Resume Keywords: List of 170+ Key Examples | Resume Genius

Where to Find Resume Keywords

The best place to find resume keywords is in the job posting for the role.

When you’re scanning a job ad, pay attention to the kinds of words and phrases listed in the “desired qualifications” and “responsibilities” sections.

Check out this example from Apple:

After you’ve located several important ones, simply include them in your resume and cover letter.

Your Certified Professional Resume Writer Eva Chan explains how to find and use resume keywords in your application at 0:46 in the video below:

By using the keywords listed in the job ad, you maximize your resume’s chances of getting through the application tracking system (ATS) — software used by companies to filter out unqualified applicants.

ATS software scans your resume and cover letter by looking for keywords the hiring manager has programmed into it. If it doesn’t find any of these keywords, the ATS automatically rejects your application.

Almost 75% of companies use or plan to use an ATS, so it’s vital you check the job posting and use the same keywords throughout your resume and cover letter. Otherwise you might miss out on an interview despite being perfectly qualified.

How to Use Keywords in Your Resume

ATS software is not always accurate. So when you’ve found the keywords to put on your resume, you need to include them clearly so that the ATS can read them.

Don’t: Embed resume keywords in images or use fancy fonts.

Do: Use standard fonts and avoid images in favor of plain text.

1. Use a Standard Resume Font

Pick a standard font for your resume? When the ATS scans your application, it can only read resume keywords if they’re written using common fonts.

Fonts like Calibri, Cambria, and Georgia come preinstalled on most computers. Also be sure to avoid uncommon fonts — particularly ones downloaded from the internet.

2. Stick to Plain Text

For an ATS, images are hard to read. While it might be tempting to spice up your graphic design resume by embedding keywords for your resume in fancy images, doing so will mean the ATS can’t read them.

3. Include a Mix of Skills, Qualifications, and Industry-specific Words

The ideal keywords to include in your resume should be related to soft skills and hard skills.

Other keywords include any certifications you have — as long as they’re specified in the job listing.

For instance, if the job ad for a web developer role mentions “programming languages,” your skills section might look like this:

• • C++
  • Java
  • Python
  • TypeScript

These languages are good examples of industry-specific terminology. Only people specializing in IT are likely to know what “TypeScript” is.

It’s important to use job-specific resume keywords so that the hiring manager knows you’re familiar with the industry — even if you’re looking for an entry-level job.

Including these words shows you’ve done at least the minimum amount of research, and have an interest in the field.

Also, use synonyms to increase the variety of keywords on your resume. A “programmer” should also refer to themself as a “coder” because these two words mean roughly the same thing, and you never know exactly what terms have been programmed into the ATS.

4. Scatter Keywords throughout Your Resume and Cover Letter

Repeating keywords in a resume is another great way to highlight important job skills.

For instance, if you’re writing a teacher resume, you might use the keyword “classroom management” in the skills section.

You can also repeat “classroom management” in your resume summary to illustrate how you applied this ability in a real-world situation:

Notice the percentage given in this example? Including accomplishments for a resume like this in your bullet points helps hiring managers know what you can achieve.

5. Run Spellchecker

Misspelled a word? The ATS might not know what you meant, and won’t count that keyword.

Always double check your spelling, and enlist a friend to help you proofread your resume and cover letter before you submit them.

Resume Keyword Practices to Avoid

We’ve established that using resume keywords throughout your application boosts your chances of a human hiring manager seeing it.

However, be careful not to overdo it.

Packing your resume full of keywords is almost as bad as not including any at all.

Don’t forget that a real person will (hopefully) see your resume at some point. So use natural language that engages that person.

Otherwise, they’ll think you’re either a bad writer — which indicates your communication skills aren’t good — or assume you’re trying to beat the ATS, making you seem dishonest.

Here are the main practices to avoid:

1. Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing refers to using the same keyword again and again in an unnatural way to get your resume past the ATS.

People engage in keyword stuffing because some ATS software gives applications a higher ranking when it detects a keyword is used more. For instance, an ATS might assign a higher score to a candidate who mentions “search engine optimization” six times over one who mentions it three times.

Here’s an example of how one applicant tried to stuff the keyword “customer satisfaction” in their resume:

See how extreme this is?

This technique might get your resume past the ATS, but will immediately turn off the hiring manager — ruining your chances of getting hired.

2. Hidden Keywords

This is a sneakier trick some applicants use. It involves copy-pasting a keyword several times, but applying a white font so that the keywords are invisible.

But because the ATS scans all words despite their color, it counts all instances of a keyword. For example, a resume might contain five “invisible” instances of the keyword “business analysis” but only three “visible” ones. The “Find” tool can reveal where invisible keywords are:

The ATS counts all eight instances though, and “ranks” that resume higher.

However, since most ATS software lets the hiring manager see a plain text version of the resume, “hidden” keywords appear, and they’ll see your trick.

The result? You’ll come across as untrustworthy, and not worth hiring.

3. Dishonest Keywords

It’s tempting to simply include all of the keywords you see in a job posting on your resume to maximize your chances of getting past the ATS.

But hiring managers are going to be suspicious if they see a resume that’s too perfect.

And even if you make it through to the interview, expect to be pressed with some tough questions about your skills.

Stick to the abilities and qualifications you actually have. Adding skills you lack will waste everyone’s time.

Resume Keywords List: 170+ Keywords for Your Resume

Below is a list of 170 common industry-specific keywords to use in a resume and cover letter.

Accounting and Finance

1. Account management
2. Business volume
3. Client accounts
4. Budgeting
5. Financial reports
6. Risk analysis
7. Quantitative analysis
8. Qualitative analysis
9. Auditing
10. Forensic accounting

Administration and Office Support

1. Data entry
2. Microsoft Office
3. Office supply inventorying
4. Typing
5. Schedule management
6. Filing
7. Call screening
8. Kronos
9. HR (human resources) policy
10. Google Calendar

Business and Management

1. Business analysis
2. Structured Query Language (SQL)
3. Client outreach
4. Budget management
5. Negotiation
6. Market insights
7. Public relations
8. Strategic oversight
9. Capital raising
10. Six Sigma

Construction and Maintenance

1. Power tools
2. Carpentry
3. Masonry
4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-certifed
5. Customer service
6. National Electrical Codes (NEC)
7. Troubleshooting and diagnostics
8. Hand tools
9. Cleaning
10. Machine operation

Creative and Cultural

1. Accents
2. Singing
3. Sculpture
4. Adobe Photoshop
5. Item cataloging
6. Record-keeping
7. Handling pressure
8. Dean Evans EMS
9. Graphic design
10. InDesign

Customer Service and Retail

1. Complaint resolution
2. Point of sale (POS) operation
3. Customer satisfaction
4. Business administration
5. Data entry
6. Evacuation procedures
7. Technical support
8. Diplomacy
9. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
10. Product displays

Education and Human Services

1. Lesson planning
2. SMART boards
3. Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
4. Dewey Decimal
5. Archiving
6. Classroom management
7. Differentiated education
8. Child development
9. Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
10. Curriculum planning

Emergency Services

1. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/Automatic External Defibrillator (CPR/AED)
2. First aid
3. Emergency response
4. Fire safety
5. Equipment maintenance
6. Gang outreach
7. Self-defense
8. Community policing
9. De-escalation
10. Surveillance

Engineering

1. S-Frame
2. Trigonometry
3. Hazard assessment
4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-certified
5. Bid preparation
6. Visual Studio
7. Electrical systems
8. MATLAB
9. Prototyping methodologies
10. Technical drawings

Food Service

1. Cocktail preparation
2. Latin American cuisine
3. Point of Sales (POS) terminals
4. Salesmanship
5. Menu presentation
6. Kitchen hygiene
7. Reservation management
8. Food handling and safety
9. Equipment cleaning
10. Upselling

Healthcare and Wellbeing

1. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
2. Patient care
3. Hoyer lifts
4. X-rays
5. Periodontal treatment
6. Taking vital signs
7. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) designations
8. Physical examinations
9. Emergency treatment
10. Body combat

Information Technology (IT)

1. Visual Basic
2. WordPress
3. Agile project management
4. Scrum
5. Market analysis
6. Data mining
7. Data protection
8. OmniGraffle
9. iOS
10. Back-end programming

Law and Legal

1. Contract drafting
2. Public defender
3. Tort law
4. Litigation software
5. Typing
6. Interview techniques
7. Intellectual property
8. Filing
9. Negotiation
10. LexisNexis

Marketing and Sales

1. Search engine optimization (SEO)
2. Google Analytics
3. Screaming Frog
4. Marketing strategy
5. Web-based advertising
6. Accuranker
7. Social media
8. Campaigning
9. Financial forecasting
10. Business development

Personal and Child Care

1. Potty training
2. Conflict resolution
3. Games
4. Safety awareness
5. Applying dressings
6. Housekeeping
7. Driver’s license
8. Story reading
9. Meal preparation
10. Handling pressure

Spa and Salon

1. Massage
2. Laser procedures
3. Hair dye
4. Facials
5. Skin care
6. Balayage
7. Color effects
8. Theatrical makeup
9. Customer service
10. Cleaning

Transportation and Logistics

1. Vehicle maintenance
2. Route planning
3. Commercial driver’s license (CDL)
4. Forklifts
5. Punctual
6. Vehicle inspections
7. Account retention
8. Interpersonal skills
9. Dump trucks
10. Teamwork

Takeaways

Now that you know the best keywords to use in a resume (and how to use them), you can add them to your application.

But before you start writing, download a free resume template to freshen up your application and save time.

Also, give our simple-to-use resume builder a go. It helps you create a tailored, professional resume in five minutes, giving you the best chance as you apply for jobs.