Recruitment keywords play a vital role for both recruiters and job seekers. These are the terms you enter on platforms like LinkedIn or job boards when searching for open roles or qualified candidates who match specific criteria.
Keywords help recruiters to narrow down potential candidates. One effective tool which can be used for this is LinkedIn’s Boolean search function which allows you to combine keywords for more targeted results. For example, if you want to find a project manager who has experience in Cleopatra software, you could enter ‘Project Manager AND Cleopatra’.
It is important for recruiters to consider how candidates might think when creating their CV and keep an open mind during the review process. For example, a candidate may not explicitly mention Cleopatra but could refer more generally to having experience in using ‘cost management software’ instead.
At the same time, it is crucial for candidates to ensure they have keywords on their CVs to improve their chances of progressing through automated job application portals. These systems often use a checklist of criteria the CV must meet, and if a CV doesn’t align with the keywords on a job description, the candidate’s application won’t proceed any further in the recruitment process.
This is why we advise candidates to have more than one version of their CV available to use depending on the position they are applying for. They should compare the job description and their CV side by side before hitting the ‘apply’ button.
In today’s competitive job market, both recruiters and candidates need to approach the hiring process strategically, and using keywords is just one of the powerful tactics you can use.
