Internet resumes are a different breed from the typical paper resume. Most paper resumes are verb oriented. But
Internet resumes need to accomplish a different purpose, since they function best in searchable format. And employers do
not search for verbs, they search for nouns. Nouns are the keywords or "buzzwords" that employers look for in prequalifying
potential candidates.
In preparing your resume for posting on the Net, be sure to examine your resume from the perspective of searchability.
Even if the resume is not initially keyword searched, it may find its way into an employer or general resume
database/applicant tracking system, perhaps far beyond the bounds of your initial posting location.
Keywordize your Internet resume. Your Internet resume, to be successful, should serve a dual purpose: 1) it should sell
your background and experience to prospective employers; and 2) it should be “findable.” What do I mean by “findable”? (I
know, new word, fails spell check) Findable means that your resume will be found when a keyword search is performed.
When you post your resume to a database, it will languish there in virtual obscurity unless you have the necessary
keywords packed into the resume to be found and pulled out of the mountain.
For example, the resume database at CollegeGrad.com has over 100,000 resumes. In order to be found, you have to be
findable. And that doesn’t mean keyword packing—i.e. just putting in keywords because they might be searched for, even
though they don’t apply specifically to you. No, you should include all keywords that do apply to you and your background,
even if the experience or education is minimal. And you should exclude any keywords that do not apply.
Think like a hiring manager—if you were to do a keyword search for a candidate, what would you search for? Not sure?
Take a look at the job postings at our site. These are reverse keywords, since the employers (if they are writing the job
posting correctly) are including the keywords they want candidates to find. So look for the keywords, the industry terms,
the buzzwords, the technical phrases that all spell out the “fit” for a particular position.
The ideal keyword resume will be found for every position that you do fit and not found for every position you don’t
fit. Obviously, that’s next to impossible, but that should be your goal. Look at the job postings that fit what you are
looking for. Now look at your resume. Does it include the keywords being used? If not, make sure you include them—ideally
within the context of either the experience or education sections. However, it is also acceptable to include them in either
the summary section or a separate “Skills” section (especially for technically oriented positions).
Why is this important? Because your Internet resume will typically find its way into two different systems—resume
databases and corporate applicant tracking systems (ATS). Both are keyword oriented.
So redo your resume with the keyword approach. And don’t end up with two different versions of your resume--incorporate
the keywords into your standard resume itself. Not only will it make you more “findable,” it will also help you in
speaking the lingo and language of your industry.
Once you have updated your resume,
reload/replace it in the resume database here at
CollegeGrad.com to increase your hit rate of being found on the Internet.
