Using Keywords In An Entry-Level Resume

If you're applying to jobs and not hearing back — this might be why. As a career coach, I’ve seen so many talented candidates get ignored. Not because they weren’t qualified. But because they didn’t use the right words. Here’s the truth: Recruiters use Boolean search in LinkedIn and ATS platforms. We literally type in keywords from the job description to find candidates. If your resume or profile doesn’t include those keywords… We may never even see you. Here’s how to fix it: Step 1: Find 3–5 job posts you’d love → Look at how they describe tools, responsibilities, outcomes Step 2: Write down repeating keywords → Examples: “lifecycle marketing,” “Agile methodology,” “SQL,” “talent acquisition” Step 3: Use those keywords naturally in your resume & LinkedIn → Not copy-paste — apply them where they match your real experience Instead of: “Worked on email campaigns” Say: “Managed lifecycle campaigns using Hubspot and A/B testing — improved retention by 18%” Where to use them: → Resume summary → Top job bullets → LinkedIn headline & About section → Skills section This isn’t gaming the system. It’s helping your skills get seen. Have you tried this strategy before? Did it work for you? Let’s share tips in the comments #JobSearch #ResumeTips #LinkedInStrategy #ATSResume #CareerAdvice #BooleanSearch #RecruiterTips #JobHunt #PersonalBranding #VisibilityMatters

If you're a jack-of-all-trades who struggles to talk about your background, this one is for you ... I hear this a lot from struggling job seekers: "I'm a generalist. I have a diverse background, and I don't know how to talk about it." Or, "I'm a quick learner, I took on many tasks, and I wore many hats." Or, "I did the work of x job title, but I never had x job title." If this describes you, the struggle is real. And here's how I tell my clients to overcome it ... First of all, a mindset shift: 👏 THE JOB SEARCH IS NOT ABOUT YOU. 👏 IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS. 👏 These companies have a pain point - they have a problem/want/need and they're willing to spend money (i.e., hire someone) to solve it. ❗It's all about your results and impact - how you can help THEM solve THEIR problems or pain points. Too many times I hear job seekers say, "Here's my background, here are my skills" rather than saying, "Here are my skills, and here's how they will help YOU." Here's my favorite line: "You're looking for someone who can do x, y, z. I've done it before. Here's how I've done it and here's how I will help you." Sounds great, right? Here's how you get there ... ✅ Find 2-3 jobs that interest you. (If you're looking at different job titles, find 2-3 jobs per job title.) ✅ Copy + paste the job descriptions into a document. Highlight the keywords and key phrases. Now organize those keywords and key phrases into categories. I tell my clients to look for the following categories: 1) WHAT YOU DO - WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM (What are the outcomes they want from this job? What are the goals for this job?) 2) JOB-SPECIFIC TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (What does the company want you to do in that job? What are the tasks and responsibilities?) 3) WHO YOU ARE - YOUR PERSONALITY (What kind of person are they looking for in this role?) 4) SKILLS (List the hard and soft skills, especially items like "knowledge of x software” or “communicate effectively.”) (You might find other categories to add, that's great! This is just a starting point.) ✅ Now look at these keywords and key phrases - what are the common themes? What skills are necessary to complete the job? ❗If you're a jack-of-all-trades struggling to talk about your background, this is how you do it: THROUGH THE LENS OF THE JOB(S) YOU WANT NEXT. I tell my clients all the time: "Your potential employers are telling you exactly what they want, it's in the job description. Let that be your guide." Study your list of keywords and key phrases from your ideal job descriptions, then use those exact words and phrases in your resume, LinkedIn profile, networking situations, and job interviews. I'm rooting for you. 👊 ♻ Please repost if you think this advice will help others. ***** Hi, have we met? I'm Emily and I'm on a mission to get the #greenbannergang back to work, one actionable step at a time. #jobsearch #jobhunt #jobseekers

After I announced my new role, a lot of people asked how I landed something so fast. Instead of answering one by one, I figured it’s time to start posting what’s actually helped, especially in this tough job market. For job seekers out there, I empathize with your frustration, and I see you. Alright, enough intro, let's get into it: What if I told you that most recruiters aren’t reading every resume that crosses our desk? Shocking? Maybe not to some of you. Instead, we’re searching for them using something called Boolean logic. Think of it as a smart keyword search that uses phrases from the job description and hiring manager chats. Here's a quick example of what a really simple Boolean search actually looks like (in this case, for customer success, but apply this to any industry as needed): ("𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳" 𝘖𝘙 "𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳") 𝘈𝘕𝘋 (𝘚𝘢𝘢𝘚 𝘖𝘙 "𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮") 𝘈𝘕𝘋 (𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘖𝘙 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘙 𝘰𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘈𝘕𝘋 ("𝘏𝘶𝘣𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵" 𝘖𝘙 𝘊𝘙𝘔) If those keywords aren’t on your resume, we probably won’t find you. It's a sad truth, but it's worth stating. So what can you do? ⏺️ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (I know you've heard this before and that editing every resume is a PAIN, but it's more important than ever in this market. I recommend having a couple of different resumes for each industry you can reuse to make this an easier lift) ⏺️ 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 (ex: Grew retention from 72% to 91% by redesigning onboarding workflows.) You'd be shocked how many resumes I see that don't have this. It truly will set you apart in the market. ⏺️ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝘀). Not every recruiter has deep industry knowledge, so make your experience easy to understand at a glance. ⏺️ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 (You want to show ownership always. Think: Directed, Spearheaded, Launched vs. Helped) I'm here if anyone needs their resume reviewed or has questions. As someone just off the job market, I know how frustrating these searches can be over time! And it’s not about stuffing your resume; it’s about making your impact easier to discover by telling a good story with measurable facts. And transparently, I'm sharing this again because I think people need it right now. I posted it yesterday with a spicier title…and it quietly disappeared. (Shadowbanned? Maybe. Still worth sharing? Absolutely.)