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Just as you use keywords to search for jobs on Monster, recruiters and hiring managers use them to identify qualified candidates in the Monster resume database who match their available positions.

Knowing which keywords appear most frequently in recruiters' searches can help you use the right words and terms in your resume. But remember: While it makes sense to use these keywords in your resume if they pertain to you, littering your resume with irrelevant words can backfire.

"For the astute recruiter, it's going to come across as spam," says Felix Heimberg, a Dallas-based recruiter. "We become very good at spotting something that looks contrived."

One Hundred Most Popular Keywords

What do recruiters and hiring managers search for? Here is a list of the top 100 resume keyword search phrases used by recruiters and hiring managers on Monster for a representative three month period:

1. Sales
   
2. Recruiter
   
3. Administrative assistant
   
4. Accountant
   
5. Receptionist
   
6. CPA
   
7. Customer service
   
8. Accounting
   
9. Java
   
10. Mortgage
    
11. Manager
    
12. Executive Assistant
    
13. Human Resources
    
14. Pharmacist
    
15. Accounts Payable
    
16. Insurance
    
17. Payroll
    
18. Staff accountant
    
19. "Administrative assistant"
    
20. Physical therapist
    
21. Outside sales
    
22. SAP
    
23. "business analyst"
    
24. Collections
    
25. Audit
    
26. Engineer
    
27. Controller
    
28. Financial analyst
    
29. Project manager
    
30. Marketing
    
31. C#
    
32. .net
    
33. "Project manager"
    
34. J2EE
    
35. "Administrative
    
36. Oracle
    
37. Construction
    
38. Warehouse
    
39. Inside sales
    
40. Business analyst
    
41. Paralegal
    
42. RN
    
43. "Financial analyst"
    
44. Data entry
    
45. Nurse
    
46. Peoplesoft
    
47. Restaurant Manager
    
48. Loan officer
    
49. Staffing
    
50. "executive assistant"
    
51. Retail
    
52. Legal secretary
    
53. "Customer service"
    
54. Call center
    
55. "Outside sales"
    
56. Bookkeeper
    
57. "Inside Sales"
    
58. Auditor
    
59. Autocad
    
60. Tax
    
61. Registered Nurse
    
62. Buyer
    
63. "C
    
64. Spanish
    
65. Japanese
    
66. Underwriter
    
67. "sales"
    
68. Account executive
    
69. "Technical writer"
    
70. Medical
    
71. Cnc
    
72. Finance
    
73. "Staff accountant"
    
74. Civil engineer
    
75. Telemarketing
    
76. Accounts receivable
    
77. Senior accountant
    
78. Manufacturing
    
79. Sql
    
80. Unix
    
81. Architect
    
82. HVAC
    
83. Help desk
    
84. Oracle DBA
    
85. Clerical
    
86. Purchasing
    
87. Bilingual
    
88. "help desk"
    
89. Analyst
    
90. "accounts payable"
    
91. "Technical writer"
    
92. Pharmaceutical
    
93. Loan processor
    
94. Occupational therapist
    
95. Qa
    
96. Pharmaceutical sales
    
97. Real Estate
    
98. Maintenance
    
99. "Human Resources"
    
100. Entry Level