- What are resume keywords?
- How to use keywords in your resume
- Resume keyword practices to avoid
- Best keywords for your resume (listed by industry)
- Accounting and finance
- Administration and office support
- Business and management
- Construction and maintenance
- Creative and cultural
- Customer service and retail
- Education
- Emergency services
- Engineering
- Food service
- Healthcare
- Hospitality and tourism
- Information technology (IT)
- Law and legal
- Marketing and sales
- Personal and child care
- Spa and salon
- Transportation and logistics

Struggling to get interviews?
Adding keywords to your resume is an important step to building a strong job application. The right keywords show employers (and the HR software they use) that you have the skills needed to succeed in the role.
What are resume keywords?
Resume keywords are specific words or phrases that describe the skills and experience employers are looking for in their ideal candidate.
@resumegenius What are resume keywords and why is it important to include them in your resume? ✏️ Find out in the video ? #resumetips #resume #ats #keywords #resumekeywords #jobsearch #jobsearchtips #careeradvice ♬ time travel – chief. & nobuddy
Including relevant keywords in your resume ensures it’s optimized for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and increases your chances of landing an interview because it indicates to employers that you have the basic skills needed to do the job.
In addition to strategically using keywords, run your resume through our free ATS resume checker tool to make sure it’s easy for ATS software to parse.
How to use keywords in your resume
Follow this guide to help you identify, select, and incorporate the right keywords into your resume.
1. Identify which keywords employers are looking for
To identify keywords that employers and ATS software are looking for, carefully analyze the job description. Pay attention to the words and phrases used in the “preferred qualifications” and “responsibilities” sections.
Make a note of all of the hard skills, repeated phrases, and industry-specific terminology you find.
Here’s a job description for a communications writer position at Apple, with keywords highlighted in yellow:
2. Reflect on your own skills
Once you’ve identified the keywords from the job description, take time to reflect on your own skill set. Consider how your background aligns with the requirements of the position.
Make a list of your relevant skills, achievements, and qualifications that match the keywords you’ve identified. This process will help you determine which keywords you can incorporate into your resume and how to best demonstrate that you’re qualified for the role.
3. Incorporate keywords throughout your resume
Integrate keywords naturally throughout your resume to show employers that you’re an excellent fit for the job.
In your skills section, list the keywords you’ve identified that match your skill set. Here’s an example using the keywords from the job description above:
Resume keywords in skills section
SKILLS
- Writing
- Storytelling
- PR/outreach
- Communication strategy
- Project management
Then, in your work experience section, provide examples of how you’ve applied these skills in previous roles. This is also a great place to incorporate soft skill-related keywords and provide context for them. For example:
Resume keywords in work experience bullet points
- Spearheaded corporate retail communication initiatives, writing compelling content for over 500 stores nationwide
- Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal skills while liaising with executives, stakeholders, and external partners
- Exhibited strong attention to detail in editing and proofreading all outgoing communications, maintaining brand consistency and quality
You can use our AI bullet point generator to find common keywords associated with your job title:
Struggling to write your resume? Make clear, achievement-oriented bullet points for your resume in seconds with our free AI bullet point generator.
Use these work-experience bullet points to make a resume that lands you interviews.
Resume keyword practices to avoid
While strategically using keywords in your resume is important, some common tactics risk alienating potential employers.
Keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing refers to the practice of cramming too many keywords into your resume to get it past ATS software.
People do this because they believe that ATS software gives applications a higher ranking when it detects more of the keywords it’s programmed to look for.
However, this tactic makes your resume difficult to read and can flag it as suspicious by both ATS software and human readers. Instead of forcing keywords where they don’t belong, focus on incorporating them organically and in the right context.
Here’s an example of a work experience entry from a resume that engages in excessive keyword stuffing:

Hiding keywords in your resume
Some job seekers attempt to hide keywords by making them invisible (e.g., using white text on a white background). Here’s an example of a resume with hidden keywords that are only visible when highlighted:

This practice is considered unethical and can result in your application being rejected if discovered. Always make sure that all content on your resume is visible and relevant.
Adding keywords that don’t match your skills
Including keywords that don’t accurately reflect your skills is dishonest and can backfire during the interview process.
Only use keywords that accurately reflect your abilities and background. If you’re lacking in certain areas, consider ways to play up the qualifications you do have rather than lying on your resume.
Neglecting human readers
While it’s important to optimize your resume for ATS, remember that ultimately, a human will read your resume if it passes the initial screening.
Make sure that your resume sounds natural and tells a compelling story about your career. Focus on creating a document that is easy to scan and understand for human readers, while still incorporating relevant keywords.
Misusing buzzwords
Resume buzzwords and industry jargon can be effective when used correctly, but overusing them or using them incorrectly can make your resume seem insincere or demonstrate a lack of understanding.
Here’s an example of a resume that uses too many buzzwords:

Instead, use industry-specific terms thoughtfully and in the appropriate context to show your expertise.
Best keywords for your resume (listed by industry)
Below is a list of 270 common industry-specific keywords to put on a resume and cover letter:
- Accounting and finance
- Administration and office support
- Business and management
- Construction and maintenance
- Creative and culture
- Customer service and retail
- Education
- Emergency services
- Engineering
- Food service
- Healthcare
- Hospitality and tourism
- Information technology (IT)
- Law and legal
- Marketing and sales
- Personal and child care
- Spa and salon
- Transportation and logistics
Accounting and finance
- Account management
- Business volume
- Client accounts
- Budgeting
- Financial reports
- Risk analysis
- Quantitative analysis
- Qualitative analysis
- Auditing
- Forensic accounting
- Forecasting
- Tax preparation
- Compliance
- Quickbooks
- SAP
Administration and office support
- Data entry
- Microsoft Office
- Office supply inventorying
- Typing
- Scheduling
- Filing
- Call screening
- UKG
- HR (human resources) policy
- Google Calendar
- Records management
- Office management
- Inventory management
- Bookkeeping
- Event planning
Business and management
- Business analysis
- SQL
- Client outreach
- Budget management
- Negotiation
- Market insights
- Public relations
- Strategic oversight
- Six Sigma
- Project management
- Team leadership
- Business development
- Process improvement
- Stakeholder engagement
- Agile methodologies
Construction and maintenance
- Power tools
- Carpentry
- Masonry
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance
- Customer service
- National Electrical Codes (NEC)
- Troubleshooting and diagnostics
- Hand tools
- Cleaning
- Machine operation
- Blueprint reading
- Project estimation
- CAD software
- Welding
- Building codes
Creative and cultural
- Accents
- Singing
- Sculpture
- Adobe Photoshop
- Item cataloging
- Handling pressure
- Dean Evans EMS
- Graphic design
- Adobe InDesign
- Graphic design
- Content creation
- Branding
- Video production
- Copywriting
- Social media management
Customer service and retail
- Complaint resolution
- Point of sale (POS) system operation
- Customer satisfaction
- Business administration
- Data entry
- Evacuation procedures
- Technical support
- Product displays
- Customer satisfaction
- Conflict resolution
- Sales techniques
- Inventory management
- Upselling
- Product knowledge
- Visual merchandising
Education
- Lesson planning
- SMART boards
- Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
- Dewey Decimal
- Archiving
- Classroom management
- Differentiated education
- Child development
- Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
- Curriculum planning
- Student assessment
- Special education
- E-learning
- Educational technology
- STEM education
Emergency services
- CPR
- AED
- First aid
- Emergency response
- Fire safety
- Equipment maintenance
- Gang outreach
- Self-defense
- Community policing
- De-escalation
- Surveillance
- Crisis management
- Hazardous materials handling
- Search and rescue
- Disaster preparedness
Engineering
- Altair S-Frame
- Trigonometry
- Hazard assessment
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification
- Bid preparation
- Visual Studio
- Electrical systems
- MATLAB
- Prototyping methodologies
- Technical drawings
- CAD/CAM
- Product development
- Quality assurance
- Prototyping
- AutoCAD
Food service
- Point of Sales (POS) terminals
- Food preparation
- Cocktail preparation
- Salesmanship
- Menu presentation
- Kitchen hygiene
- Reservation management
- Food handling and safety
- Equipment cleaning
- Upselling
- Inventory management
- Cost control
- Customer service
- Nutrition
- Kitchen management
Healthcare
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance
- Patient care
- Hoyer lifts
- X-rays
- Periodontal treatment
- Taking vital signs
- International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) designations
- Physical examinations
- Emergency treatment
- Patient care
- Electronic health records (EHR)
- Phlebotomy
- Medication administration
- Diagnostic procedures
- Infection control
Hospitality and tourism
- Property managements systems (PMS)
- Revenue per available room (RevPAR)
- Yield management
- Occupancy rate optimization
- Event planning
- Guest check-in/check-out procedures
- Room inventory management
- Booking and reservations systems
- Concierge desk operations
- Tour coordination
- Housekeeping
- F&B operations
- Itinerary planning
- Luxury guest service standards
- Global distribution systems (GDS)
Information technology (IT)
- Visual Basic
- WordPress
- Agile project management
- Scrum
- Market analysis
- Data mining
- Data protection
- OmniGraffle
- iOS
- Back-end programming
- Cloud computing
- Network security
- Database management
- Agile development
- Machine learning
Law and legal
- Contract drafting
- Public defender
- Tort law
- Litigation software
- Typing
- Interview techniques
- Intellectual property
- Filing
- Negotiation
- LexisNexis
- Legal research
- Case management
- Regulatory compliance
- Mediation
- E-discovery
Marketing and sales
- Contract drafting
- Public defender
- Tort law
- Litigation software
- Typing
- Interview techniques
- Intellectual property
- Filing
- Negotiation
- LexisNexis
- Legal research
- Case management
- Regulatory compliance
- Mediation
- E-discovery
Personal and child care
- Potty training
- Conflict resolution
- Games
- Safety awareness
- Applying dressings
- Housekeeping
- Driver’s license
- Story reading
- Meal preparation
- Handling pressure
- Child development
- Curriculum planning
- First aid/CPR
- Behavior management
- Special needs care
Spa and salon
- Massage
- Laser procedures
- Hair dye
- Facials
- Skin care
- Balayage
- Color effects
- Theatrical makeup
- Customer service
- Cleaning
- Appointment scheduling
- Product knowledge
- Skincare treatments
- Manicure/pedicure
- Salon management
Transportation and logistics
- Vehicle maintenance
- Route planning
- Commercial driver’s license (CDL)
- Forklifts
- Punctual
- Vehicle inspections
- Account retention
- Interpersonal skills
- Dump trucks
- Teamwork
- Supply chain management
- Inventory control
- Route optimization
- Warehouse management
- Transportation management systems (TMS)

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About the Author
5
Years of Experience
80
Articles Written
Committed to empowering job seekers of all experience levels to take the next step in their careers, Ida helps professionals navigate the job hunt from start to finish.
After graduating from New College of Florida with a B.A. in Philosophy and Chinese Language and Culture, Ida moved to Hong Kong to begin her own career journey and finally settled in Taiwan. Her insights on resume writing, interview strategies, and career development have been featured on websites such as LawCareers.net, Digital Marketer, and SheCanCode.
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