So what's all the hype about key words? If I had a resume 5 or 10 years ago and it worked for me then, why won't it work for me now if I update it with my experience?

Part of the answer: The Price of Admission and Key Words

You see, the way companies review and store a resume is different now than even 5 or 6 years ago. More and more companies are going paperless and are storing their resumes electronically and relying on software programs to review the resumes for qualifications.

In my business, the most basic of qualifications are called "the price of admission".

Remember back in the day when a restaurant would have a sign up on the entrance which said "NO shirt, NO shoes, NO service"?

Well price of admission competencies are the same..... without demonstrating them on your resume, you don't get an interview....... Especially now a days when the initial screening is done electronically, based upon the presence of key words...... there often is no human judgment at this point, the computer either finds it or it doesn't and you either get screened in or screened out....

So what are these price of admission competencies? Price of admission competencies are both technical skills and behavioral attributes which are most basic for success in a certain job at a certain company. In other words, it's not just the degree or the skill you have with the widget that matters, it's how you fit in with the company's desired culture.

These "price of admission" competencies translate into key words on your resume and cover letter. It is critical to have these key words present and plentiful on your resume and not to ignore the cultural aspects of a company when researching key words for your resume.

Here's how those resume software programs work with key words....

A in- house recruiter will take a job posting and break down the critical success factors for a job and will identify them as key words for the program to screen for. This is also often done for some already identified cultural competencies for a company.

When a computer receives a resume, either by scanning or electronically, it scans the document for its pre programmed key words. Depending on the program and the company the document is both stored and ranked according to its number of exact matches for the related key words for that job or some companies will program the computer to automatically send a rejection letter or a notification of further consideration based upon the computers assessment.

If the document is stored, it is stored in order of its ranking for the position it is associated with. When a recruiter "calls up" the resumes for a certain job, the computer will present the documents in the order of their strength, according to the number of matches to its key word data base.

It is up to the recruiter how many resumes to call up.... Depending on the competition for a position they may only call up the top 10 resumes for initial review and move on down the list depending on outcomes of their assessment or prescreening interview. So the key is to have your resume at the top of the list to be seen and the best way to do that is to have as many exact matching key words in your resume as possible.

Stay tuned, we are on our way to creating more than just a resume. We are creating a masterful marketing piece.

And to help you get started writing a resume that lands the interview, stop by and claim your free resume checklist guide at http://www.JobSeekersGold.com

From Dominique Koukol, Author of Job Seekers Gold: What Savvy Job Seekers Know about Resumes.