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Opublikowano 10 stycznia 2026

# Keywords in CV – List of Phrases for Marketing, IT, and Sales [2026]

# ATS system rejects CVs if they lack the right keywords. Check specific lists of phrases for the 3 most popular industries + bonus: how to naturally incorporate them into your CV so it doesn't look like spam.

Keywords in CV – List of Phrases for Marketing, IT, and Sales [2026]

"But I can do this! Why aren't they inviting me?"

Paweł, a senior developer with 8 years of experience, sent me his CV. The problem? Zero interview invitations, despite applying for positions perfectly matching his profile.

I checked his CV in the ATS system. The result? 42/100 points.

The reason? The job posting mentioned "React.js," but Paweł used the phrase "front-end development using modern frameworks" in his CV.

An ATS system is not a human. It looks for exact matches.

We added 12 specific keywords to his CV (without changing the content!). The score increased to 89/100. One week later – 3 interview invitations.

The moral? Even if you have great experience, without the right keywords your CV won't get through the ATS gateway.

Below you'll find specific keyword lists for the 3 most popular industries + how to naturally incorporate them into your CV.

How does keyword matching work in ATS?

Simple experiment:

Job posting says: "We are looking for a Google Ads specialist with experience in Performance Max campaigns"

Candidate A's CV:

I managed advertising campaigns in Google search engine and the latest advertising solutions

Candidate B's CV:

I managed Google Ads campaigns, including Performance Max, Shopping Ads, and Search Ads

Which candidate has better chances?

Candidate B – 300% higher probability of being invited for an interview.

Why? Because ATS looks for exact matches:

  • "Google Ads" (not "Google advertising")
  • "Performance Max" (not "latest solutions")

Rule #1: Use EXACTLY the same phrases as in the job posting

❌ Don't write: "Programming in object-oriented languages" ✅ Write: "Python, Java, C++"

❌ Don't write: "Managing campaigns in social media" ✅ Write: "Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads"

📊 Marketing – keywords that will increase your chances by 200%

🔥 Category A: Tools and platforms (YOU MUST have these)

Online advertising:

  • Google Ads (Search, Display, Shopping, Performance Max, Video)
  • Facebook Ads Manager / Meta Ads
  • LinkedIn Campaign Manager
  • TikTok Ads
  • Google Tag Manager (GTM)
  • Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads)

Analytics:

  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
  • Google Search Console
  • Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio)
  • Hotjar
  • Microsoft Clarity
  • Adobe Analytics

SEO:

  • Ahrefs
  • SEMrush
  • Screaming Frog
  • Moz
  • Google Keyword Planner

Marketing automation:

  • HubSpot
  • Mailchimp
  • ActiveCampaign
  • Salesforce Marketing Cloud
  • GetResponse

Social media management:

  • Hootsuite
  • Buffer
  • Sprout Social
  • Meta Business Suite

Others:

  • WordPress
  • Canva / Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator)
  • Figma
  • CRM (Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot CRM)

📈 Category B: Skills (hard skills)

Content & Copywriting:

  • Copywriting
  • Content marketing
  • Storytelling
  • SEO copywriting
  • UX writing
  • Email marketing
  • Content strategy

Paid advertising:

  • PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
  • SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
  • Programmatic advertising
  • Retargeting / Remarketing
  • A/B testing
  • Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
  • Bid management
  • Budget optimization

SEO:

  • On-page SEO
  • Off-page SEO
  • Technical SEO
  • Link building
  • Keyword research
  • Content optimization

Data analysis:

  • Marketing analytics
  • ROI analysis
  • Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
  • Lifetime value (LTV)
  • Marketing attribution
  • Funnel analysis

Social media:

  • Community management
  • Social media strategy
  • Influencer marketing
  • Social listening
  • User-generated content (UGC)

🎯 Category C: Methodologies and strategies

  • Inbound marketing
  • Outbound marketing
  • Growth hacking
  • Performance marketing
  • Brand awareness campaigns
  • Lead generation
  • Marketing automation workflows
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Omnichannel marketing
  • Account-based marketing (ABM)

✍️ Example: How to incorporate these words into your CV (Marketing Specialist)

❌ BAD (general, without keywords):

I managed online advertising campaigns and analyzed results

✅ GOOD (specific, with keywords):

I managed Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max) and Facebook Ads campaigns with a budget of 80k PLN/month. I used Google Analytics 4 and Looker Studio to analyze ROI, reducing CAC by 28%. I optimized CRO through A/B testing landing pages, which increased conversion by 45%.

Number of keywords: 11 ATS score: 85/100 (vs 40/100 in the "bad" version)

💻 IT – keywords that beat the competition

🔥 Category A: Programming languages

Frontend:

  • JavaScript (ES6+)
  • TypeScript
  • HTML5
  • CSS3 / SASS / LESS
  • React.js
  • Vue.js
  • Angular
  • Next.js
  • Svelte

Backend:

  • Python
  • Java
  • C# (.NET, .NET Core)
  • Node.js
  • PHP
  • Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
  • Go (Golang)
  • Kotlin
  • Rust

Mobile:

  • Swift (iOS)
  • Kotlin (Android)
  • React Native
  • Flutter
  • Xamarin

Others:

  • SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server)
  • NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis)
  • C++
  • C

🛠️ Category B: Frameworks and libraries

Frontend:

  • React.js (Redux, Context API, React Router)
  • Vue.js (Vuex, Vue Router)
  • Angular (RxJS, NgRx)
  • jQuery (outdated, but still appearing in job postings)
  • Bootstrap
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Material-UI (MUI)

Backend:

  • Django (Python)
  • Flask (Python)
  • FastAPI (Python)
  • Spring Boot (Java)
  • Express.js (Node.js)
  • NestJS (Node.js)
  • Laravel (PHP)
  • Ruby on Rails
  • ASP.NET Core (C#)

Testing:

  • Jest
  • Mocha
  • Cypress
  • Selenium
  • Playwright
  • JUnit (Java)
  • pytest (Python)

☁️ Category C: DevOps, Cloud, Tools

Cloud:

  • AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS, CloudFront)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Heroku
  • DigitalOcean

DevOps:

  • Docker
  • Kubernetes (K8s)
  • CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
  • Terraform
  • Ansible
  • Nginx
  • Apache

Version control:

  • Git (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
  • SVN (outdated, but sometimes required)

Databases:

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • Redis
  • Elasticsearch
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle Database

API:

  • REST API
  • GraphQL
  • WebSockets
  • gRPC

🎯 Category D: Methodologies and soft skills (yes, ATS scans these too!)

  • Agile
  • Scrum
  • Kanban
  • Test-Driven Development (TDD)
  • Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
  • Clean Code
  • SOLID principles
  • Microservices architecture
  • Monolithic architecture
  • MVC (Model-View-Controller)
  • RESTful design
  • Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
  • Functional programming
  • Code review
  • Pair programming

✍️ Example: How to incorporate these words into your CV (Full-Stack Developer)

❌ BAD (general):

Creating web applications using modern front-end and back-end technologies

✅ GOOD (specific, with keywords):

Creating web applications in React.js (Hooks, Redux) + Node.js (Express.js, TypeScript). Managing PostgreSQL and MongoDB databases. Deployments on AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda) using Docker and CI/CD (GitHub Actions). Working in Agile/Scrum, practicing TDD and code review.

Number of keywords: 16 ATS score: 92/100

💼 Sales – keywords that open doors

🔥 Category A: CRM and sales tools

CRM:

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Pipedrive
  • Zoho CRM
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • SugarCRM
  • Freshsales

Sales engagement:

  • Outreach.io
  • SalesLoft
  • Apollo.io
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Hunter.io

Others:

  • Calendly (scheduling)
  • Zoom / Microsoft Teams
  • Slack
  • DocuSign (electronic signatures)

📈 Category B: Sales methodologies

  • SPIN Selling (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff)
  • Challenger Sale
  • Solution Selling
  • Consultative Selling
  • MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion)
  • BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
  • Sandler Selling System
  • Value-based selling

🎯 Category C: Skills and processes

Prospecting & Lead gen:

  • Cold calling
  • Cold emailing
  • Social selling (LinkedIn)
  • Lead generation
  • Lead qualification
  • Inbound sales
  • Outbound sales
  • Account-based selling (ABS)

Pipeline management:

  • Sales pipeline management
  • Deal forecasting
  • Opportunity management
  • Sales funnel optimization
  • Conversion rate optimization

Negotiations & closing:

  • Negotiation skills
  • Closing techniques
  • Objection handling
  • Contract negotiation
  • Upselling
  • Cross-selling
  • Renewal management (SaaS)

Analysis:

  • Sales analytics
  • KPI tracking (quota attainment, win rate, average deal size)
  • Sales reporting
  • CRM data management

🏆 Category D: Sales types (highlight your profile!)

  • B2B (Business-to-Business)
  • B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
  • SaaS sales (Software as a Service)
  • Enterprise sales
  • SMB sales (Small and Medium Business)
  • Inside sales (remote sales)
  • Field sales (on-site sales)
  • Channel sales (partner sales)
  • Account management
  • Customer success

✍️ Example: How to incorporate these words into your CV (B2B Sales Representative)

❌ BAD:

I managed the sales process from customer contact to transaction finalization

✅ GOOD:

I managed the full B2B sales cycle (from cold calling / LinkedIn prospecting to closing) in a SaaS model. I used Salesforce CRM to manage pipeline (avg. 30 opportunities). I applied SPIN Selling and MEDDIC methodologies for lead qualification. I achieved 124% quota in 2023 with avg. deal size of 45k PLN. Specialization: enterprise sales and account management.

Number of keywords: 15 ATS score: 88/100

🚨 Most common mistakes when using keywords

Mistake #1: "Keyword stuffing" (spamming with keywords)

❌ DON'T DO THIS:

Skills: Python Python Python Java JavaScript HTML CSS React React.js Vue Angular SQL MongoDB Docker Kubernetes AWS Python Java

This looks like spam and modern ATS systems detect this (and lower your score!).

✅ INSTEAD:

Languages: Python, Java, JavaScript | Frameworks: React.js, Vue.js, Angular | Databases: SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL), MongoDB | DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, AWS

Mistake #2: Using synonyms instead of exact phrases

❌ Job posting: "Google Ads" ❌ Your CV: "Google search engine advertising"

✅ Your CV: "Google Ads"

Mistake #3: Hiding keywords with white text

Heard this "advice"? Don't do it. Modern ATS systems detect hidden text and flag your CV as fraud.

Mistake #4: Adding skills you don't have

Obvious, but worth reminding: Don't lie. If you write "Python," but during the interview you can't write a for loop... it won't end well.

🎯 How to naturally incorporate keywords into your CV? (Template)

ATS-friendly CV structure:

1. Header (with key words!):

John Smith
Senior Marketing Manager | Google Ads & Meta Ads Specialist
London | [email protected] | +44 123 456 789 | LinkedIn: /johnsmith

2. Key skills (first what's in the job posting!):

Key skills:
Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max) • Facebook Ads Manager • Google Analytics 4 • SEO (Ahrefs, SEMrush) • HubSpot • A/B Testing • CRO • Marketing Automation • 5+ years of experience

3. Work experience (include keywords in descriptions):

Senior Marketing Specialist | ABC Company (2020-2024)
• Managed Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns with a budget of £10k/month
• Increased ROI by 180% through Performance Max and Shopping Ads optimization
• Implemented marketing automation in HubSpot, reducing lead time by 40%
• Used Google Analytics 4 and Looker Studio for analysis and reporting

4. Technical skills (complete list for ATS):

Marketing tools:
• Advertising: Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads
• Analytics: Google Analytics 4, Looker Studio, Google Tag Manager
• SEO: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog, Google Search Console
• Automation: HubSpot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign
• CRM: Salesforce, Pipedrive
• Others: WordPress, Canva, Figma

📋 Your checklist before sending your CV

  • ☐ I analyzed the job posting and listed 10 most important keywords
  • ☐ I checked if all these words are in my CV (exactly the same!)
  • ☐ I added keywords in 3 places: header, experience, skills
  • ☐ I didn't spam – each word used maximum 2-3 times
  • ☐ I tested my CV in an ATS tool → Check now for free

Summary: Keywords = Your pass through ATS

Remember:

  1. ATS looks for exact matches – not synonyms
  2. Use exactly the same phrases as in the job posting
  3. Place keywords in 3 locations: header, experience, skills
  4. Don't spam – keep it natural
  5. Test in an ATS tool before sending

Ready for a test?

Submit your CV to CV ATS Optimizer – we'll compare it with the job posting and show you:

  • Which keywords are missing
  • What your ATS score is (0-100%)
  • How to precisely improve your CV to pass through the filter

Check your CV now – for free →

Good luck with your job search! 🚀

P.S. Paweł from the beginning of this article? After adding keywords, he received 3 job offers within a month. He chose the one with a 40% higher salary than his previous one. All thanks to 12 keywords.