ATS Keywords by Job

ATS keywords are the specific skills, tools, certifications and job-title terms that applicant tracking systems scan for when ranking resumes against a job description. Most are pulled straight from the posting — the technologies, methodologies and qualifications the employer listed. Including the right keywords (where they're genuinely true of you) is one of the biggest factors in whether your resume surfaces to a recruiter.

There's no fixed number — aim to naturally cover the key skills, tools and qualifications named in the specific job description, usually 15–30 distinct terms across your summary, skills and experience sections. Don't keyword-stuff or paste a hidden list; ATS and recruiters both penalize that. Weave keywords into real bullet points that show how you used each one.

Spread them across a dedicated skills section and, more importantly, your experience bullet points where you can show context and results. A skill listed in a 'Skills' line plus demonstrated in an achievement ('Reduced incidents 40% using Splunk SIEM') is far stronger than either alone. Keep the most important keywords in the top third of the resume, which gets read first.

Read the job description closely and pull out the repeated skills, tools, certifications and responsibilities — those are your target keywords. Our domain keyword pages give you a strong starting list for each field, and our ATS Score Checker compares your resume against a specific posting to show exactly which terms you're matching and which you're missing.

Keywords are necessary but not sufficient. You also need a parser-friendly format (single column, standard headings, selectable text) and genuinely relevant experience. Keywords get you found; the substance behind them gets you the interview. Use the keyword lists to make sure you're not missing terms you legitimately qualify for, then confirm with the ATS Score Checker.