Have you ever been asked to write up a job description for a position that doesn’t exist yet?
Maybe you’re writing the description for a candidate who is currently under consideration, or perhaps you’ve been asked to define the role of a future employee. In either case, you’ll need to dig deep into Google to find the right terms for the task at hand. What’s more, even then you might not get perfect results. If the job description is for a sales position, for example, you might find that some of the most successful responses turn out to be unrelated to what you were looking for. This is where a list of keywords comes in.
When writing a job description, it’s essential to add relevant keywords to your list. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to find matches when applying for jobs online. After all, human resources professionals want to make sure they find your resume when browsing through hundreds of candidates. When applied to this specific task, using a list of keywords makes your resume stand out above the rest.
Finding the Right Keywords
Like any other part of your resume, your job description should be concise but also detailed enough to convince a potential employer that you’re the best person for the job. When it comes to finding the right keywords for your job description, there are a few strategies you can follow.
Start by brainstorming a list of words and phrases that describe your job. Ideally, you’ll want to create a list containing around 10-12 keywords that are both specific and relevant to your position. Bear in mind that your HR department might suggest alternative phrases that they feel would be more suitable for the role, so add these words to your list too. When applying for jobs online, your keywords should not appear in your resume’s content but rather its headline and summary. The latter is a short paragraph that the recruiter will read first. Therefore, play it safe and keep your keywords top-notch.
How To Use Keywords In A Job Description
Once you’ve compiled a long list of keywords, it’s time to add them to your job description. Start by including these keywords in your resume’s content – not its headline or summary – and apply them consistently throughout the piece. For instance, if you’re describing a finance job, you might want to include the terms investment banking, capital markets, and foreign exchange trading amongst your list of keywords.
Bear in mind that your resume is only the starting point of your job search. Once you’ve established a good connection with a potential employer through your resume, it’s time to polish your profile and land that all-important first interview. To do this, you’ll need to research the company and delve into its website to find out what to say in your interview. While this might seem obvious, many job seekers overlook this step and rush into interviews without properly preparing for them. By doing your homework and tailoring your answers to each employer’s particular questions, you’ll greatly increase your chances of landing the job.
Building A Brand For Yourself
A brand is a person’s or company’s identity. When you apply for a job in marketing or communications, for example, your resume will be assessed not only on your experience but also on your brand. Your resume’s content will be rated against a checklist of keywords for relevance to the job at hand. If your resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, then even if you have the best of intentions, you won’t be of much use to the recruiter. As a result, you might not even make it to the next round of interview stage. Building a brand for yourself might seem easier said than done, but it’s an essential component of building a successful career in an ever-changing world.
The Importance Of The Application
While some companies choose to use automated tools to sift through their applicant pool, many human resources professionals still need to review each resume individually. In the past, some job seekers would hand in their applications without thoroughly reading them. Through diligence and attention to detail, you can minimize the amount of applications that get tossed aside by manually reviewing each resume. When doing this, be sure to highlight the keywords throughout the content and make sure they’re applied consistently. Even then, unfortunately, some bad apples might slip through the cracks.
If you find that your resume doesn’t generate a sufficient number of leads after the deadline for application has passed, then either your keywords aren’t relevant to the job at hand, or your resume is just plain bad. Either way, you’re wasting your time and the recruiter’s too. To remedy this, find a way to get more people to apply – perhaps through a recruiting firm – or, if you’re lucky, an all-candidate meeting where you can showcase your skills and convince a few more people to join your side.
Hopefully, these tips on how to use a list of keywords in a job description will guide you towards more effective and efficient results. When applying for jobs online, keywords aren’t everything, but they certainly help. When it comes to your resume, experience is valuable – so make sure that you showcase it effectively – but you’ll also need to learn how to play the game or else your resume won’t do you any good in the long run.