Job Description Keyword Extractor

Why the exact words matter

Recruiters search their applicant database using terms taken from the posting they wrote. If a listing asks for "stakeholder management" and your CV says "worked closely with clients", you describe the same work and will not appear in that search. Extracting the posting's actual vocabulary tells you which phrases to use, assuming they honestly describe what you have done.

Separate requirements from wishes

Postings mix hard requirements with aspirations. Language signals which is which: "must have", "required" and "minimum" mark genuine filters, while "nice to have", "preferred", "bonus" and "ideally" mark flexibility. Terms appearing in the job title and in the first few responsibilities carry far more weight than one buried in a list of fifteen. Prioritise accordingly rather than trying to address everything equally.

Include both forms of every term

Someone searching may use either the abbreviation or the expansion, and databases rarely link them. Write "search engine optimisation (SEO)" once and you match both. The same applies to versioned technologies and to regional spelling variants, which is worth attending to when applying across markets.

The 60 percent rule

Research on hiring consistently finds that candidates meeting roughly 60 percent of listed requirements are commonly interviewed, and that the gap between men and women applying at partial matches is a well-documented effect. A posting is usually a description of an ideal that does not exist. Missing three items from a list of ten is normal, and declining to apply because of it removes you from consideration for a role you would likely be shortlisted for.

Mirror, do not fabricate

Use the posting's terminology for experience you genuinely have. Claiming a skill you lack surfaces immediately in a technical interview and costs the relationship with a recruiter who may fill other roles you want. Where you lack something important, addressing it directly in a cover note is more effective than hoping it goes unnoticed.