|
Resume Keywords
A winning resume gets you
the interview leads to a successful interview.
As discussed in step four
of the r�sum� writing process, using the right keywords for your
particular experience and education is critical to the success of your r�sum�
if it is ever scanned or e-mailed into an electronic r�sum� database.
Without the right keywords, your r�sum� will float in cyberspace
forever waiting for a hiring manager to find it. If your r�sum�
contains all of the right keywords, then you will be among the first
candidates whose r�sum�s are reviewed. If you lack only one of the
keywords, then your r�sum� will be next in line after r�sum�s that
have them all, and so on.
Remember, your keywords
are the experience and skills that come from the specific terminology
used in your job. For instance, operating room and ICU immediately
classify the experience of a nurse, but pediatric ICU narrows it down
even further. Don't try to limit your r�sum� by using fewer words.
Recall, however, that you only need to use a word one time for it to be
considered a "hit" in a keyword search. Try to use synonyms
wherever possible to broaden your chances of being selected.
You should also understand
the difference between a simple keyword search and a "concept"
search. When a recruiter opens an electronic r�sum� file in MS Word
and sends the computer on a search for a single word like
marketing�which you can do in any word processing program with a few
clicks of a mouse or function key�he or she is performing a keyword
search. You are also performing a keyword search when you type a word or
combination of words into the command line of a search engine like Yahoo
or Excite.
A concept search, on the
other hand, can bridge the gap between words by reading entire phrases
and then using sophisticated artificial intelligence to interpret what
is being said, translating the phrase into a single word, like network,
or a combination of words, like project management.
The software that allows
scanners to read your paper r�sum� and turn it into an electronic r�sum�
is able to do just that. Resumix, one of the most widely used applicant
tracking systems, reads the grammar of noun, verb, and adjective
combinations and extracts the information for placement on the form that
will become your entry in a r�sum� database. Its expert system
extraction engine uses a knowledge base of more than 120,000 rules and
over ten million r�sum� terms. It even knows the difference between
Harvard Graphics (a computer software program) and Harvard (the
university) by its placement on the page and its relationship to the
header that precedes it (Computer Skills or Education). Aren't computers
amazing?
Because of this
complicated logic, and because companies and hiring managers have the
ability to personalize the search criteria for each job opening, it is
impossible to give you a concrete list of the thousands of possible
keywords that could be used to search for any one job. For instance, in
one high-tech company I interviewed, a keyword search included the
following criteria from two different hiring managers for the same job
title:
Financial Analyst
Required
-
BS in finance or
accounting with 4 years of experience or
-
MBA in related field
with 2 years of relevant experience
-
certified public
accountant
-
forecasting
Desired
-
accounting
-
financial
-
trend analysis
-
financial statement
-
results analysis
-
trends
-
strategic planning
-
develop trends
-
financial modeling
-
personal computer
-
microcomputers
-
DCF
-
presentation skills
-
team player
Senior Accountant
Required
Desired
-
ability
-
customer
-
new business
-
financial analysis
-
financial
-
forecasting
-
process improvement
-
policy development
-
business policies
-
PowerPoint
-
Microsoft Word
-
analytical ability
You can see why it is so
difficult to give definitive lists of keywords and concepts. However, it
is possible to give you samples of actual keyword searches used by
recruiters I have interviewed to give you some ideas. Let me emphasize
again that you should list only experience you actually have gained. Do
not include these keywords in your r�sum� just because they are listed
here.
Business Manager
(Central Archive Management)
Required
Desired
-
business plan
-
line management
-
pricing
-
team player
-
CAM
-
marketing
-
product strategy
-
vendor
-
general management
-
OEM
-
profit and loss
Business Operations
Specialist
Required
Desired
-
ability to implement
-
CList
-
data analysis
-
off-shift
-
team player
-
automation
-
ability to plan
-
customer interaction
-
VM, CMS, JCL
-
REXX, UNIX
-
MVS
-
analytical ability
-
customer interface
-
network
-
skills analysis
-
automatic tools
Senior Software
Engineer
Required
Desired
-
C++
-
customer
-
hiring/firing
-
prototype
-
structured design
-
code development
-
DASD
-
methodology
-
real time
-
supervision
-
communication skills
-
experiment design
-
problem solving
-
software design
-
testing
Secretary III
Required
Desired
Click here for ResumeEdge.com,
give your resume an edge!
|
