How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience

How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience Keywords Count and Keeping it Real, Resume Optimization Without DishonestyAccording to the Wall Street Journal, most recruiters say that over half of job seekers are under qualified for the positions they are interested in. Even if youre one of the qualified applicants, its still easy to get lost in the shuffle of ATS programs. You really have to be strategic to give your resume its best shot at landing in the hands of an actual human being, otherwise youll never even get an interview. But keep in mind, once you optimize your resume youll still have to talk about your experience. Once youve made it past the first round of eliminations, youll need to be able to back up all the great things you said about yourself on the resume, so be wary of exaggeration. Here are some tips for effectively showcasing your skills without tripping up the sorting software.Speak The Companys LanguageDo some research on the company culture. Visit their website, read their blog, follow them on Twitter, and check out their LinkedIn network. What are their core values? How do they speak to potential clients, to each other? This kind of research helps you to keep your resume focused on the skills that a particular employer values most, and it can give you a clue about what theyre looking for personality-wise. This way, if you do score an interview youll have some insight into whether theyre more likely to appreciate a touch of braggadocio or whether its a safer bet to stay humble.Using synonyms and similar language from the job description is a big part of optimizing your resume, so its okay to change words that mean the same thing to match those within the job description. While a hiring manager or recruiter will recognize the synonyms, an ATS likely wont. Its not a lie to say that you analyzed and interpreted data, when your resume previously stated tracked an d reported on data. Company language and optimizing your resume for the keywords will certainly help you get your foot in the door.Go Ahead and Brag, Just Be HonestTake a few classes at a top university? Go ahead and name-drop the school on your resume. Some employers sort resumes by school, so it could help you get through the vetting process. However, dont embellish anything. If you took a few classes, say so, but dont claim you got your degree there or that you were on the deans list if you werent. Those things are pretty easy follow up on and if youre caught in a lie like that, your chances of getting hired are pretty much zero. The same goes for just about any other aspect of your resume. And dont forget to give credit where its due. A good way to steer clear of sounding arrogant when talking about your accomplishments is to acknowledge the team who supported your efforts.Keep It ConciseUse bulleted keywords to describe your qualifications instead of a paragraph-style summary. The simpler formatting is more likely to make the cut when your resume is being shuffled through ATS systems. This also means that you dont need to elaborate much about your skills and accomplishments. Stick with facts, and use relevantresumekeywords to state them. Also, avoid using adjectives like best. Claims like this are entirely subjective and often come across as insincere to a recruiter. So unless you were actually awarded the title of Best Something Related to the Job, skip the superlatives.Its important to take the time to find the right resume keywords to highlight your skills and optimize your resume so you can stand out without putting recruiters off.