When it Comes to Job Search, it Pays to Know Your Keywords

In today’s modern age of the internet, search engines and online job boards, knowing how to speak the language of searching could mean the difference from finding the job of your dreams and missing out on a career-making opportunity.  Using keywords effectively can help you save time in your job search and can assist in helping you locate the most applicable open positions for your given skillset.

When it comes to search terms and keywords, prospective employers utilize sophisticated strategies to help locate the best potential employees.  It only makes sense, then, that job-seekers employ equally knowledgeable methods to pair them with appropriate careers.  Want to be on top of the employment search game and get the keyword search skills necessary to locate these key positions?  Read on for out top tips, tricks and advice for utilizing search strategies to locate the job of your dreams.

Put Yourself in the Mindset of the Employer

Before a job listing ever hits the company website, email list or online job board, hiring managers, supervisors and other relevant professionals have usually spent hours pouring over the specifics.  From individual job duties to specific desired qualifications, each line has been analyzed and discussed to help find the best candidate to fit into the company’s employment puzzle.  

Companies, hiring managers and recruiters often begin compiling this information using sophisticated analytical tools and searches of their own.  Prospective employers review multitudes of previous job listings, scouring the web for those with just the right terms or descriptions to find the most relevant candidates.  These phrases are carefully chosen to attract sufficient interest in addition to weeding out unqualified candidates.  In addition, hiring managers and internal HR coordinators often employ advanced keyword optimization tools such as Google analytics or even outside consulting firms in order to ensure just the right choice of key phrases.

Apply to Your Own Job Search

With individual firms, companies and hiring professionals having done the hard work needed to compile this information, tt only makes sense, then, that this would be the place to start when choosing specific keywords for your personal job search.  Start out by reviewing a selection of relevant, previous job listings.  Look for common keywords describing relevant requirements, experience goals or tasks.  These will be your primary keyword source material for starting your own job search.  Be sure to compare apples to apples and select positions that are on your current career path or in line with each other when it comes to experience, title and qualifications.

Once you’ve compiled a list of common terms, the benefit to your individual career search will be two-fold.  First, they keywords can be used in popular online job boards, general internet searches or in sifting through online classified sites to help separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to quality positions, applicable to your given career.  This can help save vital time and can also help candidates come up with quality keyword strategies for automated updates or mailing list services that compile job listings from multiple sources.

In addition, appropriate keyword selection can also help candidates get noticed by those in the position to make the hiring decisions in the first place.  In today’s dynamic job market, employers often can’t afford to wait around for qualified candidates to come to them.  Either independently or with the use of qualified recruiters, hiring managers will often search social media and networking platforms or resume hosting sites for CV’s that stand out from the crowd.  Having your resume optimized for the correct target keywords can help you get noticed in this virtual sifting, lining you up for first crack at the best open positions.

Understanding keyword usage and optimization is akin to speaking the language of modern job searches.  With an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the ability to add speed and efficiency to your job search through select phrases has never been easier.  A few minute of keyword search by candidates now can return exponential benefits in the long term.

Article Updated from the Original on October 11, 2017

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