Make Your Resume “Findable” Using SEO and Keywords
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It’s all about keywords these days.”
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| Image Courtesy of GeekPhilosopher.com |
Those keywords affect your chances during the initial sorting… between the “maybe” pile and the “no” pile.
Today, a job hunter might not even reach the point of sending a cover letter without SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and using the right keywords in the resume.
Make no mistake. A solid cover letter and the first few lines on a resume (usually, the Objective or Summary) DO still matter. They are still the “first impressions” with a potential employer. Using SEO and keywords are more about automating your search and letting employers find you. You know how all these job search sites let you upload your resume? THAT’s where keywords start working for you.
How Online Job Search Sites and Employers Use Keywords
Let’s say an employer is looking for a database administrator. If that employer searches all the resumes uploaded online for “database,” there will be thousands of results. …so, he adds another keyword, “SQL.” The position requires experience with secure systems, so maybe other keywords would include “security” or “encryption.” With each keyword added to the search, the number of relevant resumes shrinks, or at least, they’re reordered by relevance. The resume with the most keywords, goes to the top of the list.
It’s not exactly the same as SEO for a web page or online article, but the concept is the same. You want your keywords IN your resume. Now, don’t just pad your resume with any and every buzz word. If you list it, you must truly have the experience you claim on your resume. Otherwise, employers will click off your resume just as they would click off a bogus web page that was padded with keywords.
So, what keywords should you use?
First, think of all the current buzz words flying around in your field. Which ones apply to you? Jot down a list of all the skills, tools, applications, methodologies, and experiences you have under your belt. Find the best spot(s) to list these on your resume and make sure you use the terms that employers are searching for.
Second, take a look at the job search sites. Look at the required skills, experience, software, etc. listed in the post. Start a new list of the required or preferred buzz words that apply to you.
Compare your lists and make sure those applicable keywords (especially the ones that appear in multiple job posts) are in your resume, preferably near the top.
Other Online Resume Tips
Since many of us have moved to maintaining a resume online, either on LinkedIn, as a VisualCV, or on a personal or professional web page, it’s pretty easy to send a link to our online resume or create a quick pdf version to attach. These online job search sites, however, are putting your resume into a searchable database. Keyword searches are much more effective if the data is entered as plain text. Keep a Word or other text-based version of your resume handy to copy and paste into online job search databases.
For more information on SEO and using keywords in resumes search online for some or all of the following terms:
· Resume
· Job
· SEO
· Keywords
· Online
· Database
· Search
Notice how the search results change if you add or leave off some of the terms? Again, using keywords in your resume isn’t exactly the same as the keywords used in a standard Google search, but you get the idea. SEO Your Resume on The Ladders.com explains the differences a bit, if you want to start really digging into the nuts and bolts of how resumes are found on job search sites.
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