Comment utilisez-vous les mots-clés et les verbes d’action pour optimiser votre lettre de motivation pour ATS?

I often advise clients to print out the job description and go through it with a highlighter. Highlight everything in the essential and desired criteria that's a match for your skills (it's important to capture as many as possible but also important to be honest!), and then go through the list of main duties and do the same. When you've finished your CV and cover letter you can compare the three documents side by side and assess your keyword match. (Do be careful not to overload sentences and paragraphs with keywords to the detriment of readability!)

Action verbs are great but make sure that the whole sentence is optimised to deliver the achievement and the value as concisely a spossible. I've seen some wonderful examples of action verbs but if the rest of the sentence isn't impactful (or is overly long and complex) they quickly lose their value.

Research the hiring organization and add what you like about the company and why you think you’d be a good fit. Social media channels and internal contacts can be great resources for this type of information.

Many companies now have their mission statement and values on their website. Finding out what these are and setting out a) how your values match and b) how you can help to achieve the mission, is a great way to show engagement with the company objectives.

Adding 3-5 bulleted accomplishments or top qualifications make the cover letter easier to skim and more likely to leave a positive impression.

Sticking to 4 or 5 paragraphs is a good way to structure your cover letter and can help you to stay on track. You need a short introduction - who you are, what you're applying for and your key area of expertise - followed by a paragraph about why you're interested in the role and the company. Next, is a paragraph about your most recent achievements and how they demonstrate the required knowledge and skills, and then a paragraph about your key skills in general and what you will bring to the table (match the keywords here to the job description). Finally, a closing paragraph with a subtle call to action... 'I look forward to meeting with you soon' for example. I avoid bullet points - this is a cover letter not an extension of your CV.

Echo the themes of the resume without repeating sentences word for word. Often once readers determine they’ve read it before, they’ll stop reading. One tactic is to go broad in the cover letter or group similar accomplishments.

This might sound picky, but from a formatting perspective it looks disjointed when a cover letter and resume are written in different fonts and have a different feel and language to them. Aim to keep your cover letter cohesive with your resume in look, feel, and voice.