There is no single list of exact keywords that every recruiter's software scans for. The useful list comes from the role you want, the employer's language, and the experience you can substantiate.

Use industry keyword examples as a starting point, then check the actual job description. The examples here are an editorial reference, not scraped job-market frequency data, a ranking of in-demand skills, or an employer's private search query.

Turn a keyword into evidence

A skill can belong in your skills section, but a relevant work example gives it meaning. “SQL” says you know the term. “Used SQL to validate weekly sales data before updating a Power BI dashboard” shows a task, a tool, and a deliverable, if that is what you actually did.

Recruiter tools can support keyword searches; Greenhouse's documentation gives one example. That does not reveal which words a particular recruiter will search or establish that repeating a term improves your ranking.

Technology and software development

Possible terms include React, TypeScript, Python, SQL, REST APIs, automated testing, Git, continuous integration, accessibility, cloud deployment, and incident response. Select those relevant to your role and experience. A frontend opening and a site-reliability opening need different evidence.

Example: “Added automated tests for a TypeScript checkout flow and reviewed failures in the continuous integration pipeline.” Do not name a framework or claim responsibility for a pipeline you did not work with.

Finance and accounting

Look for the posting's language around reconciliation, month-end close, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, audit support, Excel, and the named accounting system. Do not list every finance discipline because one is relevant.

Example: “Reconciled supplier statements against accounts payable records and documented discrepancies for month-end review.” Certifications and designations should reflect your actual status, not your intended future qualification.

Healthcare and health administration

Clinical and administrative roles are different. A posting may mention patient scheduling, electronic medical records, appointment coordination, medical terminology, infection prevention, documentation, or a specific licence. Read which responsibilities belong to the advertised role.

Example for administration: “Coordinated patient appointments and updated scheduling records for an outpatient clinic.” This does not imply clinical authority. Never add a regulated title or procedure to a resume merely because it appears in a posting.

Marketing and communications

Possible terms include content strategy, search engine optimization, paid search, email campaigns, audience research, conversion tracking, analytics, copywriting, and campaign reporting. Name a platform when you actually used it and the role calls for it.

Example: “Prepared monthly campaign reports in Google Analytics and used landing-page data to propose content changes.” Only claim an increase in conversions if you can support both the number and your contribution.

Operations, logistics, and customer support

Relevant wording may include inventory control, order fulfilment, supplier coordination, scheduling, process documentation, customer relationship management, ticket triage, and service-level agreements. The terms should describe your own work, not a collection of adjacent responsibilities.

Example: “Triaged account-access tickets in Zendesk and documented escalation steps for the support team.” A named service-level target belongs in the bullet only if it applied to you.

Build your final keyword shortlist

  • Copy the main responsibilities into a private working note.
  • Identify relevant tools, qualifications, processes, and deliverables.
  • Mark each item as demonstrated, transferable, or a genuine gap.
  • Use demonstrated terms in a skills section or an evidence-based bullet.
  • Read the resume aloud and remove repetitive or unnatural wording.

Write out an unfamiliar abbreviation once when helpful. Do not hide keywords, copy the entire posting, or add tools you cannot discuss. The reader should finish with a clearer picture of your work.

For the writing step, use our [resume-tailoring examples](/blog/how-to-tailor-resume-to-job-description). For a role-specific review, [compare your resume with the posting](/#checker) and investigate the gaps rather than accepting every suggestion.