The best keywords for resume scanners are the job titles, skills, tools, processes, and credentials in the actual posting that you can honestly support. Use them in a concise skills section and in bullets that explain your work. A generic keyword list is a starting point, not a formula for passing an employer’s screening process.
Below are 40 example terms across five job types, followed by an exercise for choosing the right ones. These are editorial examples, not a measured ranking of the most frequently requested skills.
What resume keywords do and do not do
An applicant tracking system, or ATS, can help an employer store, search, and review applications. Its features and the employer’s workflow affect how your resume is handled.
For example, Greenhouse’s Talent Filtering documentation describes searching resume text and internal notes for terms such as titles, skills, and locations. That feature uses exact keyword matches and lets reviewers specify required or preferred terms. This is one documented workflow, not a rule for every ATS.
A relevant term can make your experience easier to find and understand. It cannot establish experience you do not have or override an employer’s other requirements. For the distinction between a tool’s diagnostic and an employer’s decision, read what an ATS score means. If you have one posting in mind, you can tailor your resume to that posting and review each change before you apply.
40 resume keyword examples by job type
Each group contains eight example terms. Pick only those relevant to your target posting and supported by your background. Do not copy an entire group into your resume.
Food service and counter roles
| Example keyword | Evidence to look for in your experience |
|---|---|
| Customer service | Answering questions and helping customers complete orders |
| Cash handling | Accepting payments, counting change, or checking a drawer |
| Point of sale (POS) | Entering orders or processing transactions on a system you used |
| Order accuracy | Checking tickets against prepared or packed items |
| Food preparation | Preparing specific ingredients or menu items |
| Food safety | Following relevant training and workplace procedures |
| Cleaning and sanitizing | Maintaining work areas using assigned procedures |
| Stock replenishment | Keeping a service station supplied and reporting shortages |
For a full resume layout, compare the fast food worker example. If you are applying for a different service role, use its posting to choose the vocabulary.
Administrative and office roles
| Example keyword | Evidence to look for in your experience |
|---|---|
| Calendar management | Coordinating meetings or resolving scheduling conflicts |
| Microsoft Excel | A particular spreadsheet task, function, or report you completed |
| Data entry | Maintaining accurate records in a named system |
| Document management | Organizing files, permissions, versions, or retrieval |
| Travel coordination | Booking itineraries and handling changes |
| Meeting minutes | Recording decisions and tracking action items |
| Expense reporting | Preparing or checking expense submissions |
| Vendor coordination | Arranging services and following up with suppliers |
Show your actual level of responsibility. Scheduling a project meeting does not mean you managed an executive’s calendar. See the administrative assistant resume example for ways to organize relevant work.
Accounting and accounts payable roles
| Example keyword | Evidence to look for in your experience |
|---|---|
| Accounts payable | Work within a supplier payment process |
| Invoice processing | Checking, coding, routing, or entering invoices |
| Three-way matching | Comparing purchase orders, receipts, and invoices |
| Account reconciliation | Comparing records and investigating differences |
| General ledger | Maintaining or reviewing ledger entries |
| Month-end close | Specific closing tasks you completed or supported |
| QuickBooks | Tasks performed in that product, if you used it |
| Payment processing | Preparing or executing authorized payment work |
Distinguish assisting with a process from owning it. If you prepared supporting schedules for close, say that rather than claiming you led the close. Compare the accounts payable specialist example for context.
Customer support and success roles
| Example keyword | Evidence to look for in your experience |
|---|---|
| Ticket triage | Categorizing requests and assigning urgency |
| Zendesk | Support work completed in that platform |
| Customer onboarding | Helping customers complete setup or adopt a workflow |
| Issue escalation | Routing a problem with useful context to the right team |
| Knowledge base | Creating or maintaining support documentation |
| Service-level agreement (SLA) | Working against defined response or resolution commitments |
| Customer retention | Specific work supporting renewals or addressing churn risks |
| Salesforce | Relevant records, reports, or workflows you maintained |
Do not claim a retention outcome just because you answered customer questions. Describe your contribution and use a result only if it was measured. The customer service representative sample offers a complete example of presenting service experience.
Technology and data roles
| Example keyword | Evidence to look for in your experience |
|---|---|
| SQL | Queries you wrote and the problem they addressed |
| Python | A script, analysis, application, or automation you built |
| React | Features or interfaces you implemented |
| REST APIs | Endpoints you built, tested, or integrated |
| Git | Version-control workflows used on a project |
| Unit testing | Tests you wrote and the behavior they checked |
| Data visualization | Reports or charts built for a particular audience |
| AWS | Specific services and work you performed on them |
Class projects and personal projects can provide evidence when labeled accurately. A data analyst resume sample can help you present that work without implying professional experience.
How to find keywords in a job description
Read the posting once for the actual work before highlighting words. Then make three lists:
- Requirements: skills, credentials, or experience explicitly marked as necessary.
- Work to perform: recurring tasks, named tools, and responsibilities.
- Preferences: useful extras that the employer distinguishes from requirements.
Beside each item, write one example from your background. If you have no evidence, keep it as a gap rather than inserting the phrase into your resume.
A worked example: an accounts payable posting
Consider this fictional posting excerpt:
Process supplier invoices, perform three-way matching, reconcile vendor statements, and support month-end close. Experience with QuickBooks preferred.
Suppose you entered invoices, checked them against purchase orders and receipts, and followed up on discrepancies, but never used QuickBooks. Your notes might look like this:
| Posting phrase | Your evidence | Resume decision |
|---|---|---|
| Process supplier invoices | Entered and checked invoices each week | Include invoice processing with a specific task |
| Three-way matching | Compared orders, receipts, and invoices | Use the term if those were the documents you checked |
| Reconcile vendor statements | Followed up on invoice discrepancies only | Describe the narrower work; do not claim full reconciliations |
| Support month-end close | No close responsibilities | Leave it as an experience gap |
| QuickBooks | Used a different accounting system | Name the system you actually used |
A supported bullet might be:
Processed supplier invoices and performed three-way matching against purchase orders and receipts, referring discrepancies to the accounts payable lead.
Only use that wording if it reflects your work. If you merely entered invoice details after someone else’s checks, describe data entry instead. The strongest wording is the most precise version of what happened.
Where do you put keywords on your resume?
Put them in your skills section, your experience and project bullets, your summary and your certifications.
Skills section: Use a short list of relevant tools and abilities. This makes your capabilities easy to scan, but it does not replace evidence.
Experience and projects: Put important terms into sentences that explain an action, task, or result. “SQL” becomes more informative in “Wrote SQL queries to compare weekly sales across store locations.”
Summary: Mention a target specialty when it is supported by your experience. Keep your actual job titles accurate; clarify an unfamiliar internal title without replacing it with a role you never held.
Certifications: Use the credential’s actual name and accurate status. Do not claim a license because the posting requires one.
Use a full term and its acronym together when helpful, such as “point of sale (POS).” Keep product names recognizable. You do not need to repeat the same phrase in every section.
For more examples of adding context, read the before-and-after resume bullet rewrites. If you use an AI assistant to draft changes, the resume tailoring prompts can help structure the exercise; verify every proposed addition yourself.
Common keyword mistakes
- Copying requirements as qualifications. A posting describes the employer’s needs, not your background.
- Adding a large skills block without examples. Keep the important terms and support them in your work history or projects.
- Inventing tool experience. Name the tool you used, even if the posting prefers another.
- Chasing a fixed keyword count. There is no universal number or density that guarantees an interview.
- Hiding text or pasting the posting into the resume. That gives a reviewer no useful evidence of your work.
- Ignoring readability. A sentence should make sense to the person who eventually reads it.
Keep the finished document readable and check that its text can be selected or extracted. Follow the employer’s file instructions. Keyword coverage and document parsing are different problems; an ATS resume check can help you review the document alongside the actual posting.
Frequently asked questions
What keywords do resume scanners look for?
Relevant terms can include titles, tools, skills, processes, and credentials. Choose from the actual posting and your evidence. Different employers and systems use different review workflows.
How do I find keywords in a job description?
Highlight the job title, required skills, named tools, recurring responsibilities, and credentials. Match each one to evidence from your experience, and leave unsupported requirements as gaps.
Should I match the job description exactly?
Use its terminology when it accurately describes your experience, especially for product names and credentials. Some search features use exact matches. That does not mean you should copy entire sentences or claim requirements you cannot support.
How many ATS keywords do I need?
There is no universal count. Cover relevant requirements you can demonstrate, then edit for clarity. A longer list is not automatically a stronger application.
Can I use keywords from school projects?
Yes, if you used the skill or tool and identify the work as a school project. Describe what you built or analyzed rather than implying you used it in paid employment.
See what tailoring changes for the job you are actually applying to
Each role page shows the keywords a posting for that title expects, real before-and-after rewrites, and a free tailored resume for the posting you paste in.