Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Job Hunting in the Early Stages: Why Resume Keywords Matter

    By
    Corinne Bernstein
    -
    October 11, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      In the employment search, the power of the word—or the keyword, actually—should not be taken for granted, whether the job hunter is just out of college or a seasoned pro. Job seekers need to incorporate keywords representing their skills into their resumes because frequently the first impression they make is not on a human but an applicant tracking system that will search for these words.

      Often, long before HR professionals, recruiters or hiring managers read resumes, they are loaded into applicant tracking systems, or ATSes—software designed to match keywords representing job hunters’ skills with what employers need. Job seekers hoping to be among the select few who make it to the next stage must prepare their resumes so that ATSes will score them favorably.

      If candidates’ skill sets are incomplete, they haven’t represented themselves well on their resumes—with comprehensive descriptions of their skills using well-chosen keywords—or their formatting is incompatible with ATSes, they will not make the first cut, employment experts maintain.

      “People would be shocked at how many resumes never get looked at,” said Ted Elliott, CEO of Jobscience, which specializes in social recruiting and talent management applications, including ATSes.

      More than 70 percent of resumes aren’t seen by the human eye, Mona Abdel-Halim, co-founder of Resunate.com, a job application tool, wrote on Internet news blog Mashable. “… Employers large and small now use applicant tracking software to parse the information from your resume and map it into a database called an ATS. From this information, the system will assign you a score based on how well you match the job the employer is trying to fill, and then rank and sort all candidates.”

      Also called candidate management systems, ATSes search for keywords and assign more weight to common words in resumes while less prominent words receive less weight.

      “Keywords describe skills; they aren’t job titles, although job titles, such as Java programmer, can include keywords,” explained Tom Silver, senior vice president, North America, of online IT career site Dice.

      The system may seem impersonal, but when companies are flooded with resumes, efficiency is paramount. The aim is to help company HR departments, recruiters and employment sites efficiently and cost-effectively find and narrow down candidates.

      Making the Cut

      The technology is designed to be inclusive: Data rules are applied equally and fairly to all candidates, and there are no keywords that would eliminate candidates, said Jobscience’s Elliott.

      “Sure, there’s always a chance of losing a diamond in the rough, but the chance of getting a really good candidate is high,” he said.

      What’s the best way to avoid being the gem that doesn’t get selected?

      Job seekers should use keywords that describe their technical skills (such as C++, PHP, Java and Apex) throughout their resumes. Each job title should include a good description of the job seeker’s experience, replete with the appropriate keywords as well as the timeframe in which the candidate worked at each job.

      “If a job is for a PHP developer and there’s no mention of PHP in a resume, it will automatically be eliminated,” Elliott said.

      Job Hunting in the Early Stages: Why Resume Keywords Matter

      Popular keywords include “networks,” “security” and software development terms (such as “Java programming,” “database management” and “project management”), Dice’s Silver said, adding that for more senior-level positions, words like “managed,” “led” and “created” are also important.

      New keywords enter the job search lingo as technology evolves. The fastest-growing keywords, which reflect shifts toward mobile and cloud computing, for example, are “iPhone,” “Android” and “HTML5.”

      “‘iPad’ and ‘iOS’ were not anywhere near the top just a few years ago,” said Rich Pearson, chief marketing officer at Elance, an online marketplace for freelancers and hiring companies. “Old stalwarts, such as ‘PHP,’ are also popular. We also see ‘Ajax,’ ‘Objective C’ and other terms that are very specific to the role you might be working on.”

      The Importance of Being Honest

      Although keywords are crucial, job seekers should avoid “gaming the system,” Dice’s Silver said. Keywords should be used accurately and honestly, he said, adding that candidates who lie or mislead will be eliminated eventually.

      Using keywords to describe skills should not be a foreign concept to the recent college graduate who grew up using the Internet, employment experts say, and in the last 10 years the job market has been pretty Internet-dominated.

      “Most people understand the concept of search,” said Elance’s Pearson. “Folks who have made a career change or job change know the importance of keywords, but it may be more of a learning experience for someone who has been with the same company for many years and looking for a job.”

      Not using keywords properly isn’t the only thing that could lead to a resume being eliminated early on.

      Resumes should be submitted in Word or PDF and not be encrypted, and information should not be included in the header, Elliott said, as ATSes have difficulty processing information that is encrypted or incorporated in a header.

      ATSes will have difficulty “reading or understanding” images, graphics or white type, Abdel-Halim of Resunate.com wrote.

      Resumes that are difficult to open or read or that require a swamped human resources professional to perform an extra step will likely be eliminated, said Elliott.

      Also, resumes should be clearly written and contain enough detail to adequately explain a candidate’s background, Elliott said. Spelling also counts, and although ATSes don’t have spelling and grammar checking capabilities, they will in the not-too-distant future, he said.

      If keywords open doors, then the resume is the password that lets the job seeker inside. Neither resumes nor keywords should be taken for granted, employment experts maintain.

      Corinne Bernstein
      Corinne Bernstein, who is currently managing editor of eWEEK and Channel Insider, has more than 25 years of experience working as a business and technology editor and reporter at media companies, such as QuinStreet, Ziff Davis Enterprise, United Business Media and Conde Nast. Corinne has an M.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×