Electronic resumes keywords

To be the most competitive as an applicant, it s an excellent idea to create a traditional printed resume and then modify that resume into both a scannable (a resume that contains the same basic information as a traditional resume, but focuses on the use of keywords) and an electronic resume. 

Instead of following the same format as a traditional printed resume, use keywords as opposed to action verbs to describe your employment history, skills, and education. For more information about how to create an electronic resume and how to take full advantage of today s computer technology and cyberspace when searching for a job, see Chapter 7 . 

If you re a top-level executive who knows your resume will be read and evaluated by a person rather than a computer, creating an electronic or keyword resume won t be useful or necessary. Likewise, if you re absolutely sure your resume will be read and evaluated by a person, focus on creating a traditional printed resume as opposed to an electronic resume. People applying for jobs at small companies probably don t need this type of resume. 

An electronic resume can be imported into applicant-tracking software, and in most cases, should be created using a keyword style for it to have the most impact and generate the best results for you. 

For an electronic resume to do its job correctly, it needs to be loaded with keywords that will result in your resume being selected when processed by a potential employer using applicant-tracking software. 

Use the spell check feature of the software used to create your electronic resume and then proofread the document carefully. Just as applicant-tracking software is designed to pick out keywords from your resume that showcase you as a qualified applicant, these same software packages can also instantly count the number of typos and spelling errors in your document and report that to an employer as well. 

Because formatting within an electronic resume is often minimal, what you say within your resume is what ultimately gets you hired. According to www.eresumes.com, "Keywords are the basis of the electronic search and retrieval process. They provide the context from which to search for a resume in a database, whether the database is a proprietary one that serves a specific purpose, or whether it is a web-based search engine that serves the general public. Keywords are a tool to browse quickly without having to access the complete text. Keywords are used to identify and retrieve resumes for the user. 

Industry-related buzzwords, job-related technical jargon, licenses, and degrees are among the other opportunities you will have to come up with keywords to add to your electronic resume. 

Keywords are the backbone of any good electronic resume. If you don t incorporate keywords, your resume won t be properly processed by the employer s computer system. Each job title, job description, skill, degree, license, or other piece of information you list within your resume should be descriptive, self-explanatory, and be among the keywords the potential employer s applicant-tracking software looks for as it evaluates... 

Can you create the type of resume I need (a traditional printed resume, a keyword resume, or an electronic resume) ... 

For people who will be job searching online, they will want to have an electronic resume created that takes full advantage of keywords. 

Most people these days need to have two versions of their resume—a paper resume with action verbs, and an electronic resume that uses keywords. Many resume writers will charge extra for creating two types of resumes, but for most job seekers, the additional investment will be well worth it, depending on the types of jobs you re applying for. When creating a keyword-based resume, 1 typically try to incorporate at least 50 keywords into the document. 

As you ll soon discover, there are many different resume formats and types of resumes you can create. If you need a traditional printed resume, you can choose to follow a chronological, functional, or combination format there s also a keyword-based resume format, which is becoming more popular as many employers currently use applicant-tracking software to evaluate resumes. As a job seeker, you will also need to determine if your resume should be scannable or if you need an electronic resume so you can easily apply for jobs online. 

When you create your resume on a computer, using a word processor or resume-creation software, save that document file, just as you would any other document. A traditional resume (one that is to be printed and then sent to potential employers), which you save on your computer s hard disk as a Microsoft Word document, for example, is different from an electronic (digital) resume that will be formatted differently, will take advantage of keywords, and will ultimately be e-mailed (not printed on paper and sent) to a potential employer. 

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