Imagine you were writing an ad or job description
for the type of job you seek; what keywords would you use?
Research and incorporate into your keywords the company
culture and values of employers you are targeting. Read our article
Uncovering a
Company's Corporate Culture is a Critical Task for Job-Seekers. Note
especially the company's mission statement and look for ways to
quote it in your resume and/or cover letter.
Scrutinize news stories in trade magazines relevant to
your work. Read cutting-edge magazines, such as Fast Company.
Join online discussion groups and chat rooms that relate to
your field and observe the words professionals are using in their discussions.
Read annual reports from the companies you'd like to work for.
Conduct informational
interviews at companies you want to work for and
listen for the jargon and buzzwords that your interviewees
use in talking about the company and its jobs.
Talk to human resources professionals.
Use Web search engines, such as Google and
Yahoo, to search for job descriptions.
Consult online dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Visit online specialty sites defining acronyms and technical jargon.
In her column distributed by Tribune Media Services,
Joyce Lain Kennedy describes a freeware program that
she calls outstanding in the keyword quest: Babylon.com.
Writes Kennedy: "Among Babylon's many virtues is a
glossary index of words used in specific industries, such
as arts, business, computers, education, entertainment,
health, science, social science and recreation. Babylon.com
also allows you to download related glossaries as a way of
keeping track of keywords that apply to your career field or industry."
Web sites that provide keywords and keyword resources:
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate
publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author,
and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers,
edits QuintZine,
an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling
in the job search at A Storied
Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior
from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic
Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking
Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press),
as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her
personal Website
or reach her by e-mail at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com.
