Including keywords from a job ad in your resume

With the employment market currently being so competitive, it is more imperative than ever to have your resume closely matches the job announcements you’re applying to. This means doing the extra work of customizing your resume writing for each position, which you can do by not only focusing on the experience and education they’re looking for but also by including keywords present in the job ads.

Including these keywords is essential as it will show employers you have what they’re looking for. In addition since most HR use resume scanning software to filter out unqualified applicants, having the right keywords will ensure your resume makes the cut and is actually read by the employer or HR person.

Federal Resume Requirements

When applying to a government job, you need to submit a Federal resume, which is a resume that is specifically formatted according to goverment guidelines. Not following these guidelines would get your application disqualified even if you meet all the job requirements.

Here is a list of elements that should be included in your Federal resume:

The job information: announcement number, job title and grade title.

Your contact information: Full name, phone number, address, e-mail, country of citizenship and social security number.

Veteran’s preference: if you’re eligible for it (available for retired Military personnel).

Reinstatement eligibility: if you’re eligible for it (available for former Federal employees).

Education: from high school to your highest degree.

Experience: job titles with dates and duties, usually listed in chronological order.

Related trainings, certifications and awards

The importance of Turn Around Times

When looking into professional services to prepare your resume, there are several factors that you should take into consideration. Turn around time is one of the most important factors as you want to make sure you will be able to submit your application before the ad is closed.

To give you an idea, resume writers usually need somewhere between 3 to 6 days to prepare a good resume. Not only do they need time to process your information and write your resume but they also need time to make revisions that you might require, after having received the first draft.

However, if you need your resume sooner than that, most resume writing services offer rush services that go from a few hours to a day. Of course in that case, there is an additional fee, but it’s usually a small additional expense that is wirth the investment.

Having versions of your resume in different formats

When preparing your resume, it’s common sense to prepare it in a Word format as it’s the standard.  In addition, it’s helpful for the resume writing process, to make sure both grammar and spelling are correct.

However it is recommended to have your resume formatted as well in other formats such as text only and html. Having a text only version is indeed useful when it comes to copying and pasting your information in online resume application fields.  As for having an html version of your resume, it allows you to publish it on any website.