Applying for jobs is definitely exhausting. The percentage of job seekers who search for and apply to jobs online is increasing, making the hiring manager’s and recruiter’s jobs much more difficult.
And as an applicant, if you don’t know anyone at the company or can’t find a way to connect with their recruiters, it becomes much tougher and probably your resume will just go into an applicant tracking system. Hiring managers or recruiters will use this system to, maybe, if lucky, find you. And the only way this will happen is if your resume fits what they are looking for; more specifically, the keywords they are using to search for the right-fitted candidates.
An applicant tracking system, or a simple database, facilitates the work of going over resumes one by one. But it isn’t fool proof. Recruiters might be missing out on great talent that just didn’t word their resumes properly. So, as Chris Perry of Career Rocketeer describes, “you could be the perfect candidate, having all of the right experience, education, and skills for specific job, but not even get considered by the employer due to the poor positioning of your resume in the database search results.”
Optimizing your resume is the first step to up your chances. Just as SEO is used to increase a website’s visibility in search engine results, it can also be applied to your resume.
Perry offers some tips to begin the optimization:
- Scan the company’s website and the job description that you wish to apply to. Search and identify potential keywords and phrases. When doing this, identify the essential skills and experience elements in the job posting, as usually these are the keywords used to match with applicants’ resumes. “Stand in the employers’ shoes and write down what you think they will be searching for when hunting through their database of candidates.”
- Go over your resume and work the keywords into the relevant parts. Change words and phrases that can be better described using the keywords you identified in the job description.
- Search for synonyms and abbreviations and use them. Using both Chief Technology Officer and CTO is best, as a recruiter might search for one or both versions.
- Don’t overuse “soft skill” terms such as teamwork, attitude, enthusiasm, etc., as they are rarely used in searches.
- Create a master resume that you can edit in response to the specific jobs you will apply to. Your resume should reflect what the employer is looking for, so this requires for you to use appropriate language and terminology.
One good tool is this list of Top 100 Recruiter Search Words that The Ladders updates every week. It’s a good resource to analyze and to get an idea of how recruiters phrase their keyword searches.
Just keep in mind that all keywords added must be relevant and most importantly accurate. Your resume must reflect your true skills, education and experience. Don’t waste time applying for jobs that don’t fit your profile. Focus on what is attainable, but don’t be afraid to reach out to your dream companies as well. Demonstrate your willingness to learn, and your creativity in finding ways to get your foot in the door.