How do your resume keywords affect your job search?

The words that say: Look! Look again! I have those qualifications you want. Think of a box of cereal. If it was in a plain brown box, you wouldn't know it was cereal. If it says cereal, you know it is cereal. Now the tricky thing is people will put cereal (keyword) on their boxes (resumes) when they are actually whole wheat flour. So, yep your box gets picked off the shelf if someone is buying cereal. But, no one consumes it (the resume doesn't lead to the second step, which is a call from a recruiter.)

Can be acronyms, but acronyms should be specific to the industry and not to an employer. If you are using acronyms specific to a job (eg. Project ABC) always explain (Project ABC - Another Boring Cats, This project was...)

A resume/cv without key business, level, function, industry specific buzzwords is like a fish without water. NEVER not have the keywords pertinent to your skills and knowledge. An ATS is also a database. If your cv/resume is in an Executive Recruiters database they will search for resume with key buzzwords. No or incorrect keywords in your resume, no call for more information or an invite to an interview! You can re-prioritize those keywords according to each job application. If it is a keyword with an acronym for instance: Environmental Social & Governance have these words in full plus in brackets ESG. Hope this helps?

Searches through a resume parser for these words are getting smarter using both context & rankings. Without knowing which system a company is using, err on the side of context and importance to the role.

Finding out the target position or the desired goal of the resume candidate, and tweaking the resume keywords according to the future career path in conjunction with the current role helps a lot in loading the resume with apt keywords. Using key words mostly in terms of adjectives and acronyms stating certifications also makes the resume have greater chances of getting shortlisted.

This is not entirely accurate. While resume keywords are important, they are not the sole factor in securing a job. Beating the ATS? That's just a bunch of nonsense spread by coaches who are scamming job seekers. The relevance of your skills, achievements, and experience holds MORE weight than simply trying to include specific keywords. Ultimately, hiring managers and recruiters prioritize the actual qualifications and abilities of a candidate rather than keyword optimization. Prioritize the things that actually matter instead of just stuffing your resume with keywords!

There’s a balance to be found here. A CV littered with acronyms and buzz words but little substance, may get a higher “match” score against the recruiters’ advert or in their ATS, and therefore get a glance sooner, but it will quickly fall down on inspection by a human. On the other hand, you can talk about your achievements and abilities for pages, though if the role is over subscribed and your CV is 205th in the list to be reviewed because your profile didn’t match the job terminology, you’re at a disadvantage from the start.

Does your toaster tell you how dark your toast should be? Nope. It is a tool. Similarly, the ATS doesn't tell a recruiter which candidates to pursue. Just as your toaster is just holding that bread till you determine the setting, the ATS is "holding" resumes till the recruiter reviews them. Of course, if you have a fancy toaster given to you by superior aliens from another planet, in which case this analogy doesn't work.

Keywords are important for ATS considerations, although not in the way this article indicates, but rather to understand that including keywords in your resume helps the prospective employer identify that you have the skills, qualifications, and experience to do the job. Keywords in your resume aligned with the job posting help to indicate you could potentially be a good fit for the job.

Keywords can be great but can not be overly relied on. A much more reliable way to 'get past an applicant tracking system (ATS)' is to not get in it in the first place! Work on your connections. Have chats, with real people. Build your network. Enhance your profile. Get known as the person not just the application. This way when your application is submitted, you are addressing it to the right person. You might have a direct email address or have even had an informal coffee chat first. If a hiring manager / recruiter knows who you are, you are more likely to get seen and not lost in the ATS!

Here are the words you need to look for: function, e.g., software engineer, CFO industry, e.g., manufacturing, consumer products products, diesel engines or Beanie Babies required technical or educational credentials: MBA, CPA, technical skills. If you are a CFO with a consumer products company manufacturing Beanie Babies with international distribution, that should be in your resume as a description of your company and a general statement of responsibilities. This advice to leave off the company description and your responsibilities is where people get pushed into doing useless skills lists.

It's so important to review the job descriptions before sitting down to write your resume. Take the time to understand what the role entails and make sure to highlight the skills that are listed in these job descriptions in your new resume.

Recently, Perplexity.ai deployed Upload Files 📂 functionality. With that service you can upload CV, Resume or jobs description and ask Generative GPT-4 to generate keywords found in the document. Regarding CV or Resume you can also extract skills. This functionality is very powerful. I have been testing with real cases : 👉 Headline design 👉 ABOUT design 👉 Verification of correlation between Headline and About 👉 CV translation 👉 Non ATS CV transformation into Compatible ones 👉 Extraction of ABOUT's from Resume or CV's 👉 Job Description Optimizations Time spent on this task have been reduced by at least 60%

I would also suggest copying and pasting the job description into Chat GPT and asking for keywords. This is something I’ve been recommending as it is a huge timesaver.

Generative AI platforms will save you time; however, you should gain more information from your network. It is the human eye that inputs the information that is essential for the job. Also, by seeking out the human perspective, they can help you translate words if you are pivoting roles or industries.

Using keywords without providing context and without highlighting related professional accomplishments is pointless. If you want to stand out, showcasing your personal career path and results is the only effective way.

Perplexity.ai functionality allows CV Resume Optimizations, simultaneously incorporating relevant Market Keywords that may be missing. The key 🗝 parameters here are proper instructions in the prompting Example: Translate Job Description from Spanish to English and optimize Title and Description of Accountabilities / Responsabilities by incorporating relevant market / industry / function keywords that may be missing.

The number of times the relevant keyword is used, is also important. I can get MBA on a resume 3 times naturally, to raise the algorithm score, and for sales people, I make sure that "sales" is on the resume throughout to get that document to the top of the list.

You don't need to use keywords sparingly, unless they truly don't apply to your experience. If you can point out 25 keywords that match your experience, you should absolutely use every one! That's why keywords indicate a good match. Otherwise, what made you want to apply for that particular job?

Just using key words does not work, you always need to provide additional relevant experience and/or achievements shown in your CV/resume. Please do not put just key words and hope for the best, remember that even if the company uses the ATS system to short candidates out, still afterward recruiter will read your CV/resume and just key words do not impress us. And remember that not every company uses the ATS system.

To maximize the impact of your resume, it's important to showcase your relevant skills and accomplishments that align with the specific job requirements. Rather than solely focusing on adding keywords, emphasize your ability to achieve tangible results. For instance, highlight your track record of exceeding sales quotas by over 200%, demonstrating your proficiency in driving revenue growth. This will catch the hiring manager's attention and increase your chances of being invited for an interview. Remember, it's not about matching keywords, but also showcasing your unique skills and achievements that make you the best fit for the role.

You don't. See my prior example. If a client is a looking for a manufacturing leader with 20 years of experience in manufacturing industrial equipment you can shove as many of those keywords into your resume as you like. But, if you are a finance manager a regional bank you have just wasted your precious self.

I think 🤔 this can be automated using Perplexity.ai although I haven't made first one. This is what I think 🤔 should be the work flow :👇 1⃣. Load Job Description vía File 📂 upload 2️⃣. Create the prompt in the input window 3️⃣. Paste CV or Resume Run 🏃 Here again the key 🗝 is the prompting and it's instructions

If you put your dog's resume into Jobscan, it will tell you what keywords to put in that resume to make your dog an attractive candidate. But, your dog isn't going to go anywhere in the hiring process. The position description is your best guide. And, if Fido has been a Director of Manufacturing he might get a call from a recruiter.

I recommend avoiding paid tools like Jobscan or Resume Worded as they are not helpful at all. I personally tested my resume and LinkedIn profile (in PDF) using these apps, and surprisingly, my non-updated LinkedIn profile outperformed my updated resume. These applications hold a value similar to ATS resume proof templates, which is practically zero. To enhance your resume, consider seeking feedback from a recruiter or professional resume writer to improve your keywords and presentation.

I think the best way to get an opinion on your application is to test it objectively. Ask someone you know to read it. Does it make sense. Does your Cover Letter read well? Focus less on the keywords and more on the career story you are trying to tell. Seeking the advice of a professional Guidance Counsellor, Career Coach, Consultant or Recruiter can be beneficial as they see lots of CV's and will be able to give you impartial advice.

Oh, this one is priceless. All those resume checkers work with what they have in their database. Again, what you put in, you'll get out, but it doesn't mean your resume will be effective anyway.

If keywords are derived using Generative GPT-4 by matching CV against job I believe it is possible to do some testing about degree of correlation. I haven't made that exercise yet. But I will as soon as I have a real case, and I will report results here Key parameter here is to ask GPT-4 to asume persona role of a Recruiter. Further testing is needed

Generative GPT-4 as Advanced Resume Writing Tool. 👉 In one real case, a manager had a Summary of about 30% of page. With a single prompt in just seconds, Perplexity was instructed to reduced summary to about 15% of a page 📄 👉 Job description are done in seconds, highlighting achievements and skills 👉 Once you have Personal Data, summary, job description and education you can assemble full CV and ask for Optimization to whatever length you need. I feel some Resume Writers are at risk of being displaced by Technology. Others will grow stronger, fast and powerful once they dominate Generative GPT-4 Technology

Resumes are deeply personal documents of your experience. It is sometimes hard to let go of information that isn't relevant to the job you are seeking. Although you can use generative AI to create a few rough drafts for review, you need a human eye to help prioritize the information and create a visually compelling resume. AI only has what has been put out on the web to glean information for a document, and there are a lot of crappy resumes on the web.

In my experience aiding recent graduates and young professionals, customizing your resume for each job application significantly boosts visibility. For example, a client seeking a remote software role tailored his resume with remote collaboration tool and programming language keywords, resulting in multiple interviews within weeks. Also, besides technical skills, a growth mindset and adaptability impress recruiters. Keywords like continuous learning, adaptability, and problem-solving highlight your potential for lasting success. Showcasing passion for industry trends and skill development demonstrates your commitment to professional growth.