Clues every job seeker needs to know to write high-performing career documents

The small, red magnifying glass.

Do you remember it?

The anticipation as the glass hovered over the marbled red and white paper spinner to reveal whodunit. It's where revolver and rope murder mysteries were laid to rest in living rooms across the U.S. in the nineties.

Keep your spyglass out because you aren't too old for the real-world Clue Junior in your job search just yet.

The investigative skill you need to sweet talk employers in your career documents is the same sleuthing prowess you employed in the childhood mystery game.

Know the lingo

Most job seekers make the mistake that their resume is about them. It’s not. Your resume is about the reader: Your prospective employer. 

Write your career narrative in a way that matters to them. Position yourself as the solution to what keeps them up at night. You are the answer to their work challenges and professional problems.

To speak their language, you must know their language. Unsure how to tap into their vernacular? The job advertisement is your paper trail. 

Look at: 

+ Responsibilities listed first.

+ Specific requirements to perform the job.

+ Repeated themes or words.

These words (and phrases) indicate integral qualifications and job functions, also known as keywords. 

Collect (and note) language from a slew of job postings, themes from networking meetings and target company websites. Social media and podcasts are a treasure trove of language, too. 

Use their words to describe your experience within your materials. It not only makes employers feel seen and understood but it helps you get in the door, too. From resume to networking meetings, leveraging language (and connecting your value to it) is integral to your candidacy. Use it to connect with people to land your ideal work.

Leverage language

So, now that you know the keyword code. How do you use it? 

RESUME

Infuse keywords strategically in your resume to not only sway the human reader but check the boxes within applicant tracking systems (ATS):

Contact header. Insert descriptors of who you are under your contact details. For example: 'Agile Project Manager' or 'Forward-thinking process builder.' 

Headline. Add the job title you are applying to under your contact header. The job title itself is a keyword and clarifies your role of interest.

Expertise list. Don’t spoil valuable real estate with a long list of buzz words without context. A quick, two-liner expertise showcase is enough to share skills that employers are begging for.

Branding Statement. Describe how you uniquely do your work in their words. It can be as simple as exchanging keywords like “customer success” with “customer experience.”

Bullet points. Reserve bullet points for your career wins. Connect the dots of your impact with their words to describe your value. 

Subheadings. Separate long bulleted lists with keywords to organize your wins in your work experience.

COVER LETTER

More words don’t mean more qualified. Choose your words carefully and strategically in your cover letter to demonstrate your value.

Regarding line. Use a Re: (Insert Job Title) before starting your cover letter to address your role of interest. For example – Re: Senior Digital Project Manager

Bullet points. Pair an accomplishment with a theme of the job posting to illustrate your impact in their areas of challenge.

LINKEDIN

The platform is social and a search engine. Be found with the right keywords in the right places by hiring managers and recruiters for the work you want.

Headline. Create online visibility by adding keywords and target job title(s) that describe your experience (and your forward career direction) within the 220-character limit.

Skills. Bulk up your skills section to enhance your profile SEO.  Add up to 50 skills. Use the auto-populating search box to see how people are searching for each skill. 

Mini headlines. White space and headings are a great way to aid your profile’s online visual experience. Use mini headlines (or subheadings) to organize your wins (and impact) in your LinkedIn About section.

Position Title. Maximize your description of your role using your job title and searchable keywords that align with your career direction going forward.

Recommendations. Ask for a clear, specific story (or two) about how you handled a certain situation or employed a necessary skill required for your job target. Consider even crafting the message on behalf of the recommender and ask for additions and edits to ensure a compelling narrative around a necessary hard (or soft) skill.

Doing the work as a sleuth to know your target industry, role and audience pay dividends. It not only harmonizes your skills with company needs but creates quick understanding and connection on paper, online and most importantly, in-person. 

Case closed.