Greenhouse resume keywords that actually get searched
Greenhouse is not a magic keyword scorer that auto-rejects for missing synonyms. Recruiters search the structured fields the parser filled. If your titles and skills do not match the language of the job description, you stay invisible.
What Greenhouse (and similar systems) do
Parse the uploaded file into fields: experience, skills, education, contact.
Recruiters filter and search those fields by the terms in the posting.
Knockout questions and required fields still filter before any keyword match matters.
A pretty two-column PDF often puts the wrong text into the wrong field.
How to choose keywords
Copy the exact tools, titles, and responsibilities from the job description into your bullets where they are true.
Prefer the posting’s phrasing over your internal company jargon.
Put the highest-signal terms near the top of experience and in a plain Skills section.
Do not stuff. One accurate match beats a paragraph of synonyms.
Format that survives the parse
Single-column .docx or text-based PDF.
Standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills.
No tables, text boxes, or graphics for critical content.
After upload, check the autofilled fields and correct them.
Athena’s role
Athena ATS scores your resume against the job description you paste and rewrites for that posting.
First rewrite is free. Founding Beta is $8/mo or $59/yr. No interview guarantee.