What are resume keywords?

Resume keywords are words or short phrases related to your job’s or company’s requirements. These keywords can represent the skills, education, certifications, licensing or general qualities your company values when looking for a candidate in that specific role. Keywords can be used to filter out resumes that aren’t a good match, as well as find those that meet your qualifications.

Resume keywords examples

The resume keywords you use will be specific to your company and position. However, we’ve included a few examples of keywords for resume skills and other qualifications below to help you understand how they can be used in the candidate screening process.

Examples of keywords for resume skills and other qualifications might include:

• For a digital marketer: “Search engine optimization,” SEO, PPC, “on-page copy,” “copywriter” or “inbound marketing“
• For a chef: “Menu creation,” “hot foods,” “culinary school,” “sous chef” or “management”
• For a doctor: Pediatrician, OBGYN, obstetrics, gynecology, or “general practice”
• For a secretary: “Microsoft Word,” Excel, phones, typing, “office management,” “document management,” filing

Ways to make resume screening more efficient

You can use resume keywords to streamline your candidate screening process in four ways. We’ve included four options (including a manual search) below so you have the opportunity to choose the one that best fits your company’s available tools and preferences.

1. Manually searching a resume

You can manually search a resume for specific keywords. This is the most time-consuming option, but can be a better than reading entire resumes. A few best practices for manually searching a resume include:

1. Identify your most important resume keywords ahead of time.

2. Determine where those keywords should be located in resumes.

3. Scan the part of resumes where your keywords should be found, and filter out any candidates without those.

2. Search functions for individual resumes

You can also use built-in search functions to search individual resumes for specific keywords. Press “Ctrl” (or “Command” if using a Mac) and “F” simultaneously while the resume is pulled up. You’ll be presented with a search bar into which you can type your query. If a keyword isn’t found within the document, you can filter out that resume and move on to the next one.

This option for using resume keywords is much faster than manually searching, but it’s still less time-efficient than the following two options discussed. Be careful that your search query has no typos, or else you won’t find the keywords you’re looking for. You can copy and paste the most important keyword into the search bar to save time.

3. Automated resume screening tools

Many companies have started using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to quickly screen candidates. You may also hear these called talent management systems.

There are numerous ATSs your company could utilize, and each potential option has different features and functions that operate in different ways. However, most of them have the option to eliminate any resumes missing certain keywords. These can help save significant time by automating the screening process.

There are two potential downsides to using automated resume screening tools. First, you have to invest in the ATS, which can be a significant financial investment. It’s up to you to decide if the investment is worth it.

You may want to consider how often you’ll use your applicant tracking system when determining whether the investment is worth it. Companies frequently recruiting and hiring may find an ATS a worthwhile investment. If you don’t often recruit or hire, you may decide the investment isn’t worth it.

The second downside is that there’s always the possibility that the ATS accidentally filters out relevant candidates. You could end up missing out on an ideal candidate because they wrote a specific keyword differently than you listed it in the ATS.

4. Using Boolean search strings

Boolean search strings are basic logic tools that use operators and keywords to streamline the candidate screening process. They can be used to filter resumes sent to you, as well as find suitable matches in resumes during recruitment.

There are five primary Boolean operators you’ll need to know about:

• AND: Tells the operator to ensure two or more keywords are both included in a resume
• OR: Tell the operator you’ll accept resumes with either keyword.
• NOT: Will exclude resumes with certain keywords
• Parentheses: Groups keywords together
• Quotation marks: Informs the search engine that multiple keywords must be used together

A few quick examples of what Boolean search strings look like include:

• “content marketer” ANDSEO NOT PPC: Will show resumes for content marketers who mention SEO while excluding those who mention PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.
• chef AND (menu OR “menu creation”) AND (LA or “Los Angeles”): This will show chefs who are experienced in creating menus and live or work in Los Angeles.
• secretary AND “Microsoft Word” AND “excel”: This search string will show secretaries who are experienced in both Microsoft Word and Excel.

A few best practices for using Boolean search strings include:

• Check your search strings for typos before submitting them.
• Only use mandatory keywords so you don’t exclude relevant resumes.
• Start with simple Boolean searches (two or three terms) before moving on to more complex options.

Resume keywords can help screen candidates in the first stage of the hiring process to save you time and help ensure you find a good employee for your company’s open role. There are four ways you can use resume keywords, although using automated resume screening tools or Boolean search strings is often the most time efficient.

Frequently asked questions about resume keywords

Why are resume keywords important for the employer and candidate?

Resume keywords are important for potential candidates because they help them get past initial screenings for many jobs. They can also help show how qualified a candidate is when an employer is scanning resumes. Resume keywords are important for the employer because they can streamline the hiring process by filtering out resumes that don’t have the right qualifications early on.

Are there downsides to using resume keywords to filter candidates?

If you’re not using the right keywords, you may filter out appropriate candidates alongside those that don’t match your search criteria. It’s also possible that otherwise qualified candidates haven’t included specific keywords in the way you’re searching for them.