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The Value of SEO in Finding a Job

By Steven Mosytn, The CEO of Career Boost Group and built a global reputation a world-leading expert in job hunting strategies.

March 9, 2023

This article will teach you techniques to get your resume and profile on the top of hiring managers piles by using SEO

Search engine optimization, to SEO, is a method used to increase website visitors by ranking higher in search engine results. In terms of job search, SEO is the techniques used by job hunters to get their resumes and other online profiles at the top of recruiters’ and hiring managers’ search lists.

Part 1: Choose the Right Location for your Profiles

This might sound elementary, but when you are setting your resume up on resume databases and creating online profiles, make sure you always put yourself in the right location. When a recruiter searches for profiles, they usually search by location, such as zip-code/postal code, city and/or state. If you choose the wrong location, you will not pop up in the correct recruiter’s search.

Another SEO technique you can try is to choose larger city centers you live near as opposed to smaller suburbs and outlying towns. Recruiters tend to search in bigger markets so your best bet is to list your profiles in bigger geographical centers.

Part 2: Key Words

Adding keywords to your resume and online profiles can propel you to the top of a recruiter’s list.

When recruiters search for a profile online or through a database, many of them use keywords given to them by hiring managers. If the keywords they’re searching by are not on your resume, you will not pop up in a search.

Increase your chances by adding relevant keywords to your skills and work history sections of your resume. Try to think of the most common skills in your profession. For example, an Accounts Payable professional might add these keywords: Reconciliation, Financial Statements, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Tax Reporting, General Ledgers, Profit and Loss, and Accounting.

Another tip is to look at jobs posted on job boards in your profession and then take words that are commonly used and add them to your resume and online profiles.

A final tip is to look at the largest job aggregator, Indeed, which has a tool that tells you the most commonly searched terms in your profession. This is the link: https://www.indeed.com/jobtrends/category-trends

Part 3 Job Titles:

When looking at resumes and profiles, the number one thing recruiters search for is job titles. This is why you need effective job titles. Below are tips to increase SEO of your job titles.

1. Your job title must be the most common title that is recognizable by most employers. If your job title is not a common title for your area of expertise, recruiters may not find your resume or profile. Go to the major job websites to find the most common title for your job. In addition, Indeed offers a helpful took, a list of the most common job titles which allows you to compare and see which are the most popular (https://www.indeed.com/jobtrends).

2. Keep your titles as short as possible but with as much searchable information. From an SEO perspective, long titles are harder to find and clog up SEO algorithms. At the same time, job titles must be optimized with enough information so that hiring managers will find your resume.

3. Words that are searched together should be placed together in the job title. For example, in health care, many recruiters search ICU & RN together so therefore these words should be placed together in the job title.

4. Secondary search words are a good idea to add to your job title. For example, in technology, a candidate could put Java/J2EE Developer as their job title so that their profile will pop up when recruiters search by the key words Java or J2EE.

Part 4: Strategically Injecting Your Job Title Throughout your Resume and Profile

Strategically placing your job title multiple times in your resume and profiles can increase SEO and make it rank higher in recruiters’ searches. SEO increases every time a keyword is placed in a resume/online profile, so tactically insert your job title throughout your resume without destroying its flow or proper sentence structure. Great places to add your job title are the objective, work experience, and skills sections.

Part 5: The Power of Refreshing your Resume on Online Job Boards

Another way to increase your SEO when looking for a job is to periodically refresh your resume and online profiles. On many job boards, recently added or recently updated profiles are ranked higher in a search. Instead of starting all over again to get a higher ranking, simply updating and making small changes to your resume & profiles will refresh your resume and bring you to the top of recruiters’ search lists.

Conclusion

By improving your resume’s SEO, you will increase the chances that your resume and online profiles appear higher on recruiters’ lists when they search for candidates.

Steven Mosytn
Steven Mosytn

Steven Mostyn has built a global reputation as the world-leading expert in job hunting strategies. Steven is the CEO of Alpha IT Recruitment and Career Boost Group