You may be doing exactly the work a job ad describes, under a different name. To you, it's obvious. To a recruiter skimming your CV in a few seconds, or to the software looking for the ad's words, it isn't at all.
Why words matter so much
The first screening is often done on words. Software searches CVs for the ad's terms; a recruiter in a hurry scans for the ones they have in mind. If you describe your experience in other words, even accurate ones, it can go unnoticed.
Using the job ad's vocabulary is not a trick. It is a way of speaking the same language as the person reading you.
Same work, different name: yes
The rule is simple: you can use the ad's word if it describes work you have actually done.
- You "managed a client portfolio" and the ad talks about "client relationship management": it is the same work, use their phrase.
- You "prepared the payroll" and the ad asks you to "run payroll": same thing.
- You "ran workshops" and the ad wants someone who can "train teams": close, as long as your workshops really were about training.
A word you can't defend: no
Filling your CV with keywords you don't master is the worst strategy there is. The software might let you through the first screening, but the recruiter will ask about it in the interview, and the answer will show.
If a word in the ad names a skill you don't have, leave it out. Better a CV that uses six of the ad's words and can back all of them, than one that uses fifteen and half of them collapse at the first question.
Where to put these words
- In your headline, if the ad's job title honestly describes what you do.
- In your summary, which is read first.
- In your skills, using their terms rather than yours.
- In your experience lines, where the word describes a specific, dated action. That is where it is most credible, because it comes with evidence.
How to find the right words
Read the job ad again, highlighting the names of skills, tools and responsibilities that come up repeatedly. Repeated words, and those in the title and first lines, are usually the ones that matter most. Then compare them with your CV: for each one, you already have it, you have it under another name, or you don't have it. Only the first two belong in your CV.