The Secret to Finding Keywords in Job Description

Keywords are very important for your resume and the right keywords can land you up in front of an interviewer. Two very important aspect of adding keywords:

Discoverability:

Keywords make your resume more discoverable. By incorporating relevant keywords in your resume, you increase the likelihood that your posting will appear in search results.

Application Tracking System:

Many recruiters use ATS software to manage job applications. ATS Scans Your Resume and extracts information for specific keywords to filter and rank candidates. Including the appropriate keywords into your job description is essential for both attracting well-suited candidates and optimizing the hiring process.

Keywords are crucial to add in your resume. It helps your resume get noticed by applicant tracking systems (ATS) and human recruiters. The places where you can add keywords in your resume are:

1.      Professional Summary:

Let’s take an example of Financial Analyst

Accomplished financial analyst with strong background in financial and fraud analysis. Delivered a 15% acceleration in month-end closing processes and maintained an 80% accuracy rate in financial transactions. Led budgeting processes resulting in improvement in accuracy and managed over 500 fraud cases per month, mitigating potential losses. Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt & Green Belt. Pursuing MBA in Accounting and Finance from Golden Gate University to learn and apply new concepts in day-to-day processes. Eager to excel in financial and fraud analytics roles, driving data-driven insights and risk mitigation.

2.      Work Experience Section in past Job Descriptions and Accomplishments

Let’s take an example of Data Analyst:

• Devised effective company policies to ensure strict compliance with Labour & Employment Regulations

• Maintained spreadsheets using Excel to track 10+ KPI’s of company operations

• Transferred data from paper formats into database systems, ensuring all records storage in digital formats

• Presented data-driven findings and recommendations to senior management through clear and concise reports, facilitating data-driven decision-making at the executive level

• Conducted data quality assessments and data cleansing processes to enhance data accuracy

3.      Skills Section

Let’s take an example of iOS Developer:

• GitHub

• Apple Pay

• MADA

• Google AdMob

• Xcode

• UI/UX Design

• Git

• Performance Optimization

• Testing and Debugging

• Dart

• Flutter Framework

• Widget Development

• RESTful APIs

• Firebase

• Redux for Flutter

• Platform-Specific Code

• Testing in Flutter

• App Deployment

Finding the keywords in a job description is important for optimizing your resume and cover letter to match the jobs requirements. Steps to help you find and identify keywords in a job description:

1. Carefully Read the Job Description:

Start by reading the job description carefully from beginning to end. Pay more attention to the job title, responsibilities, qualifications or any specific requirements mentioned.

2. Identify Repeated Phrases:

Pay more attention to the phrases or words that are repeated throughout the job description. This repetition often indicates the importance of these keywords to the role. For Example: If “Marketing Strategy” or “Customer Service” or “Project Management” is mentioned several times then its indeed a crucial keyword. When a phrase or word is repeated in a job description, it indicates that the employer places significant emphasis on that particular skill or experience.

3. Identify Action Verbs:

Pay attention to the action verbs that describe the responsibilities such as “Coordinate”, “implement”, “develop”, “Execute”, “Manage”, “Analyze” etc. These words can provide insight into the skills and qualities the employer values.

4. Highlight key skills:

Make a list of essential hard skills and keywords. Hard Skills include programming languages, software applications, or industry-specific tools.

5. Focus on Qualifications:

Keywords in the qualifications section are especially vital. It may include specific degrees, certifications, or years of experience required for the position.

For Example:

 -         "Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field required," the keyword here is "Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field."

 -         "Minimum of 3 years of experience in Digital Marketing," the keyword is "3 years of experience in Digital Marketing”.

6. Company Specific terms:

Job descriptions may include industry specific jargons or company specific terminology. If applicable, include these terms if you have experience with them. For Example: “Capital Markets in Finance”, “Brand Positioning in Marketing and Advertising”.

7. Use Numbers and metrics:

Search for quantifiable data or metrics such as revenue targets, budgets, Number of team members you’d be supervising. These are significant keywords to consider.

8. Keywords for Application Tracking System:

It is essential to understand and include keywords that are commonly used by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). ATS software scans resumes and cover letters to assess how well they match the job description and identify qualified candidates.

9. Tailor your resume and cover letter:

 Tailor your resume and cover letter for each job application, using the specific keywords from that job description.

1. Mployee.Me Resume Keyword Tool
2. Resume Worded Targeted Keywords
3. JobScan