Most keyword advice is guesswork. This index is measured: every row compares the average ATS match score of resumes that contain a keyword against those that do not.
Across 1,371 resume analyses, 50 keywords appear often enough to measure. The largest measured effects come from process and domain terms, not generic soft skills. Several common soft skills correlate with a lower score, because they crowd out the concrete requirements a job description asks for.
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Average match score with the keyword present, minus the score without it.
| Keyword | Score impact | Observations | Most common roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| microservices | +6.8 | 32 medium confidence | Senior Software Engineer, .NET Technical Architect |
| aws | +6.4 | 68 high confidence | Senior Data Engineer, Software Engineer |
| risk management | +4.8 | 26 medium confidence | Senior Financial Manager / Financial Controller, Senior Cybersecurity Architect |
| team leadership | +4.6 | 44 medium confidence | Senior Financial Manager / Financial Controller, Head of Brand and Creative |
| spring boot | +4.4 | 24 medium confidence | Software Engineer, Full Stack Developer |
| data visualization | +4.3 | 26 medium confidence | Data Analyst, Tableau Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst |
| mentoring | +4.2 | 49 medium confidence | Data Governance Manager, Senior Cybersecurity Architect |
| kubernetes | +4.1 | 33 medium confidence | Senior Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer |
| typescript | +3.8 | 38 medium confidence | Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer |
| data analysis | +3.6 | 67 high confidence | Energy Market Analyst, Tableau Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst |
| power bi | +3.3 | 73 high confidence | Data Analyst, Data Engineer |
| ci/cd | +3.3 | 32 medium confidence | Senior Backend Developer, DevOps Engineer |
| java | +3.2 | 53 high confidence | Software Engineer, Full Stack Developer |
| cross-functional collaboration | +3.1 | 44 medium confidence | Pharmacovigilance Specialist / Drug Safety Associate, Learning & Development Program Manager |
| documentation | +3.0 | 30 medium confidence | IT Support Technician, IT Support Technician (L1/L2) |
| training | +2.8 | 41 medium confidence | Data Governance Manager, Inventory Control Accountant |
| postgresql | +2.7 | 32 medium confidence | Senior Backend Developer, Senior Software Engineer / Cloud Infrastructure Engineer |
| stakeholder management | +2.4 | 85 high confidence | Learning & Development Program Manager, Tableau Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst |
| c# | +2.4 | 23 medium confidence | Full Stack Engineer, Back-End Developer |
| node.js | +2.3 | 54 high confidence | Software Developer, Software Engineer |
Present on resumes that score below average. Usually a sign the keyword replaces a specific requirement rather than adding one.
| Keyword | Score impact | Observations | Most common roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| git | -6.1 | 35 medium confidence | Data Analyst / Marketing Analyst, AEM Full Stack Developer |
| time management | -5.3 | 40 medium confidence | Humanitarian Project Coordinator, Humanitarian Programme Specialist / Project Coordinator |
| adaptability | -5.0 | 27 medium confidence | Humanitarian Project Coordinator, Accountant / Comptable |
| teamwork | -4.8 | 77 high confidence | Humanitarian Project Coordinator, Humanitarian Programme Specialist / Project Coordinator |
| problem-solving | -3.6 | 27 medium confidence | Humanitarian Project Coordinator, Customer Service Representative |
| communication | -3.2 | 177 high confidence | Data Governance Manager, Humanitarian Project Coordinator |
| attention to detail | -2.6 | 46 medium confidence | Pharmacovigilance Specialist / Drug Safety Associate, Humanitarian Programme Specialist / Project Coordinator |
| customer service | -2.2 | 42 medium confidence | Administrative Assistant / Front Office Receptionist, Administrative and Front Office Support Specialist |
| docker | -1.1 | 50 medium confidence | Data Analyst / Marketing Analyst, Senior Backend Developer |
| problem solving | -0.7 | 108 high confidence | Inventory Control Accountant, Data Governance Manager |
Every ATS analysis run through ATS CV Checker produces a match score plus the list of job-description keywords that were found in the resume and the ones that were missing.
For each keyword we compute the average score of analyses where it was present and the average where it was missing. The difference is the score impact shown above.
Only keywords with enough observations are published. Aggregates are anonymous: no resume text, employer, or personal data is exposed, and figures are rounded.
These figures describe our matching model, not hiring outcomes. A higher match score means a resume covers more of what a job description asks for. It is not a prediction that you will get an interview, and no public dataset can honestly claim that.
Paste any job description and get your match score, the keywords you are missing, and where to add them. Free, no signup required.