Ike Eichenbrenner ⋅ Broad Run, VA Boeing ⋅ 13 years experience

While the conventional thinking is not to use military buzzwords or jargon in a resume, I was told that you can stand out with that type language too. I would think that the security arena has it's own set of acronyms and associated lanaguage so let her rip and see what happens!

Kevin McIntyre ⋅ Loveland, CO Ricoh Production Print Solutions ⋅ 30 years experience

Because what Andy said is true, about software scanning, it is important to make sure you use terms that are directly associated with the job description. But be aware that there may be alternative terms, variants, or more specific terms that are also fed into the scanning software as keywords. So, to show your understanding of a particular security technology, for example, you may want to includethe names of companies that provide that technology (say, specific manufatures of surveillance equipment). In any case, you can kill two birds with one stone by using terms that relate to the job description AND illustrate your depth of understanding.

Andy Rosengard ⋅ San Antonio, TX ⋅ 20 years experience

Companies are looking for specific candidates based on a job description and how many of the skills you have based on that job description. Those skills need to be documented as close to the top of the resume as possible. Your resume should be tailored to the job description. Human Resources rarely look at resumes. Most resumes are scanned for specific "key words" by software.

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

I agree with many of the others....you have to use the words that are on the job posting. HR looks for specific words or skills and if they don't find them....even if you have them listed another way....you will not get an interview. I'd be happy to take a look at your resume if you like. Send it in a Word document to tomlinsonjk@aol.com

Judy Tomlinson

michael convey ⋅ Camp Hill, PA jh williams Oil company ⋅ 45 years experience

Buzz words are important, but your experience and what you can do for the potential employer are what really distinguish your resume. Most employers received thousand of resumes, so it is important for you to have your resume parrallel the qualifications needed for the job. Spelling and grammatical errors elimnate many people before they get started. I always had three or four resumes, and used the one that best fit the job. Use your military experience to demonstrate committment and leadership, along with your other qualifications

Charles McGrue ⋅ U.S. Army Reserve, Captain ⋅ 21 years served

It would appear to me that you are trying to get past the computer check that narrows down the plethra of resumes to a few that a human being will actually look at, but I'd agree with Kevin, "Buss words are just that buzz words".

You will definitely need to tailor your resume to the position at the company you are interested in. And while you are at it, make sure you fully understand the companies that you are submitting your resume to, and their respective industries. This may depend on the position you are applying for, but it will allow you to show that now that you are in front of them, you have a good idea as to what is going on in their industry.

However, as Brad points out, different buzz/key words are applicable at different levels, and for different positions.

Regards...

Kevin Wiley ⋅ Kingston, WA Ameriprise Financial ⋅ 4 years experience

Michael,

Buzz words are just that buzz words, if your really want to stand out then you need to tailor each resume to the company you are applying for. If you are doing a blanket resume, good luck. The key is to pull up the job description you are applying for and the company website and pull your buzz words from their postings. This will ensure that you are using words that directly relate to those that the company is looking for.

Let me know if you need more information,

Kevin Wiley
Financial Advisor

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
2011 NW Myhre Road, Suite 301
Silverdale WA 98383
Office 360 613 1975
Fax 360 613 1992
TF 800 447 6021
Kevin.wiley@mssb.com

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

You have to determine what are the "buzz" words your employer is looking for. Each HR or recruiter is looking for the phrases in the job description that was posted. You may have to doctor your resume to fit what they say they are looking for. If you would like me to take a look at what you have, send your resume to tomlinsonjk@aol.com
Judy Tomlinson

Brad Kennedy ⋅ Carrollton, TX IBM ⋅ 11 years experience

This all depends on what type of job you're going for. For instance, if you're in IT then you want to use acronyms and industry language. Best thing to do is look for jobs you're interested in and pick up on the key words being asked for in the job description. i.e. Experience leading large international deals.

Here's the deal. Some larger companies use scanners to scan all the resume's. When they have a job, the resume tool presents all the resume's that have the key words they are looking for. This is why it's important to know the key words used in the industry you're going for.

When posting your resume to Monster Board or other job sites the same thing happens. People will put key words that pertain to the carrier field.

I am in IT. Here are some bullets from my resume. See how I weave key words into the job I performed. You want to create sentences that tell the job/experience you have as well as drop some key acronyms / words.

+ Proven experience communicating and working with customers at a verity of levels. (C-level, VP, Directors, Architects, Engineers, Subject Matter Experts, 3rd party venders)

+ Vast job responsibilities including developing price target, solution and sales strategy, leading and directing technical teams in the development and costing of IBM solution, reviewing and writing IBM response to customer RFP, face-to-face negotiations with customer and consultants, working directly with legal team in drafting of contract language, developing and negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLA’s), Resource Units (RU’s) and customer presentations.

+ Proven record in leading multi-tower, international, larger outsourcing engagements with contract value over $1 billion

+ Strong technical experience working enterprise solutions that include, Help Desk, End User Services (EUS), LAN, WAN, Voice, Asset Management, Security, Midrange (Intel, AS/400, UNIX, Mainframe), Disk storage, Tape storage, Server and Storage Consolidation (VMWare, LPAR’s, Tiered Storage) Cloud Computing, and Disaster Recovery.

Good luck!

Brad