Resume Evaluation: Keywords and Phrases

This is one of series of articles being written by Alpha Dog Resumes.com explaining how the online resume writing service evaluates the thousands of resumes that are sent to it each year.

One of the ten criteria that is reviewed is Keywords and Phrases.  The resume is given a score of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

A score of 3 or lower indicates that the resume needs to be rewritten to include crucial keywords and phrases that will greatly improve the chances that the resume will be selected by HR resume selection software.  Those keywords and phrases will also attract the attention of HR personnel.  The keywords and phrases relate to the job seeker’s industry and the specific job responsibilities.  They must be placed with sufficient density and in the optimal places in the resume.

As a simple example, does an attorney seeking a General Counsel position with a corporation need to use both the phrase “In-house Counsel” and the phrase “General Counsel” in his resume?  Yes.  Where should those words be concentrated in that resume?  Near the top of the first page of the resume.

Improper use of keywords and phrases means no interview in today’s world.  Identification of those words and phrases is a difficult key first step, and AlphaDogResumes.com works with clients to define that list in a personal telephone consultation when working through the client’s extensive AlphaDog Background Analyzer.