Keywords are nothing new. My clients often ask me about keywords as if there is some clandestine group of human resource directors who maliciously devise to trick job seekers by disqualifying applicants who, although meeting the qualifications, are missing the magic words. It really is not that hard to figure out keywords. There are several ways to do it.
The best way to determine what keywords you should have in your résumé is to look at the job announcement itself. This is especially true of federal government job announcements. You should pay careful attention to the section that details the duties. As you read, highlight all of the technical terms used. For example, here is an piece of a federal government job announcement with the keywords in all caps:
"Monitors progress toward ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS, EVALUATES and makes adjustments to IMPROVE THE PROGRAM. IDENTIFIES PROBLEMS, determines accuracy and relevance of information and uses SOUND JUDGMENT to generate and properly evaluate alternatives and to MAKE RECCOMENDATIONS to improve programming.
If this is the job you want to apply for, you need to be sure you have mentioned these skills somewhere in your résumé. You can find more examples of résumé tips here.
Another Way to find the keywords that are normal for your profession is to check out one of the following websites: http://online.onetcenter.org, or http://.bls.gov. Both sites are extremely user-friendly and will take you step by step through the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform any position. There is tons of information on these two sites to use for your résumé, you should never again be at a loss for words, but if you need help, check out this helpful résumé web site with tons of other tips
Yet another place to find keywords is on the website of the organization you are applying to. You may find facts about the corporation that would drive you to add more to your résumé or cover letter. Be especially mindful to the Mission Statement for the organization. This is excellent information to use not only to determine if the corporations mission statement is similar to your own interests, but to prepare for a telephone interview, should you be chosen for one. It looks excellent to the employer if you know something about the business during the interview.
No matter where you find keywords, it is best to weave them naturally into your résumé without copying directly from the source. And, it is NEVER appropriate to lie about your experience in order to make use of the keywords you found. You will feel dumb if you are asked to explain your experience as stated on the résumé and you cannot.
If you need more help with your Résumé or just general advice about it, check out this résumé service web site