Reading the title sounds like a bit like “Speed Dating.” In Speed Dating, you have 60 seconds to make an impression on the other person, which could result in a future date, or be a complete bust!
Similarly, with your resume, you have only a handful of seconds to make an impression on a potential employer. In today’s market, employers receive hundreds of resumes for open positions. As they scan resumes, they are looking for keywords that show them this person should be moved to the next level instead of the “circular file.”
In addition, more than three-quarters of employers rely on keywords to narrow their vast pool of applicants to choose the most promising and bring them to the interview stage. Many companies today use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter through resumes. They enter position descriptor keywords into the search criteria and may immediately cull 4,000 resumes down to 76. The more must-have keywords they see in that brief scan, the more likely that candidate will move to the next stage and land a phone interview or face-to-face. Writing resumes that get you hired is all about how you display information and what keywords you use, no matter how experienced you actually are.
So how do you identify these keywords? Look at the job posting. The job description lists “must-have” qualifications for applicants. Some of these might be the name of the city where the position is based, specific skills, required foreign languages, programming languages or educational degrees. Once you have identified these keywords, use them early and often in your resume. In addition to using these words often and as near the top of your resume as possible, use them in your cover letter.
Fitting in the most important keywords without appearing to “keyword stuff” your cover letter is an art. A tool to help with this is called a word cloud. The most popular version of a word (or tag) cloud generator is Wordle, but there are many other options out there.
You can use your favorite word cloud generator to compare the frequency of words in a job opening and your resume or cover letter. Why is this a good idea? You’ll quickly see if any words in your resume match the words in the ad. What you are seeing in that word cloud is the key vocabulary in the text—keywords. You’ll also get an idea of how often you use certain words to describe yourself. Does your resume word cloud show an active, effective candidate? Does anything in the word cloud match the position for which you are applying? If it doesn’t, get some guidance from the best resume writing service you can find to boost your chances.
Beyond creating an intriguing executive resume cover letter, it’s a good idea to create a “skills” punch list to include in your resume. These keywords can be anything that mmakesyou stand out and emphasize the things at which you are best. Don’t forget, you are offering a unique spin because of your individuality. Build on that uniqueness. Some examples of skills would be Customer Service & Relations, Staff Leadership, Information Technology, etc. Just make sure that they relate directly back to the skills/qualifications outlined in the job posting.
Writing resumes that get you hired is all about how you display information and what keywords you use.
In addition to creating a “skills” punch list, incorporate the keywords into your career summary, your professional experience, and accomplishments. Make sure as you are formatting your resume to use bullet points, bold text, and indentations to your advantage to make your resume look clean. Contact us to help you create the most eye-popping resume.
Once your resume is complete, it’s time for evaluation. Here’s a way to evaluate your resume, and it’s based on the way it will be evaluated when it reaches the employer’s desk: Pick up your resume and scan it for 30 seconds, then cover it and write down what you remember. Actually, thirty seconds might be longer than most HR people look at it, but they have developed serious speed reading skills. What do you remember about your resume? What stands out? Now consider that your resume is something with which you are familiar – and it was probably hard to remember what you said about yourself. Imagine what it’s like to read through hundreds of resumes in an attempt to find the best candidate to call for an interview.
Once you have done this, get some objective feedback. You can get feedback from friends, family , nd colleagues or even professional executive resume writers. Ask them to look at your resume with these questions in mind: Why should I hire you? Who are you and what do you bring to the position? If the answer to these questions isn’t obvious, then you need work on your resume. Contact us to make your resume stand out and land the interview.
Erin Kennedy, MCD, CERW, CMRW, CEMC, CPRW, BS/HR, is a Certified Executive Resume Writer & Career Consultant, and the CEO of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of 16 best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. She is also one of only a few professionals worldwide to achieve the coveted “Certified Master Resume Writer” distinction. With over 18 years of writing experience behind her, Erin has written thousands of resumes for every career level and every industry.
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