Resume Keywords: How to Pick Them to Top ATS Screening Results
A practical guide to choosing the right keywords for your resume and placing them naturally to raise your ATS match score and boost your chances of landing an interview.
Keywords are the language an ATS uses to understand how well you fit a job. Choosing and placing them wisely can be the difference between topping the candidate list and disappearing at the bottom. Here's how to choose the right keywords for your resume.
Where do keywords come from?
The first and most important source is the job posting itself. Read it carefully and extract: the job title, technical skills, tools and software, certifications, and recurring responsibilities. These are exactly the words the system is looking for.
Types of keywords
- Hard-skill keywords: programming languages, tools, methodologies, certifications.
- Job titles and their synonyms (e.g. Accountant / Accounting Specialist).
- Soft skills explicitly required in the posting.
- Field- or industry-specific terminology.
Where do you place keywords?
- In the professional summary at the top of the page.
- Within your work experience descriptions, naturally inside the sentences.
- In the skills section, clearly and organized.
Balance compatibility with natural reading
Repeat important keywords two or three times in different contexts, but don't turn your resume into a meaningless word list. Excessive stuffing hurts the human reader's experience and looks artificial.
Don't know which keywords your resume is missing for a specific job? Paste the job description and upload your resume, and you'll get a precise list of suggested keywords to raise your match.
Check your resume for freeFrequently asked questions
Where do I get the keywords for my resume?
From the job ad itself: the job title, technical skills, tools and software, certifications, and recurring responsibilities. Those are exactly the words the screening system searches for.
How many times should I repeat a keyword?
Two to three times in different, natural contexts (summary, experience descriptions, skills section). Obvious stuffing looks artificial and puts off the human reader after you pass the system.
How do I find the keywords my resume is missing?
Compare your resume against the job description with an analyzer: in CV Analyz you paste the job description and upload your resume, and get the list of missing and suggested keywords to raise your match score.