Optimal Copy - SEO Copywriting Blog

By Lisa Peyton, Partner - Optimal Copy

Unless you’ve been totally off the grid over the past several years, chances are you’ve at least heard the buzz about keywords. With the rapid growth of web technologies, keywords have become more important than ever. The simple fact is that if you want to find something or be found on-line, you have to know what group of words to enter into that search box. The same holds true when it comes to top employers or recruiters coming across your resume. Whether they’re sourcing your information from the web or an off-line database, keyword searches are the primary tool they use to sift through the thousands of resumes available.

Monster.com–the largest on-line job board and resume database– and other on-line resume sources offer several ways employers can search through resumes. These prominently include the resume’s received date and specific keywords appearing throughout the entire submission process—not simply those keywords found in the body of your completed resume. Any serious job seeker would be wise to regularly dust off their on-line resume, keeping keywords and content fresh, with relevant keywords always in mind when completing every field during the submittal process. It’s important to remember that submitting a keyword optimized resume is just the first step in the process of landing that perfect job. Nonetheless, it’s a vital one if you even want to be considered.

(Screenshot from the Employer’s Resume Search section at Monster.com)

Identifying Desirable Keywords

So now you’re ready to dig in and find those “magic” words that will get you noticed by your ideal employer and add them to your resume. It’s never a good idea to misrepresent your skills, but it is important to make sure that you’re using the same verbiage employers are using to define your skill set. Simple things like using the plural form of a word or using an industry wide acronym can keep your resume out of the running unless the employer or recruiter uses that exact same search phrase.
There are several lists available with suggestions of where to find the best keywords for your particular industry,
Quintcareers.com’s article “Resources for Identifying Resume Keywords” (http://www.quintcareers.com/identifying_resume_keywords.html)
offers quite an exhaustive list with several creative suggestions. Here’s a brief list of the top sources to get you started:

• Job Postings – Search out job listings for positions similar to what you’re looking for. Monster.com is a free resource for job seekers and can source hundreds of jobs to pull keywords from.

• Job Descriptions – Find on-line job descriptions for the position you’re seeking. Typically they are great repositories of desired skills and competencies for any given job title.

• Articles and News Stories – Research the latest industry news–specifically searching out anything from the employer’s viewpoint.

• On-line Keyword Tools – For those of you that really enjoy data and research, you may want to take the time to check out some tools that are specifically designed to find and analyze phrases that users are searching for. Keyword Discovery offers a free keyword tool - http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html and Google has an analytical tool that will allow you to compare and contrast two separate phrases and spot trending within your given industry. Google Trends - http://www.google.com/trends.

Adding Keywords to Your Resume

The next step involves integrating all these great keywords in to your resume. While I wouldn’t suggest doing anything as blatant as adding a “Keyword” section to your resume, there are ways to include lists or summaries that include the keywords while engaging the reader at the same time. By using headers like “Summary of Qualifications”, “Areas of Expertise,” and “Professional Profile,” you create a handy list of the keyword skill phrases as well as brief explanations of how you’ve demonstrated these skills in the workplace.

Free sample resumes can act as a good template. The keyword rich section above was taken from a PDF found at Resumesandcoverletters.com (http://www.resumesandcoverletters.com/Corinthian_Chrono_Resume.pdf ).
Here are some other tips to keep in mind while optimizing your resume:

• Keep important phrases near the top of your document where they are more likely to be noticed and given more weight.

• Sprinkle the keywords throughout your resume and try to use important phrases multiple times as keyword density is often considered when indexing documents.

• Be sure to use synonyms, plural and non-plural variations, and both acronyms and spelled out versions of all of your phrases.

Giving your Resume a Check-Up

Whether you’re planning on making your information key-word friendly or you’ve always understood the importance of keywords, it’s a good idea to take a close look at the final draft of your resume. Katherine Hansen offers up a great suggestion in her article, “Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness” (http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_keywords.html )
“To determine the keyword health of your current resume, highlight all the words in it that, based on your research of ideal positions in your field, would probably be considered keywords. Electronic resume guru Rebecca Smith says a good goal to shoot for is 25-35 keywords, so if you have fewer than that currently, try to beef up every section of your resume with keywords, varying the forms of the words you choose.”

Resources

http://www.free-resume-tips.com/10tips.html - Resume writing - 10 tips to generate more interviews and higher salary offers

http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_keywords.html - Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness
http://www.quintcareers.com/researching_resume_keywords.html - Researching Keywords in Employment Ads

http://www.quintcareers.com/identifying_resume_keywords.html - Resources for Identifying Resume Keywords

Technorati Tags: resume writing resource, resume tips, keywords on resume, keyword research, seo, optimized resume, resume resources, optimal copy, lisa peyton

By Lisa Peyton

When it comes to writing a resume, most of us know the basics – Name, Contact Information, Experience, Education, etc. But are you aware that even top-level executives make fundamental resume blunders? Our executive recruiters see hundreds of resumes a week and here’s what they DON’T want to see on your resume:

1. “Don’t provide a resume that simply lists job description versus highlighting accomplishments and results. Be sure to provide context so the reader knows the exact role you played in achieving each accomplishment.” Roy Notowitz, Generator Group - Partner/Recruiter

Carla Vaughan echoes this sentiment in her article, “Why is It so Important to List Accomplishments on Resumes?

“Your accomplishments are what distinguish you from your competitors in the job-search process. All things being equal, if a hiring manager were looking at two identical prospective employees who could handle the tasks of the job perfectly well, but one had accomplished more than the other, who do you think is going to get a phone call? Obviously, the person who accomplishes the most “wins”.”

2. “Writing in the third person, so annoying! I just want to scream, ‘You’re not that cool!’” - Vince Amela, Generator Group - RecruiterIn her article “The Six Cardinal Rules
   Of Resume Writing,” Wendy Enelow at careerjournal.com agrees with Vince.“Write your document in the active first-person tense, never the third person, and choose language that’s appropriate to the type of position you’re seeking. If you’re a mid-level manager, don’t use “Ph.D.” language. If you’re in line for CEO, COO or other top operating slots, use words appropriate to that level.”
3. “Don’t put hi-res images or graphics on your resume that takes forever to load, I want to see your information, not fancy clipart.” Lisa Peyton, Generator Group – Marketing and Recruiting CoordinatorWeird or “creative formatting” makes it difficult for an employer or recruiter to identify pertinent information. Stick to a traditional chronological format. Also, PDF documents do not work well in resume databases – they are not easily parsed. Stick to text or MS Word Docs when applying for jobs online. In a recent study of Fortune 500 companies it was discovered that 36% currently are using automated systems to parse resumes and about 40% plan on moving in that direction in the near future. This calls for guidelines that are automation friendly, according to professor William H. Baker: “Job applicants ought to stay within certain guidelines. Graphics should not be included, and the applicants ought to use dark type and white or off-white paper so there is good contrast between the type and background. Also, use standard-sized paper and between 9- and 13-point type.” More information can be found on the aforementioned study in Stephanie Tripp’s article, “Fancy Resume? Fortune 500 Study Says Think Again.”
4. “Don’t use more than one font – intentionally or unintentionally, it just looks bad” Jesse Connell, Generator Group - Executive Recruiting ManagerJesse’s not alone, according to the General Resume Guidelines at sampleresumes4free.com . It’s wise to “try to use one type, avoid using more than two font types. Suggested fonts are the Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana. Font size should be no larger than 12 point and no smaller than 10 point. Font color must be black always. Do not use colored font.”
5. “Don’t Include photos – prove that you ARE qualified for the job. Not that you look like you’re qualified.” Kevin Servino – Generator Group – Consumer Products RecruiterIn fact, Career Services at Virginia Tech claims photos should never appear on a resume ”unless you’re applying for an acting / theatrical position where appearance is a bona fide occupational qualification. Therefore the best approach is not to provide a photo in any form (on-line or otherwise) in connection with your job search. Employers are prohibited from making hiring decisions based on appearance or other factors not relevant to the job qualifications; therefore employers want to avoid seeking out information that is not appropriate to consider.”
6. “Never include incomplete employment dates, like not including months. This makes it hard to determine exactly how long someone is at a company.” Roy NotowitzWhile it may be important to list detailed and complete information, you don’t want to over do it. Keep your resume clean and uncluttered by deleting any dates that aren’t meaningful to the employer. In “Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume” ,
   Katherine Hansen provides this advice: “Don’t list dates that don’t add anything to your resume; for example, dates you spent involved in college extracurricular activities. If you were involved in these activities during college, the reader can pretty much guess your dates of involvement, and listing the dates will just clutter up your document. Same with dates of involvement in professional or civic organizations; ask yourself if those dates will be meaningful to the employer reading your resume.”
7. “A resume does not have to be one page but it does not need to be 6 pages either. Make it appropriate length for your experience with enough detail but also use an efficiency of words as much as possible.” Roy NotowitzSo how long does your resume need to be? Monster Resume Expert Kim Isaacs offers these guidelines in her article ”How to Decide on Resume Length False”
   :
   “The new guideline is: A resume should be long enough to entice hiring managers to call you for job interviews. That may sound vague, but there is no hard-and-fast length rule that works for everyone. Factors to consider include career objective, occupation, industry, years of experience, number of employers, scope of accomplishments and education/training.Consider a One-Page Resume if:
   • You have less than 10 years of experience.
   • You’re pursuing a radical career change and your experience isn’t relevant to your new goal.
   • You’ve held one or two positions with one employer.

   Consider a Two-Page Resume if:

   • You have 10 or more years of experience related to your goal.
   • Your field requires technical or engineering skills, and you need space to list and confirm your technical knowledge.

   Consider a Three-Page Resume or Longer if:

   • You’re a senior-level manager or executive with a long track record of leadership accomplishments.
   • You are in an academic or scientific field with an extensive list of publications, speaking engagements, professional courses, licenses or patents.”
8. “Vague ass-kissing ‘career objective’ responses–e.g. ‘I’d like to work for a company that appreciates hard work and personal commitments and allows me to be who I really am.’ ” Eric S. Gregory, Optimalcopy.com – CopywriterThe ass-kissing can be saved for the cover letter according to tutoriallist.com, where one of their lessons “ will teach you how to get the attention of any prospective employer by constructing a cover letter with charm, competence, and the all-important ass-kissing.”