Resume Key Words – How Do You Find Them ?
When you are applying for a specific job you need to identify the key words that the employer is looking for. What are key words? They are the specific qualities or attributes that an employer desires from a prospective applicant. Finding key words is easy, you can identify key words by obtaining 5 or 6 job postings for the same position and underline the similar words in each of the job postings. The words that you underlined are the key words for that specific job.
You may ask why key words are so important. The best way for me to describe it to you is by asking you a question. What type of pizza do you like? Let’s say that you only like pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni. I have the greatest pizza in the world for you; it has pepperoni, anchovies, pineapple, jalapeños, and onions on it. I am offering it at the same price as the pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni, do you want it? No. Why not, it is the same price. You do not want it because that is not what appeals to you. The employer feels the same way, so to satisfy the employer you have to use the key words that the employer is looking for. Key words are the pizza toppings.
When you write your resume, focus it to a specific job posting and make sure you use the keywords that the employer is looking for. Now that you know what to look for, it will be easy to do and be of benefit to you. Resume key words are an essential ingredient in developing a resume to help you get your next dream job.
Recently
November 29th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Excellent points about the importance of our choice of words on our resumes for that all important interview. As for pizzas, I personally prefer anchovies with fresh tomatoes and onions!
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:59 am
You’re right. Keywords are as important in finding the right employers as they are in internet search. In this case, it only makes sense that the logical keywords are those of self-interest to the employer.