Hi Grow with Google learners, I’m Sheila from Deloitte. Today I'm going to talk to you about keywords on a resume.
So, you’ve got your baseline resume, you've got your main bullet points listed for each role, now you want to make sure it translates to the job you're applying for.
The best way to position yourself for success is to utilize keywords throughout your resume.
What that means is that you are choosing words on your resume that directly correlate to the job you are applying for.
The reason for that is there are recruiters out there literally combing through hundreds of resumes per job posting.
So many applicants will apply with a lot of qualifications but oftentimes there are specific requirements and keywords that recruiters must have in an application in order to present them to hiring managers.
For example, if you're applying for a Java developer role and you are a Java developer, you're already one step ahead from someone else who is applying who may not be in that current position.
Let's say you're a graphic designer seeking a career change, you’re now applying against other people who are already a Java developer.
So you're one step ahead if you can at least list that as your job title.
Next, it’s even better to be detailed and specific in what you list after that job title.
So let's say the job description calls for specific modules or languages within Java such as Spring.
You'll know this is a critical module since it would be listed under one of the first bullet points in the requirements section.
So if you see that you want to make sure you are then, in turn, listing that module in your summary up top and in the first bullet points under your current role.
The more times you can list it throughout your resume the better.
So even if it's been 5 years or so when you last touched it in a previous role, still list it again.
The point is that the more times you list it throughout the resume the better.
Because what the recruiter will be doing is using that find search engine in word, typing in ‘Spring’, and seeing how many times it’s highlighted throughout the resume.
So if your resume highlights it 10 times, you'll look that much more appealing than the next candidate who it only lists two times.
This concept applies to any other requirement as well that you see listed on the job description.
So just like you did with the Spring, you want to do the same with any other modules that you have experience with that's required and list it in the top under the summary.
And again list it in your bullet points under your current role and previous roles.
So now that was an example specific to a module, I also just wanted to touch on in general some positive keywords to use.
Something I tend to do is look for words that indicate some type of lead role within a project or within your current role. For example, words like ‘executed’, ‘managed’, ‘oversaw a project'...
Anything that indicates you took one step ahead, you were critical to the execution of a certain project and showing that you were in some type of lead role.
Do look for that.
And then another thing that is sometimes overlooked is a certification.
It's sometimes something people don't list on a resume, you want to make sure if you hold any certifications that you list that.
Not only in the summary at the top but even in its own section at the bottom… You know, ‘Certifications achieved.’
And list those there, sometimes that's something that we tend to look for in our keyword search.
So that's about it. I hope that's been helpful and good luck with your job search!