Recruitment has evolved significantly from the days when a vacancy was simply placed in a local or national newspaper. With the introduction of the internet came the online job boards. LinkedIn soon followed and over the course of two decades has positioned itself as a major resource for sourcing talent from around the world.
Today, with the evolution of technology, recruiters seek methods of reducing their workload. This all means eliminating the grunt work by using software designed to do it for them. While it used to take hours to sift through applications for competitive roles, software designed to compare applications against job criteria does the work instead.
So by the time a recruiter is involved, the applications that don’t meet the minimum requirements may have already been sifted out. For the job seeker, this all means your approach to the application process needs to keep pace.
Tailoring a CV
Tailoring your CV to the vacancy has always been important and involves the need to keep in mind which keywords might represent the skills and experience for the vacancy. Employers that use applicant tracking systems (ATS) will identify the CVs which don’t have the right keywords. And this may happen before a human recruiter is able to take a look at it.
As AI advances, the price of such software will become more affordable. This means more and more employers will use ATS to help them sift applications.
In short, it doesn’t matter how well written your CV or how perfect you may believe you are for the role, if the right keywords are not there your CV may not be considered.
What are keywords?
Keywords are specific words or phrases. They represent the detail of the job you are applying for and should be in the job description for the vacancy. Keywords, for instance, can be found in the ‘essential and desirable’ experience and skills section of the job description.
The qualifications required for a job will also likely be important keywords. Research the company as well as the vacancy and take your time to get your CV right. Don’t simply copy and paste sections of the job description. The CV needs to impress the recruiter once the initial sifting is done.
What if you don’t have a specific vacancy to apply for?
While I don’t like generic CVs, if you aren’t applying for work but want to update your CV you’ll need to research your keywords more widely. You could start by looking at job descriptions of roles similar to the kind you might be interested in. You should see words and phrases common to all job descriptions.
Research industry trends and words that illustrate your knowledge of those trends and your skills and experience.
When you come to apply for a vacancy you will need to review your CV against the job description. But having a place to start with a CV ready to tweak will save time.
Placing the keywords
Where you put the keywords is also important. Your profile or personal statement at the top of the CV would make sense for keyword placement, as this is the introduction to you and your pitch for the job.
After the profile it will depend on your chosen CV layout. Key achievements/skills or job descriptions are the obvious places to put keywords.
Always exemplify key skills and experience, otherwise they are just buzz words or empty boasts. You need to convince the recruiter that they are genuine.
Don’t try to repeat the keywords over and over again in the CV. This is called ‘keyword stuffing’ and can make the CV looked too contrived. Always remember that at some point a recruiter will hopefully get to look at your CV, so make sure its coherent.
Get headhunted
Being headhunted for a role is a great position to be in if you are in the market for a new job. Recruitment agencies and employers may use resources such CVs stored on online job boards and LinkedIn to search for potential new recruits. The keywords you have in your CV really matter here. They are the basis for the searches carried out by those interested in what you have to offer.
And finally…
Recruiting the right people in to key roles is important for employers, large and small. The cost of making a mistake can be high, so as technology evolves to help with the process more and more employers will adopt it.
Considering keywords when writing your CV is not so different to the general process of tailoring a CV. For those who are used to tailoring their CV to the vacancy, keywords should already have been considered. The important point is to make the research and placement of keywords a conscious consideration.
Having said all this, remember, relevant keywords in a CV have always been important. And ultimately it is the recruiter who will make the decision on what criteria matters most when hiring for a new job. Consider keyword research and placement as a tool in your armoury when you are looking for work. You may find getting the keywords right could make all the difference.