Guide
How to find the keywords of a job offer
The keywords of an offer are the terms the recruiter will look for in your CV. Picking them out takes ten minutes and guides the whole application.
Where the keywords are
Read the advert with a highlighter and pick out four families of terms:
- tools and software: Excel, Salesforce, SAP, Figma, Python;
- methods and skills: project management, Agile, negotiation, data analysis;
- job titles and fields: project manager, financial control, B2B, retail;
- degrees, certifications and languages: PMP, CPA, fluent English.
Terms repeated in the advert, or placed in the requirements section, carry the most weight.
Separate essentials from nice-to-haves
An advert often mixes firm requirements ("you master", "mandatory", "required") and assets ("ideally", "a plus", "desirable"). Put each term in one of the two lists. The essentials should appear clearly in your CV; the assets you really have come next.
Where to place them in the CV
- in the title and summary, for the two or three central terms of the role;
- in the experience bullets, where you used the tool or method, with the context and result;
- in the skills section, for the full list.
Keep the exact form used in the advert, for example "Power BI" for a reporting tool.
Frequently asked questions
How many keywords should a CV contain?
All those that describe your real experience. For a given role, that is often ten to twenty terms, spread across the summary, experience and skills.
Should I copy the advert word for word?
Reuse technical terms exactly and write the rest in your own words. A CV that copies whole sentences from the advert is easy to spot.
How do I know if my CV has the right keywords?
Compare the list of essentials with your CV, term by term. ATSway picks out the keywords of the offer and compares your CV with the advert requirement by requirement.