ATS resume keywords: how to find and use them
Where an employer's keywords hide in a job posting, how to add them to your resume honestly, and how to check the result for free.
Start from the posting, not a keyword list
Applicant tracking systems let recruiters search and filter applications by words. The words that matter for one job are in that job's posting: the job title, the tools, the certifications and the duties listed under requirements.
- Copy the requirements section into a note.
- Mark every tool, skill, certification and job title.
- Keep the posting's exact spelling ("Microsoft Excel", "CPR certified", "Salesforce").
Put each keyword where it is true
Add a keyword only where it describes work you did. The best place is a bullet that shows the result: "Built weekly Tableau dashboards for 6 regional managers" says more than a skills line that just lists Tableau.
Repeat the job title from the posting in your summary if it matches your experience, and keep a short skills section with the exact tool names.
Check the gap before you apply
Paste your resume and the posting into the free checker. It lists the posting's words you are missing, requirement words first, so you can see which gaps matter and which you can ignore.
Fix the gaps in two minutes
Open the AI resume builder, paste the same posting, and it rewrites your bullets around the missing words. Writing and checking are free; download the finished PDF for $9 once, or $19 a month for unlimited resumes.
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