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Resume Keywords

Decoded & Demystified©

Hacks the Resume Black Hole

Resume Psychology © Series

Dirk Spencer

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Resume Psychology

Copyright © 2016 by Dirk Spencer All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the

author. Printed in the United States of America. For information, contact Dirk Spencer via LinkedIn.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at

press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss,

damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence,

accident, or any other cause.

No warranties are implied and none can be granted. Information contained herein may not be applicable to your

situation. Neither the author nor publisher shall be liable for loss or profit or any damages.

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Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 11

My Backstory with Resumes, Recruiting & Technology .............................................................................. 12

Thank you Joan! .......................................................................................................................................... 15

The Problem with Resume Keywords .............................................................................................................

Why Do You Need Resume Keywords? ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Without Resume Keywords ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Resume Keywords Learning Objectives ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Where Are Your Resume Keywords? ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Experience and Vocabulary ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Anthropology and History .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Job Titles .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Why Resume Keywords Are Hard .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Resume Keyword Sources .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Book Types ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Laminated Tri-Folds................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

College Textbooks ...................................................................................................................................

Best Sellers ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Study Guides / Exam Preparation .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

How-To Manuals .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Glossaries and Lexicons ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Selecting Your Book ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Book Sources .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

College Book Stores ............................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Retail Book Sellers .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Online Book Sellers ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Library .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Book Options .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

New / Used Purchases ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

“Rent” / Borrow ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Previews / Reviews ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Free on Kindle ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Free on Google Books ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Article Types ............................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

How-To ....................................................................................................................................................

Best Practices ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

The Top Tools ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

The Top 10 Lists.......................................................................................................................................

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The 10 Commandments ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Professional or Vendor White-Papers ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Article Options ............................................................................................................................................

SlideShare.Net ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Huffington Post ...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Professional Magazines .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Twitter .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Blogger ................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

LinkedIn .................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Vimeo & YouTube .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

WordPress .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

MeetUp.Com .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Podcasts ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Certifications Types .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Project Controls ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Skills Verification .....................................................................................................................................

Job Titles ................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Conferences Types ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Class Types ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Continuing Education ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Adult Education .......................................................................................................................................

Audit Courses ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

College Classes ....................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Certification, Conferences and Class Options ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Online, Remote (Tele-Seminars), Webinars, On Campus ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Contact Content Creators .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Public Speakers, Event Sponsors/ Organizers, Authors, Podcasters, Bloggers ..... Error! Bookmark not

defined.

Content is Searchable Online ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Resume Keyword 30:30 Rule ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Using Google .................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Find Resume Keywords with Job Title and –.............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Search Google ................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Tables of Contents and Job-Title: Project Manager ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Refine Results with Google Books (Repository) ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Results Inside Google Books ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Table of Contents and Job Title: Admin Assistant ..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Table of Contents and Job Title: Buyer and Merchandiser ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

BONUS: Google Search Command “FILETYPE:” ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Google Search with FILETYPE: .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Google Search with FILETYPE:DOCX Outcomes ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Google Search with FILETYPE:PPT Outcomes ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Google Search with FILETYPE:PDF Outcomes ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Glossary and Job Title: Career Coach Counselor........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Glossary and Job Title: Accountant ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Glossary and Job Title: Admin Assistant .....................................................................................................

Glossary and Job Title: Buyer Merchandiser.............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Syllabus and Job Title: Admin Assistant ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Syllabus and Job Title: Buyer Merchandiser .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Syllabus and Textbook: Searching on Amazon .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Curated Content and Job Title: Admin Assistant ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Curated Content and Job Title: Corporate Buyer .......................................................................................

Curated Content and Job Title: Business Analyst ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Curated Content and Job Title: Business Analyst (Second Search) .............................................................

Summary of Google Searches & Job-Title .......................................................................................................

Summary of “FileType:” Command in Google ............................................................................................

The 11 Questions for Your Resume Keywords - Summary ......................................................................... 16

The 3 “Yes” or “No” Resume Keyword Questions ...................................................................................... 17

Do You Have the Experience? ................................................................................................................. 17

Does Your Experience Match Their Needs? ............................................................................................ 17

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Do You Wish to Share The Experience? .................................................................................................. 17

The 4 Quality Control Resume Keyword Questions .................................................................................... 18

What Is the Professional Version of This Experience? ............................................................................ 18

Have These Keywords Changed or Remained the Same? ...................................................................... 18

Why Have the Keywords Changed or Remained the Same? .................................................................. 18

Which Industry Claims to Own These Keywords Today? ........................................................................ 19

The 4 Verification Resume Keyword Questions .......................................................................................... 19

Will This Get Me Hired? .......................................................................................................................... 19

What am I Trying to Communicate? ....................................................................................................... 20

What Are 5 Synonyms for This Word, Phrase or Symbol? ...................................................................... 20

Are Any of These Alternatives a Verb or Noun? ..................................................................................... 20

Which Experience Statement is Easiest to Process? ................................................................................... 21

How Many Resume Keyword Sources is Enough? ..........................................................................................

Test and Update the Resume ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

When to Add a New Source ............................................................................................................................

You Make These Adjustments Every 3 to 5 Days. .......................................................................................

WDYS - When Do You Stop? ...........................................................................................................................

The Strongest Resume Keywords .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

The Weakest Resume Keywords ................................................................................................................. 21

Resume Keyword Rejection Pool ................................................................................................................ 22

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A Word About Job Titles .................................................................................................................................

How Many Resume Keywords Do You Need? ................................................................................................

Resume Keywords - Rule of 21 ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Resume Keywords - Rule of Location ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Resume Review – Resume Keyword Patterns ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

What Resume Keywords are NOT… ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

SEO ............................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Word Clouds & Infographics ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Oh Lord, Job Descriptions .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

In Closing ..................................................................................................................................................... 23

Thank You! .................................................................................................................................................. 23

Dirk Spencer – BIO ...................................................................................................................................... 24

Dirk’s Web Page Information ...................................................................................................................... 25

Resume Keywords Decoded & Demystified Online Class & Podcast .......................................................... 26

Dirk’s Media Mentions ................................................................................................................................ 26

Acknowledgement: Joan ............................................................................................................................. 27

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Introduction

Resume Keywords Decoded & Demystified was based on a suggestion from a friend who saw a need first

hand at a career networking meeting.

From my point of view, with 2 books on resumes, I was confident this topic was well covered. It seemed

like there was enough information with examples and honestly resume keywords seemed obvious.

My friend’s reply was immediate and direct: “it seems obvious to you because you work with this writing

books and reviewing resumes all day.”

Which pushed me off my pedestal and it made me listen.

The claim, career professionals, did not know how to start, where to look or what to do regarding their

resume keywords. People with 10, 20-year careers across 1 or 2 major companies, people making

decent money. This meant there was a good chance there are people with less awareness not willing to

vocalize their need for help, too.

Regardless, one truth exists, there is room for better, more detailed information on resume keywords.

This book is an attempt to provide the missing help.

My approach for the book is super-newbie, baby step walk-thru with real-life examples.

The goal: to make you the master of your resume keyword needs by teaching you the “what-to-do” and

“how-to-do-it” for your exact situation.

While the guts of this book originate from the online class and webinar trial, it contains more details. I

have added my consulting questions. These questions are designed to guide you as if we were working

together. These are the questions used during my paid one-on-one and group resume coaching.

This means you are not going it alone. Using these extra questions should help you organize and

prioritize your resume content with confidence.

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Here is a preview of what we will review:

1. My Backstory with Resumes, Recruiting & Technology

2. Thank you Joan! 3. The Problem with Resume Keywords 4. Why Do You Need Resume Keywords? 5. Without Resume Keywords 6. Resume Keywords Learning Objectives 7. Where Are Your Resume Keywords? 8. Experience and Vocabulary 9. Why Resume Keywords Are Hard 10. Resume Keyword Sources 11. Resume Keyword 30:30 Rule 12. Using Google 13. The 11 Questions for Your Resume

Keywords Summary 14. The 3 “Yes” or “No” Resume Keyword

Questions

15. The 4 Quality Control Resume Keyword Questions

16. The 4 Verification Resume Keyword Questions

17. Will this get me hired? 18. How Many Resume Keyword Sources is

Enough? 19. When to Add a New Source 20. When Do You Stop? 21. The Strongest Resume Keywords 22. The Weakest Resume Keywords 23. Resume Keyword Rejection Pool 24. How Many Resume Keywords Do You

Need? 25. Resume Keywords Rule of 21 26. Resume Keywords Rule of Location 27. Resume Review Resume Keyword Patterns 28. What Resume Keywords are NOT

As of the original publication date of this book, the online class was located at this link and is available for free: http://resumekeywordsdecoded.teachable.com/

My Backstory with Resumes, Recruiting & Technology

Back in the day as a Computer Specialist, General Schedule 12 (GS12) Series 334 (which no longer

exists), my job was writing program code for mainframe computers and eventually migrating to office

automation (post the failure of the Wang system, a once mighty monopoly) developing and delivering

technical training, authoring technical proposals for customized off-the-shelf software; along with

design, test and installation of local area networks, and work on a robotic inventory systems used for

aviation aircraft repair and maintenance.

I received an abundance of computer vendor training across the country, living in hotels for months at a

time attending courses and performing hands-on testing of proprietary computer operating systems,

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customized applications and hardware platforms; which was all put to good use for the United States

Marine Corps and US Navy as a federal employee.

These varied experiences gave me a great foundation on how computers process information, execute

program logic, and read and write data to storage.

In my experience, any problem with a computer always comes down to the bit by bit or byte by byte

logically and physically management of storage, memory and processor pathways.

Fast forward to home-based Internet access, people start using the World Wide Web to find a job and I

volunteer my time and deliver presentations on the technology. Think back, you had to teach people

how to use a mouse. You had to teach people how to install a modem. You had to teach people or

explain how a job board impacted the resume.

These presentations became bigger and more detailed over time. Since I prefer to “know” how

something works, I would test resumes on different platforms and report outcomes. Eventually, I would

become a recruiter.

As a recruiter I started on the agency side. Working for several companies. Working on multiple job

boards. Working on multiple applicant tracking systems (ATS). In agency recruiting, time to market is

critical. It was not unusual for account managers to ask me to “chase” a job requisition, even though

they had their own recruiting team. Word got around I could find people and reach them by phone.

Before long, I was working on jobs across all categories. Eventually, I went corporate and as the market

dictated, contract recruiting. This put me to work on 5 or more ATS platforms, 2 or more VMS products

and probably 5 or more different job boards.

This is when I put my combined experiences into my first 2-books:

Resume Psychology – Beat the machine. Be seen. Get hired

The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks

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With “The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks” the goal was to explain how to take a failed

resume from zero to hero. This seemed like a need… people stuck with a bad resume and no idea of how

to fight their way out.

To do this, I have people play along with me to help a fictitious candy maker (Sara Elf) with her resume.

We go from start to finish with this problem. She has 2 experience statements:

Made Candy

Sold Candy

Total crap, right?

The approach was to make the reader help an elf with her resume. Why this approach? People learn

best when they are helping others (even a fictional Candy Maker). The exercises in that book are

designed to help the reader overcome writer’s block, also known as unconscious competence in the

world of psychology and linguistics.

There was a brief discussion of “Vocabulary Help” which runs through 3 or 4 examples across 3 pages.

My thought was this was plenty of information on resume keywords. I was very confident at the time.

This would be the height of hubris on my part looking back.

My first book “Resume Psychology – Beat the machine. Be seen. Get hired” is my Resume Psychology

lecture series compiled into book form.

My original premise for Resume Psychology was to write a resume so compelling it engaged both the

machine and the human with equal greatness.

On the human side, we want the reader to internalize this primary thought: “we need to hire this

person.” That thought and their willingness to carry this message to their hiring team. We would call this

the psychic offer or maybe the pre-offer. The idea of the reader being predisposed to hiring you could

only help advance you through the process. A lot of people poo-pooed this concept. They would tell me

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it had never been done before or it would be too hard or recruiters do not do the hiring. Well, no

kidding. Anything worth having, like a job – hard work is essential.

To engage the machine, the software, the applicant tracking software (ATS) scoring algorithms we

leverage the technical common denominators to act as counter-measures to the technology impacts.

Resume Psychology contains check lists, suggestions and examples of what to do, what to avoid and a

line-by-line debrief of a full-blown resume. Who does this? Who shows you their resume good or bad?

My thought was it would help people to show people how the Resume Psychology concepts to a real-

world example.

Now, a third book, the one you are reading, Resume Keywords Decoded and Demystified is designed to

overcome the short-fall which exists in my previous books regarding resume keywords. You will be the

judge if I am successful here! Let me know. Connect to me on LinkedIn. Share your thoughts about the

book on Amazon.

Thank you Joan!

Before moving forward, I need to thank a dear friend who I mentioned at the top. Her name is Joan.

Joan is a rare combination of business professional who is a good-humored soul. When she talks “shop,”

you want to listen. Her conversations take you on a journey of topic clarity and the big-picture

implications. Joan’s enthusiasm for her industry is obvious and contagious. The more she talks the more

you want to join her industry. Say hi to Joan everyone: Hi, Joan!

The two of us were trading emails when the topic of resume keywords came up. Her note read in part:

“At a career transition meeting this week, one of my friends was talking about how she was paralyzed by

finding the right key words to put into her resume. Key word search - no one understands what that is. I

think that is what your reader is not getting. And worse, no one knows if they have the right key word

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search. You could write a WHOLE BOOK on key word searches”. Now, while Joan had earned my respect,

I was sure she was wrong about the need for a whole book. Yes, I could nerd-out on the ATS place-

holder theory, grammar engines, language parsing and text algorithms. Writing is a science. This goes for

resumes, too. We can quantify the written word in all its forms.

However, no one has ever exclaimed – “tell me more” when it comes to resume keywords.

But Joan’s observation and assessment could not be ignored. So, one webinar test and online class later

this book was on the drawing board. Joan, if you are reading this– thank you for the insight! Thank you.

The 11 Questions for Your Resume Keywords - Summary

When organizations, small groups or individuals hire me to help them with their resume; these are the

questions I make them answer over and over again. Eventually, the mood or feeling we need to create

around resume content and keywords will “click” and we move rather quickly to finalize their content.

Since we are not in a room together, here is the list:

1. Do you have the experience? 2. Does your experience match their needs? 3. Do you wish to share the Experience? 4. What is the professional version of this experience? 5. Have these keywords changed or remained the same? 6. Why have the keywords changed or remained the same? 7. Which industry claims to own these keywords today? 8. Will this get me hired? 9. What am I trying to communicate on this topic? 10. What are 5 synonyms for this word, phrase or symbol? 11. Are any of these alternatives a verb or noun?

Since there is a 50/50 chance you do not understand the intent of these questions, I have artificially

segmented the questions into 3 logical groups.

If you understand the questions from the original summary, feel free to skip this sub-divided review.

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The 3 “Yes” or “No” Resume Keyword Questions

These are the starter questions, the price of entering the resume keyword lottery. Use these questions

to narrow your selection or to omit keywords from your resume.

The rule is you must answer each question yes or no (or true or false):

Do you have the experience?

Does your experience match their needs?

Do you wish to share the experience?

Do You Have the Experience?

The first question is the ethics question. If you do not have the experience, using that resume keyword

will create a false-positive with some companies. They hate this and it is the reason the technology has

become so difficult to work with. The resume is not the place to attempt to present your transferable

skills. For those opportunities network aggressively.

Does Your Experience Match Their Needs?

The second question is the self-awareness question. Does your skill set fit in job-ology? This question

also forces you to be aware of your industry as a whole. You must be able to differentiate how you are

better than the competition. If you are not sure, then get involved with your local professional

association. If none exists, be the one who creates it.

Do You Wish to Share The Experience?

The third and last question is a decision based question. There are experiences I do not wish to re-

experience with another employer. I leave those experiences off my resume. Or, I reduce their

appearance as much as possible where they might be the only experience at a particular job. You have

the freedom to do this and it can be very liberating to let some of your content “go.”

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The 4 Quality Control Resume Keyword Questions

These question are your quality check. You ask these questions to ensure you have done your due

diligence.

1. What is the professional version of this experience? 2. Have these keywords changed or remained the same? 3. Why have the keywords changed or remained the same? 4. Which industry claims to own these keywords today?

What Is the Professional Version of This Experience?

Casual speak, slang, jargon creep into our daily conversations as those words reach critical mass across

news and social media channels. This style of speaking is perfectly acceptable among our peers and

within our companies.

However, on the resume it is important to limit or avoid casual language; to accomplish this, ask this

question to elevate your resume content.

Have These Keywords Changed or Remained the Same?

If the profession has changed, it is likely so has the vocabulary. It is important to consider the possibility

of a change whether before or during your tenure in the profession. Ask this question to uncover new

resume keywords and hold the old ones in the right perspective.

Why Have the Keywords Changed or Remained the Same?

In life, knowing the why never satisfies. But with resume keywords, the why is your spy into the industry

infrastructure. This question helps locate the driving forces of the profession. This glimpse on the why

can yield a better understanding of the industry; which terms help you apply more accurate resume

keywords.

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Which Industry Claims to Own These Keywords Today?

Honestly, this question is tricky and it has a narrow focus on the process skills. As more and more

industries seek a competitive edge, you will see more and more “borrowing” of keywords.

Things like project management, business analysis and even programming were limited to certain areas.

Today, we are seeing programmer-skills creep into none application development jobs. We are seeing

project control skills like agile creep into routine meetings instead being in the domain of budgeted

programs.

This shift may not be rampant. But to hedge your bets and maintain a crystal clear resume, use this

question to know where the boundaries lay. Not a big, deal… but something on the horizon. Something

which may give you an edge as the technology becomes more sophisticated.

The 4 Verification Resume Keyword Questions

1. Will this get me hired? 2. What am I trying to communicate on this topic? 3. What are 5 synonyms for this word, phrase or symbol? 4. Are any of these alternatives a verb or noun?

Will This Get Me Hired?

This question is deeper than people realize. You must ask yourself the question in a way that it forces

you to interrogate your intensions for the content.

You have to own it. You have to decide where you are taking the reader. Is the content related to the

job? Does the content describe your scale or depth of knowledge in a way the reader can readily

appreciate and digest? Can you duplicate the promise of your experience if hired? Will this [word,

phrase, example] get me hired? Learn to ask and answer this question honestly.

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What am I Trying to Communicate?

From this question you must decide what you want the reader to know. Not personality. Not your

heart’s desires. Not a history lesson from long-long-ago. You are drilling down on whether or not the

experience is administrative, analytical, mundane, common, complex, based in leadership, negotiation

skills, business savvy… you get the idea. Is it the expectation they need to read? Is it the norm and are

you presenting it as something unique or special by not being self-aware? Ask this question for every

word choice, phrase or example to stay engaged in the resume content creation process.

What Are 5 Synonyms for This Word, Phrase or Symbol?

Here is the real work: how many synonyms can you find, create, or look-up inside your word processor

or on-line with Google®? People skip this step and wonder why it is difficult to re-state similar

experiences from multiple perspectives. You never want to use an ampersand symbol (&). Why? Not

because it is bad form but because it is an opportunity to insert a better resume keyword or a word

which provides more specifics on your experience. You avoid phrases like “across-teams” not because it

is a worn-out and over-used phrase but because it is another opportunity to better tell your story. Take

the extra time and find better words by creating alternatives to have them available for later.

Are Any of These Alternatives a Verb or Noun?

Once you have alternatives you can further quantify their value by assessing their part of speech.

If there is a debate in your head or among your friends, you can select a winner with confidence by

asking which of the alternatives is “a better verb or noun.” Put another way, avoid adjectives if you have

keywords available and these are typically verbs and nouns. Make this a rule you ask and your content

quality will naturally improve.

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Which Experience Statement is Easiest to Process?

Where you have several options for resume keywords you will have multiple experience statements.

The easiest thing to do is rank them from one to 10. Where you might have several number 1 quality

versions of the same content expression, even using the same resume keywords; ask which version of

the content [word, phrase, example] is easier to:

1. Understand 2. Read 3. Believe 4. Comprehend 5. Visualize

The winner is whichever version received the most “yes” reactions from the list above. This will help you

to be more confident so you can create tie-breakers over similarly ranked content. Plus, this will allow

you to have more granular statements to create customized resumes quicker.

The Weakest Resume Keywords

Conversely …use the least number of adjectives as possible in the resume. Adjectives on a resume are

typically no help to a better ranking or score by the technology. Humans prefer details to vagueness and

HR departments complain loudly to their ATS vendor about false positives. One of the things they do is

make adjectives the bad-guy. It is easy to program. It is easy to install.

Technically, this makes sense (maybe) as adjectives by their design tend to be too vague, over-used and

fail to excite people to hire candidates using those sorts of resume keywords. We want to sell the steak,

the details today instead; as any fool can sell the sizzle. We have hired a few of the former and it has

burned it for the rest of us.

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Resume Keyword Rejection Pool

This is a variation of my Kiss of Death (KOD) list from Resume Psychology. Here I tried to capitalize on

common resume items which can put your resume in the rejection pool.

& Across functional Across multiple All Any Build positive productive relationships Can work independently Child Children Connect people quickly Consultant Cross Daughter Decisive Detailed oriented Divorce Don’t Duties Dynamic Effectively Enthusiastic Entrepreneur etc Every Excellent verbal (anything) Excellent written (anything) Executive buy-in Executive by-in Extensive experience Franchisee Friendly Good communicator Good listener Hands on Hands-on Hard Worker High-energy Honeymoon

Hubby Husband I’d I’ll Love Lovely Manger Mentor On-the-go Open door mentor Operator Oriented Other Others Owner Passion Passionate People person Power Powerful Principal Proactive Problem solver Proven leader References (available upon request) References available upon request References Available Upon Request Responsibilities Responsibility Responsible Results-driven Results-oriented Season Seasoned Step-daughter Step-son Son Spouse

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Strategic Strong Strong interpersonal Succeeded Successful Successfully Tactical Team player

Thinker Utilize Utilized Utilizing Wedding Wide-Range Wife Works well under pressure

This list is not absolute. What I am suggesting is these words do not sell your skills as effectively as other

words you can find. In some cases, the word is too much information and TMI can kill your resume.

In Closing

Hopefully something here sparked an idea you can execute and take the panic or frustration of resume

keywords off your plate.

While networking is still the number one method for finding work, while in search having a rock solid

resume telegraphs communication excellence, skills and business savvy.

You will be asked for a resume at some point. It will go into an applicant tracking software eventually.

These search examples should enable you to improve your content, elevate your ranking and convey

your expertise so the right company can hire you instead of your competition.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading along. Your eyes on these words is a gratifying gift to any author.

My goal was to find a way to explain the topic of resume keywords without using a bunch of taxonomy

or linguistic jargon to put the power of creating a compelling resume back in your hands!

Change your resume, change your destiny.

To your best resume yet,

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Dirk Spencer

Creator Resume Psychology & Author of: Resume Psychology: Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed, Beat the Machine, Be Seen & Get Hired! The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Hacks Resume Keywords Decoded and Demystified Hacking the Resume Black Hole

This is the official book cover!

As of this post it is with the editors for approval.

The book will be available on Amazon.Com by August25th (fingers crossed).

These notes are the content not in the online class posted on

Teachable.Com.

Dirk Spencer – BIO

Dirk Spencer is a former government analyst, turned corporate recruiter.

Mr. Spencer leverages his former programming and systems analyst expertise to explain the people,

processes and technology impacts on the modern resume allowing candidates to hack the resume black

hole.

Dirk has presented at professional associations and career transition groups from Dallas to Denver. His

books are available on Amazon.Com.

As a LinkedIn open networker Dirk accepts all connection requests. Invite him to connect with you and

gains access to his first-degree connections.

His websites include DirkSpencer.Com and ResumePsychologytheBook.Com with a blog on Google and

additional content on multiple platforms.

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While networking with professionals in your area of expertise is by far the most empowering method to

being re-hired; they will request a resume.

Dirk shares his technical insights allowing people to ethically hack their resumes to be more competitive

when applying to job openings online.

Mr. Spencer has presented Resume Psychology, The Candy Maker Resume and Resume Keywords

Decoded and Demystified to professional associations from Dallas to Denver, including: Pikes Peak

Recruiter Network, Inter-City Personnel Associates, Executive Search Owners Association, American

Society for Quality Conferences, National Investor Relations Institute, International Institute of Business

Analysis, Intuit Women's Network, Texas Workforce Commission and Dallas Fort Worth Texas Recruiters

Network (DFWTRN). He has also volunteered his time to present these concepts to Career Transition

Groups such as: Career Jump Start FUMC Richardson, Carrollton Career Focus Group, Carrollton City Job

Hunt 101, Crossroads Bible Church Career Transition, Fort Worth Career Search Network, FWCSN

Resume Boot Camp Job Angels Network, MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church, Preston Trail Job Network,

McKinney Workforce Networking, Southlake Focus Group.

Dirk has also presented to diverse ecumenical groups as well: Jewish Family Service (JFS), Career

Counseling Group of DFW Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT), Career Counseling Group of DFW

Islamic Center of Irving (ICI), McKinney Trinity Presbyterian Church Career Transition Network, St.

Philip's Episcopal of Frisco Job Ministry, St. Andrew UMC Sales Group, St. Jude Career Alliance a Chapter

of the Catholic Career Development Community.

In his off-time the Dirk does amateur nature photography, makes Christmas decorations year-round and

folds origami-crafts.

Dirk’s Web Page Information

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http://resumekeywordsdecoded.teachable.com/ - Resume Keyword Online Class - FREE http://www.dirkspencer.com/ - Focused on my recruiting expertise http://www.resumepsychologythebook.com/ - Focused on the book versus the lecture series http://resumepsychology.blogspot.com/ - Focused on recurring resume questions

Resume Keywords Decoded & Demystified Online Class & Podcast

The online class is on Teachable.Com. This is 30 minutes of video divided into 2 to 3 minute segments. Learn how to find & select resume keywords for your specific area of expertise. Master the “what to do” and “how to do it” for your resume keyword needs. As of this publication date – the class is Free. http://resumekeywordsdecoded.teachable.com/

Dirk’s Media Mentions

Named to the Top 25 Resume Building Career Blogs http://www.personalincome.org/top-25-resume-building-career-blogs/ His book made a 10 Must Buy List… so this was a cool thing to happen in 5 months… https://www.recruiter.com/i/10-must-buy-books-for-job-seekers Agency versus Corporate Recruiting Advice with Recruiter Q&A of Recruiter.Com https://www.recruiter.com/i/recruiting-career-advice-agency-or-corporate/ Four ways out of a recruiting rut with Erin Engstrom RecruiterBox.Com http://recruiterbox.com/blog/4-ways-to-climb-out-of-a-recruiting-rut/ Beat the Bot – Podcast Interview with Albert Lin of Careers.Org http://www.careers.org/blog/ep2-beat-the-bots-in-your-job-search-dirk-spencer-does-it-every-day/ Examples of great customer service http://www.nanorep.com/49-customer-experience-professionals Eight ways for keeping in touch with candidates Recruiter Q&A of Recruiter.Com https://www.recruiter.com/i/8-ways-to-stay-in-touch-with-rejected-candidates/ Should You Re-Apply to the Same Job with Elisabeth Greenbaum Kasson of DICE http://insights.dice.com/2016/01/11/should-you-apply-for-the-same-job-twice/

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You May Be an Outdated Job Seeker If… on CareerCloud.Com with Chris Russell http://www.careercloud.com/news/2016/1/23/the-outdated-job-seeker-part-2 Unlikely Places to Find Work with Recruiter Q&A of Recruiter.Com https://www.recruiter.com/i/6-unlikely-places-to-find-a-job/ Be a Better Recruiter with Recruiter Q&A of Recruiter.Com https://www.recruiter.com/i/be-a-better-recruiter-10-simple-tips/ Curve Ball Interview Questions with Matthew Kosinski, Editor at Recruiter.Com https://www.recruiter.com/i/interview-questions-the-top-10-curveball-questions-and-why-you-should-pose-them-to-candidates/

Acknowledgement: Joan

Joan! Resume Keywords Decoded & Demystified as a standalone webinar would not have happened

without your suggestion and witness at those career transition workshops.

You have been my eyes and ears to what people struggle with working on their resumes. This is a

window I will look through with more care when developing content for people in transition.

Your insights, friendship and willingness to share are very much appreciated.

D.C. on me!

God’s blessings to you and your family!