A Stand-Out Resume is Key to Getting the Job You Want
ningcontentFinding the right job keeps getting tougher as more and more qualified candidates enter the job market. One way for job seekers to stand out is by having a resume packed with industry and job specific keywords.
“When I write a resume for a client, I try to keep two very different audiences in mind: the human being reading it and also the computer bringing up matches from a big database for that human being to look at,” said professional resume writer, Shel Horowitz. “Consider the first audience more important, but I’m definitely aware of writing copy that has multiple search strings embedded with similar meanings — since you can never tell what phrase someone will search for. In some cases, especially when computer resume databases were new, I actually include a section called ‘Keywords.'”
Kirsty Stewart, a professional resume writer from Brisbane, Australia, acknowledges that keywords should be used when they’re relevant, but isn’t a strong advocate of the practice; she sees the hype about keywords in resumes as a “scare tactic” used by other professional resume writers in an effort to increase business.
“My philosophy for students who are concerned about such a thing as “key words” is they should make mention of any specific programs or skills they are particularly experienced in, e.g. computer programs they have used in the past,” Stewart said. “However, if you are going for a job as a P.R. expert, for example, it is only natural that you would use the phrase Public Relations somewhere in your resume. This too, would be true for all who are applying for the same role, so to say that you need certain “key words” isn’t necessarily of any relevance at all! Your best bet is to make sure you write a resume that reflects your skills, that provides practical examples of how you used those skills in the workplace or through studies, and lastly how those skills could assist an employer, and you WILL get noticed!
“It’s actually a topic I feel very passionately about,” she added.
Dr. Beth Ross, executive and career coach, gave a list of what job seekers should include, along with keywords, in order to make them stand out from their competition:
“* Mention of your strong work ethic
* Attention to your excellent communication skills–both verbal and written
* Some indication of the length of your background and experience, relevant to the job
* Statement that excellent references will be forthcoming
* Organizational skills and flexibility in handling tasks
* Statement that you are a Team Player
* Computer skills proficiency
**In general, that you have the potential to grow into an exceptional professional role.”
“Graduating students must use keywords to get their resumes noticed!” said Wendy Enelow, author, trainer and career consultant. “Generally, their keywords will be a combination of skills acquired through work experience (e.g., sales, customer service, public relations) as well as keywords that represent the courses they took (e.g., economics, international finance, communications). The keywords that should be included in the resume are the ones that relate directly to the student’s career objective!!! Although you can showcase additional skills, you want to use your keywords to connect yourself to your targeted industry and profession. If you use the “right” words, not only do you pass the keyword scan, you also instantly make yourself an “insider” and not an “outsider” trying to get into that industry or profession,” she added.
Writing a keyword-rich resume isn’t as simple as one might think. “Many people misunderstand writing a keyword-rich resume to mean they need to fit as many keywords as possible into their entire resume,” warned Debra Yergen, author of the Creating Job Security Resource Guide. “By going overboard, the document designed to promote a candidate can morph into the equivalent of a word search puzzle.”
There’s a lot for internship and entry level job candidates to remember when they sit down to compose their resumes. The most important things for them to keep in mind seem to be including relevant skills and qualifications and matching resume keywords to what appears in job postings in such way that the resumes remain relevant and understandable to the hiring managers or recruiters who will ultimately read them.
