Free Keyword Apps
As I am sure you know, when you apply online, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) scans your resume for keywords. It is a pain we must endure. However, there are ways to make finding keywords easier. Here are two free websites Tagcrowd.com and Rewordify.com that will help you locate keywords.
Tagcrowd turns any document into a word cloud which is a visual representation that gives greater prominence to words that appear more frequently.
Action: Copy and paste your resume into Tagcrowd.com and click Visualize. You will be able to see instantly which words you have repeated most. I recommend you print this out.
Next, copy and paste a job posting of interest and click Visualize. Then compare your resume to the job posting to see which keywords to add or take away to match the posting more closely.
Rewordify is a powerful, free, online software that improves reading and teaching, but is extremely useful for job seekers.
Action: Copy and paste a job posting into Rewordify. Click Rewordify Text. Then Click Parts of Speech.
Rewordify color codes the nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Look for hard and soft skills in the Nouns. Verbs indicate key actions. (Use these same action verbs in your resume.) You can get a feel for company culture by looking at the Adjectives. Do your best to have as many hard and soft skills in your resume as are indicated in the job posting. It goes without saying, even though I am saying it – do not exaggerate or invent anything.
Whatever you do, when you add keywords, please make sure you put them in phrases where it makes sense. Recruiters are wise to keyword stuffing.
Happy Keyword Hunting!!
About The Author
Arlene Kaplan is the founder of Self-Mastery Solutions, specializing in the use of the Birkman Method® to help clients understand and appreciate their uniqueness, in the areas of career development, career change and transition. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources/Organization Development from the University of San Francisco and a BFA in Dance Performance from Ohio State University.
Before embarking on a corporate career, she performed in musicals in and around New York City; taught dance in Osaka, Japan; danced at the Academy Awards and in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics in LA.
For the past 25 years, she has been a student of Arnold Siegel’s “Autonomy and Life” coursework. This private curriculum is the foundation of her interest and study of the human condition. It has taught her that understanding our strengths and weaknesses and having a willingness to be responsible for and accepting of these is critical for a fulfilling life. Said another way, self-knowledge allows us to fully blossom and helps us to find our place in the world.
