Keywords are key to having your resume noticed! With the increasing prevalence of scanning technology, employing keywords in a resume to attract maximum attention – by a human and/or computer scanner – has become a critical component of building an attention getting resume. Keywords are the terms deemed by the employer to represent the essential job attributes. Each industry and profession has specific keywords. Companies and recruiters are searching resumes for specific keywords and key phrases to find the candidates with the skills, qualifications and expertise to fulfill the job requirements. Incorporating keywords into a resume and cover letter help you to secure optimum attention and outperform your competition.

The keywords you select should portray your Value Proposition and match what the employer is seeking. Incorporating job specific and employer pertinent keywords in the top third of page 1 of your resume significantly elevates your chances of attracting the employers’ interest in your candidacy. How do you find the “right” keywords to secure maximum attention? Utilize your knowledge of the company, profession, industry and review online postings of similar positions. Each profession has the potential for hundreds of keywords. With the prevalence of electronic search capability, failure to incorporate the “right” keywords is not an option!

The top 48 keywords in Not For Profit are:

1. Advocacy
2. Annual Giving
3. B2B / B2C Marketing
4. Board of Directors
5. Budget Preparation
6. Campaign Management
7. Case Management
8. Cause Related Marketing
9. CFRE / ACFRE
10. Community Engagement
11. Community Outreach
12. Corporate Sponsorship
13. Cost Control
14. Development
15. Direct Mail Fundraising
16. Donor Recognition
17. Endowment
18. Executive Leadership
19. Facility Management
20. Foundation Management
21. Funded Research
22. Fundraising Policies
23. Grant Writing
24. Major Gifts
25. Member Retention
26. Member Services
27. Mission Statement
28. Organizational Development
29. Philanthropy
30. Planned Giving
31. Press Relations
32. Press Releases
33. Private/Public Partnerships
34. Program Management
35. Proposal Writing
36. Prospect Research
37. Public Relations
38. Raisers Edge
39. Regulatory Affairs
40. Relationship Management
41. Resource Management
42. Social Media Fundraising
43. Special Events
44. Stakeholder Management
45. Standard Operating Policy
46. Strategic Fundraising
47. Volunteer Empowerment
48. Volunteer Recruitment

Contact Elite Resumes for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Tags: Professional Resume Writing Tips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 9:55 am and is filed under Resume Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.