Posted by Bill in Employment News, Resumes
Technology has started to play an important role in the hiring of employees. In order to create an effective resume, you must now get through a scanner before it is ever seen by human eyes. In order to make sure that your resume gets into the hands of real person, your resume must include pre-determined buzz words or keywords that the scanners search for. If your resume does not include any of these buzz words, then there is a good chance that your resume will be discarded before anyone even looks at it.
Fortunately, if you know how to use this technology to your advantage, you can quickly see your resume at the top of the list instead of gathering dust. These computers will scan thousands of resumes and focus entirely on a prioritized set of keywords. Resumes that have the most important or a large amount of keywords are much more likely to get passed on to the people who will actually be offering you an interview.
What Buzz Words Should I Use?
While it is impossible to know exactly which buzz words a company is focusing on, there are some easy ways to identify prospective keywords.
The first place to start looking for keywords is in the job posting itself. Employers purposely weed out job seekers who send their resumes to every available opening. They do this by adding keywords to job postings. Keywords will often be found in the section, “what we look for in an employee” as well as the company overview.
Another great place to find keywords is within the businesses industry. While this isn’t always easy, if there are specific industry standards or industry lexicon, then try to include them when applicable.
When listing your skills and experience, make sure that you are as specific as possible. Use basic descriptive buzz words that describe your skills and experience because they are more likely to be recognized by scanners. For example, if you are a computer programmer, it is important to list every software proficiency and programming language that you have experience with. By listing every proficiency, you are much more likely to hit related buzz words.
A final place to use buzzwords is when describing past employers and positions. When you highlight your previous positions and departments, try to use common terms, even if your previous company created a different title for your position.
While you must make sure that you meet all of the required buzz words, it is equally important to ensure that your resume is still easy to read for the people that will eventually see it. It is a persons decision to invite you for an interview, not a scanners. Only use buzz words where they are appropriate and do not cram your resume full of them, if they do not make sense.
Using buzz words has become a critical technique that many job seekers still have not been able master. By being able to effective utilize words in a naturally sounding way, you will not only get past the scanners, but also get good reviews from human readers.
Jason Kay recommends using effective resume buzz words, but don’t overdo it.
Technology has started to play an important role in the hiring of employees. In order to create an effective resume, you must now get through a scanner before it is ever seen by human eyes. In order to make sure that your resume gets into the hands of real person, your resume must include pre-determined buzz words or keywords that the scanners search for. If your resume does not include any of these buzz words, then there is a good chance that your resume will be discarded before anyone even looks at it.
Fortunately, if you know how to use this technology to your advantage, you can quickly see your resume at the top of the list instead of gathering dust. These computers will scan thousands of resumes and focus entirely on a prioritized set of keywords. Resumes that have the most important or a large amount of keywords are much more likely to get passed on to the people who will actually be offering you an interview.
What Buzz Words Should I Use?
While it is impossible to know exactly which buzz words a company is focusing on, there are some easy ways to identify prospective keywords.
The first place to start looking for keywords is in the job posting itself. Employers purposely weed out job seekers who send their resumes to every available opening. They do this by adding keywords to job postings. Keywords will often be found in the section, “what we look for in an employee” as well as the company overview.
Another great place to find keywords is within the businesses industry. While this isn’t always easy, if there are specific industry standards or industry lexicon, then try to include them when applicable.
When listing your skills and experience, make sure that you are as specific as possible. Use basic descriptive buzz words that describe your skills and experience because they are more likely to be recognized by scanners. For example, if you are a computer programmer, it is important to list every software proficiency and programming language that you have experience with. By listing every proficiency, you are much more likely to hit related buzz words.
A final place to use buzzwords is when describing past employers and positions. When you highlight your previous positions and departments, try to use common terms, even if your previous company created a different title for your position.
While you must make sure that you meet all of the required buzz words, it is equally important to ensure that your resume is still easy to read for the people that will eventually see it. It is a persons decision to invite you for an interview, not a scanners. Only use buzz words where they are appropriate and do not cram your resume full of them, if they do not make sense.
Using buzz words has become a critical technique that many job seekers still have not been able master. By being able to effective utilize words in a naturally sounding way, you will not only get past the scanners, but also get good reviews from human readers.
Jason Kay recommends using effective resume buzz words, but don’t overdo it.
