Think of the hundreds of resumes that cross an HR manager’s desk every week. It’s truly a mountain of paperwork they’d rather bypass. With the job market being what it is, applicants and recent grads are cranking out resumes using the same accepted industry standard formats. Nothing wrong with that. But there are subtle ways to make your resume stand out from the rest.
One way is to be word wise. That means dumping the standard weak-weasel words and “amping” your resume with power words. Words that will catch a recruiter’s or HR manager’s eye. Words that will stop a keyword scanning program and shift your resume into the “take a second look” category. But first, the words that need dumping. They include:
- Strong
- Exceptional
- Good
- Excellent
- Outstanding
- Effective
- Driven
- Motivated
- Seasoned
These are self-aggrandizing words that your references may use to describe you. But if you use them, it sounds like you’re patting yourself on the back. They simply lack objectivity. They’re qualitative and can’t easily be linked to quantitative appraisals of your accomplishments.
It’s much better to use the hot 9 words that can be connected to specific areas of your performance on the job. These will catch a recruiter’s or HR manager’s eye. They’ll also be flagged by keyword programs, giving your resume a “second read.” They include:
- Reduced
- Improved
- Developed
- Researched
- Created
- Increased
- Accomplished
- Won
- Under budget
When using these keywords, try to link them with specific facts and figures. This adds credibility to the words and will draw the attention of recruiters, HR managers and most recently, applicant tracking software.
It’s an unfortunate fact of life that most companies now use some type of applicant tracking software. This software looks for keywords that match specific job requirements. Some companies digitize the hundreds of resumes they receive on a daily basis, store them in a database, search for candidates using keywords, then create interview call lists. The bottom line: If your resume lacks the right combination of job-specific keywords, it will end up in digital limbo, never to be seen again until a programmer purges the file. I know, it’s brutal and impersonal, but such is the world we live in.
Here are some suggestions on the types of keywords to include in your resume. They should be job, task and industry specific:
- Job Titles
- Product Names
- Technical Terms
- Industry Jargon
- Software/Hardware Packages
- Job-specific Buzzwords
- Degrees or Certifications
- University or College Names
- Company Names
- Service Types
- Professional Organizations
Creating an effective resume that will get noticed these days takes a bit of work. Much more than just listing your accomplishments. If you have any suggestions, be sure to include them in the comments section.
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