Use the keywords that show you can do the job they are hiring for. The easiest way to find them is in the job listing. Read it and look for the words they repeat. Those repeated words are your best keywords because they match what the recruiter is scanning for.
First, the job title and the main responsibilities. If the post keeps mentioning terms like customer support, onboarding, reporting, account management, or troubleshooting, those are keywords. Second, the tools. If they list things like Zendesk, Intercom, Jira, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Notion, or Google Workspace, include the ones you have used.
Third, the way they work. If the job listing mentions that you need to excel at written communication, have documentation writing skills, and experience handling difficult escalations, use the exact phrases. Fourth, results. If they talk about response time, SLAs, or backlog clearing, use those words and connect them to what you delivered.
The mistake I see is people listing keywords with no proof. A recruiter can spot that straight away. Instead of dumping words into a skills section, tie the keyword to a real piece of work. You do not need a long story. One clear line is enough, like improving response time or reducing escalations. That is what makes the keyword believable.
Put keywords where they will actually be seen. Use two or three in your top summary so the role fit is clear in seconds. Use the most important keywords in your work experience, especially near the top of each role.
If you want one skill that helps almost every remote application, add clear written communication. Remote teams run on writing. If you provide clear updates, document your work, and keep things moving without constant meetings, you’ll stand out quicker.
To showcase keywords without exaggerating, only use the terms you can back up with something you actually did. I coach people to treat every keyword as if it were a claim they might be asked to explain in an interview. If you write stakeholder management, you should be able to name who you worked with and what you handled.
If you write Zendesk, you should be able to describe what you used it for. The easiest way to stay honest is to attach keywords to real tasks and outcomes, even small ones. Instead of saying you led cross-functional projects, say you worked with marketing and product to fix a customer issue, and what changed after.
Keywords work best in places where recruiters scan first and where the Applicant Tracking System can easily find them. The summary is strong because it shows fit fast. Include the job title, one or two main responsibilities, and one remote work term if it applies.
The experience section is most important because it provides proof; use key phrases in your first one or two lines for each role. A simple skills section near the bottom is good for tools and systems, like Jira, Slack, HubSpot, or Google Workspace, because it is easy to scan.
I avoid stuffing keywords into every line. I would rather place the right ones in the summary, the first lines of each role, and a clean tools list, so it reads as if a human wrote it.
About Your Remote Job Coach
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