What Keywords to Use in My Resume

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Keywords have been around for a long time. My clients often ask me about keywords as if there is some clandestine group of human resource managers who maliciously plot to trick job seekers by eliminating candidates who, although qualified, are missing the magic words. It really is not that hard to figure out keywords. There are several ways to do it.

The best way to determine what keywords you should have in your resume is to look at the job announcement itself. This is especially true of federal job announcements. You should pay particular attention to the section that describes the duties. As you read, highlight all of the technical terms used. For example, here is an excerpt of a federal job announcement with the keywords underlined:

“…Monitors progress toward organizational goals, evaluates and makes adjustments to improve the program. Identifies problems, determines accuracy and relevance of information and uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and to make recommendations to improve programming….”

If this is the job you want to apply for, you need to make sure you have mentioned these skills somewhere in your resume.

The next best way to locate the keywords that are most common for your profession is to look at one of the following websites here or here. Both sites are very user-friendly and will walk you through the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform any career. There is so much information on these two sites to use for your resume, you should never again be at a loss for words.

Another place to look for keywords is on the website of the organization you are applying to. You may find details about the organization that would inspire you to add more to your resume or cover letter. Be especially attentive to the Mission Statement for the organization. This is great information to use not only to determine if the agencies mission statement is in line with your own interests, but to prepare for an interview, should you be selected for one. It looks great to the employer if you are knowledgeable about the organization during the interview.

No matter where you find keywords, it is best to work them naturally into your resume without copying directly from the source. And it is NEVER good to lie about your experience or exaggerate in order to make use of the keywords you found. You will feel very silly if you are asked to describe your experience as stated on the resume and you cannot.