We regularly encourage you to customize your resume for any job you apply for here at VA. That includes using the appropriate keywords and terminology in your application package.
But what are keywords, and how can you correctly identify them in a job announcement?
Let’s take a few minutes to break down what you’re looking at, what you should be looking for, and what steps you can take to make sure your resume meets the requests of the announcement.
What are keywords?
For hiring managers and recruiters, keywords outline the necessary skills and experience they’re looking for in candidates. These are the specific responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations associated with a particular role.
For applicants like you, keywords act as a bridge between your resume and the job announcement. They align your specific qualifications with the job and demonstrate why you’re a good candidate for the position.
Understanding how to identify and incorporate these words is the difference between submitting a generic resume and one that’s tailored for success. In short, keywords can mean the difference between an interview and a rejection letter.
How to identify keywords
To find the keywords relevant to the application, start by reading the entire job announcement to understand the responsibilities and requirements that recruiters expect.
Federal job announcements are all found on USAJOBS.gov, and because of that, are largely uniform in their layout, so significant keywords can typically be found in these sections:
- Duties
- Requirements
- Specialized experience
Within those sections, look for the technical words that may be specific to the role. These represent the “hard skills” that the job requires. That may mean medical experience for clinical roles, or specific software use for information technology jobs, for example.
Those applying for specialized positions will have an easier time finding these keywords, because your education, training, or experience will typically be associated with degrees, licenses, or certifications, and will stand out because of their specificity.
For those applying to less technical roles, a good rule of thumb is that important keywords are often preceded by action verbs that describe the job responsibilities. Words like “manage,” “coordinate,” “develop,” or “assist” will lead you right to the words the recruiter wants to see.
Other important keywords will represent the soft skills hiring managers want detailed on your resume. If a job announcement asks you demonstrate skills like leadership, communication, or problem-solving, you’ve got a few more words to include.
Finally, when in doubt, look for any words that are repeated several times throughout the job announcement. Those words are recurring for a reason, so it’s critical that you identify them.
How to use keywords in your resume
Once you’ve identified the core keywords in the job announcement, review your resume and include these keywords where applicable. For example, if part of your work duties was “reviewing” data, but the job announcement wants “analyzing” information, make the swap.
When the hiring manager or recruiter begins reviewing applicants, they’re going to be looking for those words. Using keywords not only ensures your resume meets their criteria, but also shows the hiring managers you read the job announcement and paid attention to the details that mattered.
Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of copying and pasting the identical language from the announcement into your resume. That’s a red flag for recruiters and hiring managers, and you don’t want to give them a reason to disqualify you.
Some final (key)words
While it may seem like extra work, identifying and using keywords in your resume is a good investment of time for job seekers.
It’s important to understand that keywords vary from job to job, and terminology can differ between organizations, especially when moving from the civilian sector to VA’s federal system, so using the appropriate terminology leaves no room for debate about your qualifications.
Additionally, our recruiters can sometimes get dozens (if not hundreds) of applications, depending on the position. Sorting through all that information takes time, so they’ll start their reviews by looking for keywords. No keywords may mean no further review.
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- READ more job news and advice.
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