We’ve all been a victim of the dreaded resume abyss. Sending your resume out into what seems to be a giant black hole. And then…crickets. What’s happening to the resume? In today’s tight job market, it’s more than likely being screened by a computer rather than a human. And if you don’t have the right keywords, the sad truth is that you may never make it to the hiring manager. 

It’s understandable that HR managers would need to employ the help of a computer. As they are stretched increasingly thin and the pool of qualified applicants continues to grow, we can’t blame them for employing the help of a computer screener. But how can you position your resume to get through?

The first step is to compile an exhaustive list of keywords. Start with the job posting and pull out as many soft skills and job skills as you can. Then go to the company’s website. Do they use specific words to describe the company’s culture? Do they talk about continuous quality improvement or operational excellence? What do they focus on? These should be the terms you use to describe your own work.

One really important caveat here – never use words that don’t apply to your or your work. If the job requires a skill that you don’t have, don’t under any circumstances lie or exaggerate…you’ll only be setting yourself up for failure. And DON’T include skills in white font. Applicant tracking systems are getting more and more sophisticated and this trick will buy your resume a one way trip to resume abyss.