When you list achievements on your resume, LinkedIn profile, or personal website, you're not just telling a story—you’re optimizing how recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) discover you. Using the right SEO keywords increases visibility, improves relevance for specific roles, and helps your accomplishments stand out. This post breaks down the exact keywords and strategies to use so recruiters find you faster and consider you for the roles you want.

Why keywords matter when writing achievements

How recruiters and ATS read your content

Recruiters rely on search filters, LinkedIn keywords, and ATS parsing to identify promising candidates. These systems look for specific terms and phrases that match job requirements. If your achievements include those keywords—especially in context with measurable outcomes—you’re far more likely to surface in searches.

Tip: Recruiters rarely read every line. They search for keywords, skim metrics, and make quick judgments. Make those words count.

Beyond bots and filters, recruiters scan for clarity and impact. Keywords that clearly describe accomplishments help human readers understand your value fast.

High-impact keyword categories (and examples)

Use a mix of the following keyword types to cover technical expertise, role relevance, impact, and leadership.

1. Action verbs & achievement starters

• Led, Managed, Directed
• Implemented, Developed, Built
• Optimized, Reduced, Increased
• Ranked, Automated, Negotiated

2. Metrics & quantifiers (must-haves)

• Percentages: increased sales by 25%, reduced churn 12%
• Absolute numbers: managed a $3M budget, onboarded 50+ clients
• Timeframes: cut delivery time by 6 weeks

3. Role-specific and technical keywords

Include job title variations and hard skills recruiters search for:

• Product Manager, Senior Product Manager, Technical Product Manager
• Python, SQL, React, AWS, Salesforce, Tableau
• SEO, SEM, PPC, CRM, ERP

4. Industry and domain keywords

These show domain knowledge and improve relevance:

• Fintech, Healthcare, SaaS, eCommerce, AdTech
• Regulatory compliance, HIPAA, GDPR

How to find the right keywords for your achievements

Keywords aren’t guesswork. Use data from the market and your target roles.

1. Analyze job descriptions — Copy-paste 5–10 of your target job ads into a doc and highlight recurring terms.
2. Search LinkedIn — Look up people in roles you want and note how they describe accomplishments and skills.
3. Use free tools — Google search suggestions, LinkedIn People filters, and basic keyword tools reveal popular phrases.
4. Review company pages — Company blogs and product pages often include industry jargon and outcomes recruiters expect.
5. Leverage analytics — If you use our service for profile optimization, we can surface high-performing keywords from recruiter searches and job matches.

How to use keywords naturally (best practices)

Keyword use needs to be strategic and natural. Stuffing looks bad to humans and can hurt ATS parsing.

Where to place keywords

• Headline/title — One clear job title + primary skill (e.g., “Product Manager | SaaS & Data-Driven Growth”).
• Summary/About — 2–3 sentences that include top keywords and your core achievement(s).
• Bullet points under roles — Start bullets with action verbs, include metrics, and add role-specific keywords.
• Skills section — List hard skills and tools verbatim as they appear in job descriptions.
• Project descriptions/portfolio — Use long-tail phrases and case-study language that match recruiter searches.

Dos and don’ts

• Do: Use plural and singular variations (e.g., “dashboard” and “dashboards”), synonyms, and abbreviations (e.g., “SQL” and “Structured Query Language”) where appropriate.
• Do: Prioritize most relevant keywords—put them where they’ll be read first.
• Don’t: Repeat the same keyword five times in one paragraph—aim for natural flow.
• Don’t: Use vague terms without context (e.g., “responsible for sales” vs “increased sales 30%”).

Before/after examples

Before: Responsible for leading marketing efforts and improving metrics.

After: Led a cross-functional marketing team to increase organic traffic by 80% and grow MQLs by 45% in 12 months using SEO, content strategy, and automation tools (HubSpot, Google Analytics).

Formatting and SEO tips for LinkedIn, resumes, and portfolios

LinkedIn

• Use a concise headline with role + top keyword (e.g., “Data Scientist | Machine Learning & NLP”)
• Front-load achievements in the summary and first 2–3 bullets of each role
• Add media (presentations, links) with keyword-rich descriptions

Resume

• Customize the top of your resume (Professional Summary) for each application with 3–5 target keywords
• Use consistent terminology with the job description to improve ATS matches
• Keep bullets short, starting with an action verb and ending with a metric

Personal website / portfolio

• Use long-tail keywords in project titles and case study headings
• Write one-line meta-descriptions for each project using target keywords
• Include an optimized “About” page with your role + skills and measurable outcomes

Avoid common keyword pitfalls

• Over-optimization: Repeating keywords unnaturally can hurt readability and credibility.
• Ambiguous claims: Words like “helped” or “assisted” are weak—prefer measurable contributions.
• Ignoring synonyms: Recruiters may search for “sales enablement” or “revenue operations”—use both if relevant.
• Forgetting soft skills in context: Words like “leadership” are fine but stronger when tied to concrete results.

Final checklist: what to include in each achievement bullet

1. Action verb — Start strong (Led, Implemented, Optimized).
2. Role-specific keyword — Include the skill or tool used (e.g., “AWS,” “SQL”).
3. Quantified result — Percentages, dollar value, headcount, time saved.
4. Context — One short phrase about the project or scope (e.g., “across 3 product lines”).

Example: Implemented automated ETL pipelines using Python and AWS Glue, reducing data processing time by 70% and improving reporting cadence from weekly to daily for a 60-person analytics org.

Conclusion

Writing achievements with the right SEO keywords is part craft, part research. Use role-specific verbs, measurable outcomes, technical terms, and industry language—and place them where recruiters and ATS will see them first. If you want help identifying the best keywords for your target roles or optimizing your LinkedIn profile and resume for recruiter searches, our service can analyze your experience and suggest high-impact phrases tailored to your goals.

Ready to be found? Sign up for free today and start optimizing your achievements so the right recruiters find you faster.