Resume Tips

Choose Your Words Carefully.
Too many books on résumé writing are out-of-date. Although well intentioned and filled with other good information, most have not been updated for the modern job search.

Many eyes will see your résumé – both human and electronic. Computers "score" résumés by the number of keywords (also known as "buzzwords") the employer will find most relevant. If you don’t account for this, your résumé could stay locked in some database, never to be even seen by anyone while you wait for a call that never comes.

Write a "Keyword Competencies" section.
One solution for the electronic gatekeeper (or applicant tracking system) is to include a special section called a "Keyword Competencies" section. You want to focus on the words most likely to be used by a HR administrator, hiring manager or recruiter. They search résumés by keywords. The greater number of relevant keywords you can include, the higher relevancy score your résumé will be given.

This section should list all the relevant keywords pertaining to your career and skills. This section is best listed at the beginning of your résumé to introduce the skill sets you possess early on from an interviewing standpoint. Include no more than 75 keywords.

For example, if you’re a certified clinical coder, your "Keyword Competencies" section should include your CCS credential and all platforms you work on.

The idea here is to put in as many relevant, searchable keywords that describe your potential job title, technical skills, management or organizational skills, relevant software and/or mechanical abilities and expertise. Include anything that might be important to the particular job.

In addition, if you can locate a description of an actual job or one similar to the actual job for which you are applying, copy in all the applicable buzzwords listed under required and desired skills. This includes education levels and professional credentials (if the position calls for a Master’s Degree or a technical certification, then include "MBA" or “CNMT” as well).

If you spend some time on this, you should easily come up with a list of from 40 to 80 relevant searchable keywords to include here.

What a Resume Should Do:

Focuses attention on your special abilities
Creates a favorable impression of you
Creates a desire to meet you personally to find out more about you

What a Resume Should NOT Do:

Get you a job... you do that!
Present all the facts about you (no life story)... just give pertinent professional information.
Misrepresent you... a good resume presents you "favorably" but does not state untruths.