By Miriam Salpeter, GreatPlaceJobs Career Advice Expert
Keppie Careers 

Keywords for a Resume

Have you been applying to jobs online, but you haven’t been having any luck? Stop right now and re-evaluate your resume. Since a computer is scanning resumes before human eyes ever see them, it is important to focus your efforts to get past that automatic screen. You need to be sure to include those all-important, “magic words” so your resume can propel you to the next round of review. No, I don’t mean the magic words of yester-year, “Please” and “Thank you.” Today’s magic words are keywords – the words that represent what the employer expects the candidate to do on the job.

Any job you apply for (here on GreatPlaceJobs and elsewhere) will require a resume to be optimized with key words. Most of the time (up to 80%), computers will screen the resume before human eyes ever see it, so it’s important to target the resume to the type of job you are seeking.

How do you know what words to emphasize? QuintCareers explains that most key words are nouns. For example:

• Conducted cross-functional management for initial and follow-up contact.
• Coordinated marketing campaigns and special events.
• Managed customer database, product updates, and upgrades.
• Functioned in project-management role.
• Oversaw procurement, allocation, distribution control, stock levels, and cost compilation/analysis.

Keywords describe the specific job skills employers seek. You may also consider “buzz” words from your industry to use as key words. Don’t forget specific computer skills, job titles and professional organizations.

My favorite sources for key words? The job descriptions themselves. More often than not, online job descriptions are chock full of key words that you can easily collect and spread liberally throughout your resume. Are you hesitant to recycle the words from the job description? Worried that the reviewer will just think you “copied” the job description? If done correctly, focusing on words used in job descriptions is more likely to make any reviewer (automated or human) believe that you are “just what they are looking for” to fill the job. Go ahead – draw the line between what you offer and what the organization seeks.

Another great place to find key words? LinkedIn. Review profiles of those in the industry your resume targets. What key words do they use? What patterns do you see in the profiles? Do certain terms come up again and again? If so, be sure to include them in your resume.

If you’d like to evaluate how well you use keywords in your resume, try a fun tool called Wordle. It describes itself as,

“A toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.”

Wordle creates a visual representation of your resume, highlighting words that it senses as more important or prominent and downplaying the ones that don’t have much impact. If you are trying to highlight yourself as a creative team player and your visual representation doesn’t highlight those topics, you may want to consider re-working things! In any case, this looks like a fun tool to put some spice in your job search. Just think – you can make art out of your resume!

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What Is A Cover Letter? What’s the Point?

You found a great opportunity on GreatPlaceJobs, and you’re all set to apply. All you need to do is zap your resume, right? Wrong. Be sure to investigate if there is a place to link a great cover letter to your application.

Like all job search correspondence, a cover letter is a sales pitch. It’s an introduction to your resume and should be interesting enough that the reader will want to read more about you!

Create a new, targeted cover letter for each position.

Often this letter is the first contact you have with a prospective employer. A concise, well-written letter will improve your chances of getting an interview.

How Should Cover Letters Be Organized?

A lot of cover letter advice mentions breaking the letter into three parts: Introduction, Body and Closing. I adapt this advice and use the following format:

1. Opening Pitch. Why are you right for the job? Sell yourself here. Be sure to take your cues from the job description, which is (more often than not) highly detailed. Take advantage of all the information available to you to craft a spot-on first sentence that will appeal to your readers. Your first paragraph should focus on what you have to offer relative to the employer’s needs. A good opening may be something along these lines: As a leader and manager, I develop, build and maintain strong relationships.

In the past, coaches encouraged job seekers to start their letters, “I saw your ad in X publication and am writing to apply for the position of ________.” You do need to state the position in which you have an interest, but this should not lead your letter. Of course you are applying for the job – so is everyone else! What makes you special or unique? THAT is how to lead your letter.

2. Highlights of Qualifications. The second section should hone in on the reasons you are perfect for this job. Research the organization beyond the job description to find links between their needs and your skills. If an organization makes a big deal about their values, feel free to use that information to inform your letter. Use bullet points to group your qualifications. I suggest choosing three headers and selecting no more than 3 bullet points for each header. You can use parts of your resume, but do not simply repeat your resume. You want to use the letter as a hook to interest the reader in learning more by reading your resume. For example: My work ethic and standards fit perfectly with X Company’s values of “Honesty, Integrity and Respect for People.” Some highlights: (List highlights as bullets under these headers.)

3. Call to action. Make a point to let the reader know what you want – an interview:

I hope you agree that my extensive experience in project management and well developed written communication skills are solid matches for X Company. I look forward to putting my ideas, enthusiasm and energy to work for your team and will contact you the week of ____________ to discuss the many links between your needs and my skills.

Be sure to follow-up as indicated. Mark your calendar appropriately.

Following these tips will propel your search. Knowing and sharing what you have to offer is the most important part of marketing yourself for the job search. Do it well and you’ll have a much better chance of landing in your role of choice!

Miriam Salpeter
GreatPlaceJobs Career Advice Expert
www.keppiecareers.wordpress.com

When you are searching GreatPlaceJobs, pay special attention to the job descriptions. These detailed position explanations are your keys to opening the doors to job opportunities. If you want to stand out from the crowd, go the extra mile – include a cover letter.

With companies scanning resumes, many believe there is no need for a cover letter, as it is stripped, tossed and never read. It may very well be true that some cover letters, no matter how carefully crafted, do not reach human eyes. However, the following information may make you think twice about omitting a cover letter.

A survey based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the largest U.S. companies shows that 86% believe that cover letters are valuable when screening candidates and 80% said it is common to receive cover letters with electronic resumes.

Dave Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam, the independent organization that conducted the survey notes, “Those who aren’t including cover letters with their resumes are missing an opportunity to make a good first impression and set themselves apart from other job applicants.” He compares sending a resume without a cover letter to meeting someone for the first time and not shaking hands.

Clearly, the cover letter is not dead. It can never hurt to send a well-written, focused cover letter when applying for a job. Stay tuned for more about writing a great cover letter!

Miriam Salpeter
GreatPlaceJobs Career Advice Expert
www.keppiecareers.wordpress.com