Update Your Resume With Keywords, And You’ll Land Your Next Interview

How important are keywords in a resume? We get that question all the time. In today’s ultra-competitive hiring market, your resume structure and content are essential to get noticed by hiring managers . It’s a candidate-friendly hiring market, but competition for the really good jobs is still fierce.
 
This is especially true on the job boards, search engines, and career sites. The numbers are staggering. According to the resume experts at Zety:
 
On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job.
 
In this post, we’ll discuss the why, the where, and the how to use keywords to get noticed:
 
  • Why keywords are so important—what you’re up against as a job seeker
  • Where you need to focus your keyword placement
  • How to select your resume keywords
 
Always keep your resume updated with current, specific descriptive terminology for your industry. For example, Microsoft Active Directory is different than Azure Active Directory. IT Job seekers need to be careful with language when describing their experience, especially concerning terminology differences with cloud technologies, on-prem, and hybrid environments.
 
Applicant Tracking Systems are looking for specific keywords and phrases. Human screeners are doing the same thing. Remember, language matters, be detailed and concise.
 
Where you need to focus your keyword placement.
 
Keywords should be strategically placed everywhere, like hidden gems throughout your resume. Use them in your career objectives summary, your experience section, skills section, and anywhere else where it seems logical. Don’t “stuff” your keywords, but you should use them liberally.
 
How to select your resume keywords.
 
That’s the easy part. Take keywords from the employer’s job description. Due to the specialized nature of IT, you will probably tweak your resume slightly for each job application. You want human and automated screening tools to quickly match you to the job description. Don’t leave that to chance.
 
Don’t leave your next career move to chance either. Consider engaging with a professional recruiter who intimately knows you, your strengths, the hiring companies, and the hiring markets.
 
We can keep you out of the overcrowded web of job boards, job search engines, job aggregators, and career help sites.
 
Are you a candidate looking for a technology, engineering, or business operations job?
 
At mCubed Staffing, we help clients just like you find that perfect job every day! We might just have a great employer looking for a great candidate like you right now.
 
Call us today at (248) 817-2243, or get in touch online. Our expert recruiters are waiting for your call.