Wendy S. Enelow - Best Keywords for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews: Powerful Communication Tools for Success

Copyright 2016 by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise Kursmark. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher: IMPACT PUBLICATIONS, 9104 Manassas Drive, Suite N, Manassas Park, VA 20111, Tel. 703-361-7300 or Fax 703-335-9486.

Second Edition: First edition, by Wendy S. Enelow, published as Best KeyWords for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews (ISBN 978-1-57023-195-7) in 2003 Warning/Liability/Warranty: The authors and publisher have made every attempt to provide the reader with accurate, timely, and useful information. However, given the rapid changes taking place in todays economy and job market, some of this information will inevitably change. The information presented here is for reference purposes only. The authors and publisher make no claims that using this information will guarantee the reader job or career success. The authors and publisher shall not be liable for any losses or damages incurred in the process of following the advice in this book.

ISBNs: 978-1-57023-388-3 (paperback); 978-1-57023-389-0 (eBook) Library of Congress: 2016934374 Publisher: For information on Impact Publications, including current and forthcoming publications, authors, press kits, online bookstore, newsletters, downloadable catalogs, and submission requirements, visit the left navigation bar on the front page of the main company website: www.impactpublications.com. Publicity/Rights: For information on publicity, author interviews, and subsidiary rights, contact the Media Relations Department: Tel. 703-361-7300, Fax 703-335-9486, or email: query@impactpublications.com . Sales/Distribution: All distribution and special sales inquiries should be directed to the publisher: Sales Department, IMPACT PUBLICATIONS, 9104 Manassas Drive, Suite N, Manassas Park, VA 20111-5211, Tel. 703-361-7300, Fax 703-335-9486, or email: query@impactpublications.com . 1-800-462-6420. 1-800-462-6420.

Quantity Discounts: We offer quantity discounts on bulk purchases. Please review our discount schedule for this book at www.impactpublications.com or contact the Special Sales Department, Tel. 703-361-0255. The Authors: Authors of more than 30 books on resumes, cover letters, keywords, hiring, and career management, Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark are two of Americas leading career professionals who have played major roles in promoting the resume writing and career coaching professions. As certified industry leaders, they are both Master Resume Writers (MRW), Job and Career Transition Coaches (JCTC), Credentialed Career Managers (CCM), and Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW). In addition to their regular public speaking and training activities, they are frequently interviewed/quoted by major media, including The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Washington Post, ABC News, and Money Magazine .

They can be contacted as follows: wendy@wendyenelow.com and louise@louisekursmark.com .

K EYWORDS ARE A CRITICAL COMPONENT of every job seekers resume. Whether you are a graduating student, professional, techie, manager, executive, career changer, return-to-work parent, ex-offender, or have moved quickly from one job to the next, your resume must be filled with keywords that relate to the jobs, industries, and professions you are targeting. Why? Simply put, keywords are the foundation for all online resume scanning systems (more formally known as Applicant Tracking SystemsATS). Whenever you upload your resume online, respond to a job posting, or email a recruiter, the very first thing that happens in almost all situations is a keyword scan of your resume. Do you have the right keywords (skills and qualifications) for the position? If yes, your resume will pass the keyword scan and youll move along in the hiring process.

If not, youll be passed over. Its that straightforward. FreeDictionary.com defines a keyword as:

• A significant or descriptive word.
• A word used as a reference point for other words or information.

When you use the right keywordswords that are appropriate to you, your career, your industry and experiencesyou convey that you have the specific qualifications employers are looking for. You position yourself as a knowledgeable insider, and you make it easy for employers to understand where you fit into their organization. In this book we help you identify just what those right keywords are for you and how to use thempowerfully and appropriatelyin all of your career marketing materials. Note that keywords are not just for resumes.

They are also essential components for your cover letters, thank-you letters, LinkedIn profile, interviews, and all other job search communications. To make this book as easy as possible to use, weve structured it so that you can use the parts you need and bypass those that are not relevant to your career. Just follow these simple instructions.

1. Read Chapter 1 to learn about the five principal categories of keywords and how to use them. Youll be surprised at the wide range of keywords and keyword categoriesmuch broader than you might think!
2. Find the chapters that match the industries and professions that you are targeting. Review the top 100 keywords that we show for each, select the ones in which you have experiencewhether from work, education, volunteer activities, special projects, or any other areaand incorporate as many as you can into all of your career documents.
3. Review the resumes and cover letters that accompany each chapter to see how the right keywords were integrated throughout each document.

   These professionally written job search materials will also give you some ideas for how to write, format, and design your own.

4. Read the sample interview questions that weve included as a bonus in each chapter. These short examples will give you insight into how to respond to frequently asked interview questions and integrate keywords into your answers.
5. Be sure to use the reference tools in the Appendix. Youll find our list of 425 resume writing verbs and a list of 221 personality descriptors to showcase critical soft skills (another category of keywords).

In this 2nd edition of The Best Keywords for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews, weve also included a special chapter for people with challenging career situationscareer changers, people who have been unemployed for long periods of time, moms and dads returning to work, ex-offenders, those with a choppy work history, and others. If you fall into any of these categories, you do face unique obstacles in your job search, so be certain to pay special attention to Chapter 26. Beyond all of the tactical issues surrounding keywords and online job search is the fact that keywords add tremendous value for human readers. Keywords make your resume and other career messages rich and deep in content, tell a compelling story, and resonate with hiring managers who are seeking qualified candidates with precisely the qualifications (keywords) that youve showcased.

If you can use keywords effectively, you will position yourself above the competition and generate more leads, more interviews, and more opportunities!

I N THE CONTEXT OF WRITING RESUMES, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, thank-you letters, personal websites, and all other career communications, keywords are best defined as: Words (generally nouns and adjectives) that communicate the specific skills, qualifications, experience, education, professional and technical credentials, and other essential information that supports an individuals job targets and career objectives. To clarify, not every keyword is just a single word. For example, for many industries and professions the term customer service is important, yet its really a two-word phrase. When we refer to keywords in this book, we are referring to both single keywords and multiple-word keyword phrases. As youll read in the following pages, keywords fall into five specific categories, each important in helping your resume get noticed so that you have the opportunity for an interview that can lead to a job offer.