Key Words to Use in a CV

By: Together Abroad 15-01-2017

Categories:* CV / Resume,
Keywords are a core part of your CV. Without themyou will not have much luck with your job-hunting. A recent study showed that recruiters spent on average about 6.25 seconds looking at a candidate’s CV before deciding if they are right for the job. According to CareerBuilder, hiring managers and human resource staffers spend a little longer reviewing CVs, with 68% looking at application resumes for about 2 minutes before making a decision. Regardless of which is closer to the truth, one thing for certain is that your CV does not receive as much attention as you might expect. Therefore,it is important to focus on buzzwords that will impress a recruiter on a cursory reading.

Recruiters tend to spend their time searching agency databases or job sites, and they do this by way of ‘keyword searches’. In a single day a recruiter typically reviews a few hundred CVs from a database of many thousands. When you are applying for a job, you should be aware of the words that are most likely to be searched. For example, if you are applying for a job in the retail industry and in a managerial role, then put the words ‘retail’, ‘sales’ or ‘manager’ in your resume.

In addition to the keywords that will get your CV a potential viewing, you should also focus on keywords that will grab the attention of a recruiter when he or she reads it. Here it is important to be aware of what words not to use, as well as the words that you should use. It is generally advised to not use sweeping words of self-praise, such as ‘team-player’, ‘go-getter’, or ‘self-motivated’, as a recent survey on CareerBuilder showed. Try also to avoid over-used clichés, such as ‘synergy’, ‘results drive’ or ‘think outside the box’. Try instead to use action words when listing your achievements, such as ‘improved’, ‘created’ or ‘maximised’. This allows you to build up a more dynamic picture of your accomplishments, which will set you apart from people who just begin their statements with ‘I’ or ‘We’.

Stick as closely as possible to the wording of the job advert. Often the keywords that you should use are in the text of the ad itself. If you are applying for a specific industry, read up on the typical jargon used. Conversely if you want to broaden your horizons, use language that will be readily understood by recruiters in other fields. Setting up your CV with the right words is guaranteed to improve your chances of getting more than a passing glance.

Adam Watson