How to Use Keywords in Your Cover Letters

When you are writing a cover letter to accompany your resume as part of a job application, it's important to make sure that every word counts. Your cover letter should enhance the employer's view of your qualifications so you can move from being an applicant to an interviewee.

The words you include in your cover letter (and your resume) can show the hiring manager why you're a strong candidate for the job and help you get selected for an interview.

Here's an overview of the types of keywords that can be included in a cover letter, how to use them, and examples of the best keywords to use to show a prospective employer that you're a match for the job.

Types of Cover Letter Keywords

Keywords are a vital element of a persuasive cover letter because they're capable of portraying a candidate as a highly qualified applicant for a job. These words fall into three general categories: skill words, results-oriented words, and words that show recognition for achievements.

How Keywords Show That You're a Good Fit for the Job

Keywords work in a couple of different ways. First, the keywords you include in your resume and cover letter will be used to match your application with the skills required by the employer in the job advertisement.

This matching process is often performed by automated applicant tracking systems (ATSs), which are programmed to identify specific keywords and to rank all resumes accordingly before they even reach a hiring manager. If your cover letter and resume lack these keywords, they may be automatically cut from consideration at this stage of the evaluation.

How Keywords Show That You're Qualified

Once your cover letter reaches a hiring manager, the keywords that are incorporated into it will show them why you are highly qualified for the job, allowing them to rank you among your competition and, ideally, to offer you one of their interview slots.

How Keywords Show That You're Qualified

Secondly, keywords that are incorporated into a cover letter will show the hiring manager how and why you are highly qualified for the job, allowing them to rank you among your competition and, ideally, to offer one of their interview slots to you.

Skill Keywords

Job seekers should carefully analyze the skills required to excel in their target job and incorporate them into their cover letter. Those keywords should also be included in your resume. It will be more genuine if you paraphrase the skills mentioned in job ads as opposed to listing them verbatim. Skill words are most effective when connected to a specific role or project in which the skills were crucial to success.

Examples of skill keywords include wrote, analyzed, quantified, planned, programmed, designed, created, built, taught, and trained.

For example, instead of saying, "Quantitative stock analysis is an asset which I would bring to your firm," you could say the following:

The skill keywords included in your cover letter and resume will help your application get selected by the software employers use to select candidates for further consideration. They will also show the hiring manager, at a glance, what skills you have that are related to the job for which he or she is hiring.

Results-Oriented Keywords

All employers are looking for employees who will add value and generate positive results for their organizations. That's why it's critical to integrate results-oriented language into your cover letters. Think about the bottom line for each job on your resume and how you may have made things better in your role.

Your cover letter should showcase your accomplishments, not just your skills or personal qualities. Providing these details will help to set your letter apart from those of other candidates who don’t highlight their professional achievements.

Examples of results-oriented keywords include increased, reduced, redesigned, upgraded, initiated, implemented, reformulated, generated, and produced.

Results-oriented words are most effective when coupled with some numbers that quantify your impact:

By using these types of keywords, you are clearly showing what you accomplished in your previous roles.

Recognition Keywords

Hiring managers will be more likely to believe you will be an outstanding performer if it is clear that previous employers have viewed you in this way. One way to do this is to incorporate language which demonstrates that employers have recognized your contributions.

Examples of recognition-related keywords include honored, awarded, promoted, selected, lauded for, received a bonus for, recognized, chosen, and credited.

Ideally, recognition phrases will include the type of individual who noted your achievement and the basis for your recognition. For example, you might say:

Recognition keywords attest to how you have excelled in your previous jobs and how you have accomplished more than was required.

Take the Time to Make a Match

When you're choosing keywords to include in your cover letter, an easy way to find the best words to use is to match your qualifications to those mentioned in the job listing.

Using Keywords in Your Resume

It's also important to use keywords in your resume that reflect the employer's job requirements and indicate how your credentials are a match for them. Your resume keywords should include your skills, competencies, relevant credentials, education, and previous positions and employers.