What is SEO and How Can It Help Me Find a Job?
Applying SEO Techniques to Enhance Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems
Kelsey Young, Copywriter and Media Specialist
5 Min Read
Simplified, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website more attractive and easier to find for people who are using search engines like Google, Bing, Microsoft Edge and others.
Imagine running a lemonade stand. If you want more people to come and buy your lemonade, you need to make sure that your clients can find your stand easily. You might put signs up around the neighborhood or put your stand in a high traffic location.
Think of SEO as the digital version of setting up your lemonade stand for success. Instead of physical signs, you use words and strategies that help your website show up higher on the list when someone searches for something related to what you offer.
So how can SEO help me? In today’s competitive job market, leveraging SEO techniques can significantly boost your personal brand on LinkedIn and enhance your resume’s visibility. Understanding the basics of SEO is crucial for job seekers.
Let’s start with the core principals of SEO.
Core Principals of SEO
Keyword Research
Understanding what your target audience is searching for is crucial. Identify relevant keywords and phrases that have a high search volume and are relevant to your content. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help in this research.
Content Quality
High-quality, relevant, and informative content is the backbone of SEO. Ensure your content provides value to your audience, answers their questions, and is better than what competitors offer.
On-Page SEO
This includes optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. Focus on elements like title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and ensuring that keywords are appropriately used in your content.
Mobile Optimization
With the increasing use of smartphones, your site must be mobile-friendly. Google’s mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of your website becomes the starting point for what Google includes in their index.
Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They are like votes of confidence in the eyes of search engines. Focus on gaining high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience of a person using your website, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use, is vital for SEO. A good UX keeps visitors on your site longer, reducing bounce rates, which can positively impact your rankings.
Technical SEO
This involves optimizing your website’s technical aspects to improve search engine ranking. It includes site architecture, structured data, XML sitemaps, and ensuring your site is crawlable and indexable.
Local SEO
Business profile, getting local reviews, and ensuring your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) consistency across the web.
Content Freshness
Regularly updating your website with fresh content can give you an edge in search rankings. Google favors up-to-date, relevant content.
Enhancing Your Resume with SEO Techniques
In today’s job market, many employers use some version of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter resumes before they are seen by a human. Which also means, you can apply the core principles of SEO to your resume, and even your LinkedIn profile to increase your visibility and therefore your chances of landing the job.
Here’s how to apply SEO techniques to make your resume more ATS-friendly and increase your chances of being noticed:
Keyword Optimization
Tailoring Your Resume
Customize your resume for each job application, much like how content is optimized for specific audiences in SEO. Analyze the job description to identify key terms and phrases, and make sure these are reflected in your resume. This customization can significantly increase your resume’s relevancy and chances of being shortlisted.
Using Standard Job Titles
Formatting for Readability
Highlighting Important Information
Relevance and Quality of Content
Just as quality content is crucial for SEO, the relevance and quality of the information in your resume are essential. Ensure that your experiences and skills are not only relevant to the job you’re applying for but also clearly and concisely presented to make a strong case for your candidacy.
Social Proof and Links
Including links to your LinkedIn profile or professional portfolio can be beneficial, like how backlinks work in SEO. However, ensure that any links you include are relevant and add value to your application.
By applying these SEO techniques to your resume, you make it more likely to get through the ATS filters and into the hands of a human recruiter. Remember, the goal of SEO in the context of your resume is to increase its visibility and relevance for specific job opportunities, thereby improving your chances of landing an interview.
About Kelsey Young
Kelsey Young serves as GDC’s Copywriter and Media Specialist. She is responsible for creating persuasive and engaging written content across various platforms to promote GDC’s products, services and brand. Young ensures consistent brand messaging, optimizes content for SEO, and collaborates with different departments to develop content strategies that align with business objectives. Young has a Master’s Degree in Literature and Language from Wilson College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary English Education from Shippensburg University.
GDC IT Solutions empowers businesses to increase employee productivity, maximize investments and improve operational efficiencies. With experienced and certified professionals, GDC delivers services in the areas of application development & support, hardware sales & deployment, managed IT solutions, networking & infrastructure, IT service desk, and workforce staffing services. Learn more.
