ATS software looks for the same words the employer used in the job post. Matching them, honestly, raises your ranking.
What counts as a keyword
Job titles, hard skills, tools and systems, certifications and industry terms. Soft skills such as "stakeholder management" count too, but hard skills and tools carry the most weight because recruiters search for them.
Where to find them
- The job title itself. Put it under your name if it matches your experience.
- Tools and systems, such as Salesforce, SAP, Excel or Power BI.
- Skills listed under "Requirements" or "Responsibilities".
- Certifications and qualifications.
Which ones matter most
- Words that appear more than once in the post.
- Words in the job title and the first few lines.
- Items under "Requirements" or "Must have", rather than "Nice to have".
- Specific tools and certifications.
Where to put them
Add them to your Skills section and, more importantly, inside the bullet points where you used them. A keyword backed by a real example carries more weight with both the ATS and the recruiter.
Job post: "Experience with Salesforce and lead routing."
Your bullet: "Set up lead routing rules in Salesforce for 140 agents, cutting first response time by 30%."
Use the exact wording
If the post says "Microsoft Power BI", write that rather than "BI tools". Spell out abbreviations once, for example "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)", so both versions are covered.
Don't overdo it
Only add keywords you can back up. A recruiter reads your CV after the ATS, and you may be asked about any skill you list. Repeating a keyword many times doesn't help and makes your CV harder to read.
Use the checker
Paste the job post into CVGlobe's Job match. It lists the keywords found in your CV and the ones missing, so you can add them in one click.
Tailor each application
Adjust your title, summary and top bullets for each job you really want. Download the PDF before you change your CV for the next one, so you keep each version.