In January, the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics added over 350,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate was 3.7% for the third month. Since Biden’s election in 2020, 14.8 million jobs have been created. This is the longest streak of its kind since the 1960s.

With all those jobs available, how do you ensure your resume gets to the top of the pile and noticed? We will share what you need to know about completing applications and how to use keywords to bypass job application filters so you can achieve success and land interviews.

Resume keywords

When you apply for a job, corporate recruiters look for specific keywords relating to general job categories. Making the interview pile requires including keywords on your application and resume that fit your experience, skills, and the company’s needs.

Using a few keywords improves your chance of getting your application noticed by the hiring manager. This process is essential because applicant tracking systems (ATS) are used by thousands of companies, including 97.4% of Fortune 500 companies. ATS helps hiring managers scan resumes for specific skills, job titles, certifications, or keywords.

One of the first steps in the process is identifying what skills and keywords are relevant to the job you desire. Read the job description, highlighting keywords the company emphasizes or appearing frequently. For instance, a listing for a marketing manager position might include the keywords content marketing, branding, analytics, and SEO.

To ensure you scan the job description accurately, use online tools to analyze the listing, suggest resume keywords, and compare your resume with the listing for keyword usage.

  • Career Enlightenment: compares job descriptions with your resume to build a list of keywords
  • Huntr: Uses AI to find keywords in the job description, highlighting them in different colors based on keyword type and comparing your resume to the job description
  • Jobscan: Analyzes resume and compares hard skills, soft skills, and keywords from job listing to resume
  • Resume Worded: keyword finder scans the job description and generates a list of keywords to include in a resume
  • SkillSyncer: keyword scanner and application tracker that identifies skills and keywords missing from a resume when compared to the job description
  • Wozber: AI-driven scanner analyzes job listing requirements and keywords on your resume

Another excellent method for finding keywords is to search the company’s website. Websites usually contain keyword ideas, including additional job listings. Even if they aren’t your desired position, they may help you edit your resume to better target the company, bypassing ATS filters.

Resume tips

Once you have your list of keywords pertinent to the job description, you must incorporate them into your resume. Use them to demonstrate your value and expertise as a thought leader in that industry. Thought leadership provides insight, opinions, and solutions on topics critical to the industry and audience.

Thought leadership goes beyond the basic skills and highlights your contributions and achievements in the field. Don’t just say you have SEO skills; emphasize that you increased the company’s organic traffic by over 60% in six months.

Include everything necessary to get a good response from the resume scanner without keyword stuffing. Use your keywords naturally throughout your resume so they don’t look out of place. Keywords must be relevant, specific, and tailored to the job and company you are applying for.

Sprinkle the words throughout the resume’s skills, education, achievements, work experience, and summary sections. Compare your finished resume to the job listing. Your resume should match the language usage and formatting of the listing.

Follow their example. If they use numbers in the job description, use numbers on your resume; don’t write them out. This applies to capitalization, word choice, and comma usage.

Make sure your resume uses ATS keywords and industry terms. This demonstrates industry knowledge and increases the chance of your resume making it to the hiring manager’s desk.

What is a resume scanner?

A resume scanner is an applicant tracking system (ATS) software application. Used by most job hiring sites, it flags the best applicants by looking for specific keywords in resumes and applications.

The software’s parameters are set by the recruiter or business-seeking applicants. A general resume will not be as successful as one optimized for ATS.

The resume must meet the goal of prioritization by a resume scanner and be easy to read by the hiring manager. You can take advantage of this process by:

  • Browsing job search websites
  • Researching resume keywords
  • Tailor your resume to the job description
  • Use ATS keywords organically in your resume

You must tailor each resume to fit individual employers. Staying up-to-date on the latest job application processes is essential.

Almost 40% of jobs worldwide will feel the impact of the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the use of AI increases, it will both help and hurt the workforce and may make finding jobs more difficult.

Finding eligible workers

North Carolina is feeling the employment hit two-fold. A surplus of jobs during the past few years has made it easy for Americans to jump from job to job. People could quickly increase their pay and perks. Competition in 2024 is expected to increase as fewer employers offer remote work.

More funding and policy changes are necessary in North Carolina to help lower-income residents earn essential credentials to obtain jobs. The state needs more people with certifications and associate or higher degrees to qualify for the jobs available.

Two-thirds of the available positions in the state require higher levels of education, but less than one-third of North Carolina high schoolers obtain that education level.

How to use keywords to bypass job application filters

Now that you know how to use keywords to bypass job application filters, finding the right job for your skills is the key. WRAL News is a great place to scan news articles about current hiring trends, what businesses are hiring, and who is laying people off. A keyword search on our website for job listings pulls up articles.