you do not possess, can get your resume picked up through the employer’s scanning process. For this purpose incorporate the key words categorized under skills you ‘do not possess’ in your resume and the resume will get through the employer’s scanning process. Do not mention that you have the required skills but you can use them in the objective statement of your future plan or under education section in the resume. There is possibility that going through your qualifications mentioned in the resume, the employer may grant you an interview.

Some times you may find that your education, experience or skills may not be matching exactly with the relevant resume key words the employers are looking for on resumes, which are job specific phrases used in the job description. In such cases try to tally the expressions used by the employer whenever possible in your resume statement without, of course, altering the names of things like equipment, devices or programs, which may be radically different. Only ensure that the job description in the employer’s post is not different from what you have actually learnt or you can perform or the skills you have.

Conclusion

In conclusion I can say that the key words and phrases used in your resume statement must make assertion that enthuse and persuade the employers to wish for an interview with you. Therefore, choosing the appropriate resume key words and phrases that employers are looking for and placing them in right places in the resume statement is the key to get calls for interviews from the employers.