How to Sprinkle the Right CV Keywords

The first job of your CV is to survive the parsing of the ATS. The second job is to tempt a recruiter to read longer than their initial 7-second scan. Both machine and human need to understand that you are a fit with the role in question. At the briefest of glances. Sprinkling the right CV keywords in the right places is essential to pass the test.

While your CV (plus cover letter and LinkedIn profile) should read like a compelling and deeply personal conversation starter for a future interview, you should not ignore the role that industry and function keywords play in the efficiency of the recruitment process.

Not every recruiter or hiring manager will take the time to read every CV in detail. If your core value is buried deep within an intricately crafted story, it will almost certainly get lost. Balance your desire for subtle storytelling with the sledgehammer of industry terminology, familiar action verbs and ATS-mandated hard skills. The science of writing starts with CV keywords. The art comes in as you weave your story around them.

Which CV keywords to use?

…. Analyse the employer’s language from the job description.

…. Use the same verbs and noun forms – market (verb) or marketing (noun)

…. Employ some variety – try not to repeat the exact words too much.

…. Copy an employer’s industry terms – e.g. client (not customer) services.

…. Match the job titles in the text, even if your former ones didn’t match exactly.

…. Research the profiles of company employees online – what words do they use?

The employer and ATS will be looking for keywords across the breadth of your CV. Ensure that the most important keywords are in the summary, your job titles, skills section, and the first sentence of every employment history paragraph. Try to sprinkle relevant keywords across the whole of your career history, if possible. If functional keywords are not possible to include for a specific position, try to include a few of the desired behaviours.

The goal of your CV is to position you as an attractive applicant who has much to offer. A potential hiring manager knows that reading a CV will not provide every answer. They are simply looking for as much affirmative evidence to support a decision to find out more. Keywords may seem like a blunt instrument, but when someone is reading 100 CVs, those with all the required keywords will stick in their minds for that bit longer. 

Leave the subtlety to the interview (and to some extent to your cover letter). If you include the right keywords in your CV and have enough impressive career accomplishments, their fingers will already be hovering over the send button for your interview invite.

If you tick enough boxes with your CV, you will have the chance to tell your story at an interview – where, by the way, keywords will still play an essential role in you seeming like one of the team. Language matters. Choose the words that will make the most impact.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).