A:  Keywords are a crucial aspect of today's resume. Whether you're posting your resume on Monster.com or sending it directly to an employer, it will most likely go into a database with thousands of other resumes. The hiring manager will plug in keywords that match the requirements of the position, and the search engine will look for resumes that contain those words. Candidates whose resume gets the most "hits" will appear higher on the list, and their resumes have the greatest chance of being read.

But keywords and buzzwords have another important place. Once your resume is read by a real live human being, keywords will demonstrate that you have the right skills for the position!

Many people believe there is one magic list of keywords. But the truth is, it varies from profession to profession and job to job. For example, a recruiter seeking a person to fill a finance position might look for keywords such as: P&L, Financial Audits, Forecasting, Tax Planning, Asset Management, Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, or MBA.

How do I incorporate keywords into my clients' resumes? After seven years of researching keywords, I've developed customized Skills Profile forms for over 130 different professions - and I'm constantly updating them. These skills assessment forms contain most common and essential keywords and buzzwords for fields such as Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT, Education, Health Care, etc. 

After my client completes the profile, I do an in-depth telephone consultation to gather more information about his skills, strengths, and accomplishments. This process helps me identify additional keywords for his resume. Finally I analyze the specific job openings that interest him, to see which keywords match his qualifications.