Thoughts on a keywords listing
After a substantial re-write and re-formatting of my resume, I have a bit of space left over at the bottom of the second page. I've temporarily put in some miscellaneous accomplishments such as old sales awards and seminars, but I was wondering if I should consider using a keywords listing instead. I know that resumes are often pre-screened by OCR software, so I can see the merit of the idea. On the other hand, the keywords sections I've seen in other resumes and in employment ads are very unappealing visually besides being hard to read. Does anyone have any experience or results to share? If a keywords section is added, where should it go?
Yes, you can choose listing some keywords, as they are very veryimportant nowadays. In a few words the prospective employer canperceive the prospective employee :D "Section of post does not conform with Monster TOU."
Great questions, openwheel. First, you don't need to fill the empty space just because it's there. If your resume is optimized with career accomplishments and presents a strong value statement at 1.5 pages, you're done! Second, keywords don't need their own special section. Instead, they should fall naturally throughout the document. You can weave keywords throughout your work experience section, a qualifications summary, education, etc. One way to incorporate keywords that may not appear elsewhere is to add an Expertise or Key Skills section, which can also help human hiring managers (not just computers) scan through your important skills. If you really feel like "filling" the space, consider adding a Testimonials section. This section includes excerpts from reference letters, performance reviews, customer notes, and other written appraisals of your work, and can end your resume on a very positive note. Best wishes, Kim Isaacs The Resume Expert | |
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