Complete Guide to ATS Keywords by Job Role

Why Role-Specific Keywords Matter

Generic keyword advice fails because different roles require different terminology. A Frontend Developer resume needs different keywords than a DevOps Engineer resume.

This guide provides the essential ATS keywords for each major tech role.

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Frontend Developer Keywords

Must-Have Technical Skills

JavaScript, TypeScript

React, Vue.js, Angular

HTML5, CSS3, Sass/SCSS

Responsive Design

REST APIs

Git, GitHub

Frameworks & Tools

Next.js, Gatsby

Redux, Zustand, Context API

Tailwind CSS, styled-components

Webpack, Vite

Jest, React Testing Library

Figma, Adobe XD

Concepts to Include

Component-Based Architecture

State Management

Performance Optimization

Accessibility (WCAG)

Cross-Browser Compatibility

Mobile-First Design

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Backend Developer Keywords

Must-Have Technical Skills

Python, Java, Node.js, Go

SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL

MongoDB, Redis

REST API, GraphQL

Docker, Kubernetes

Frameworks & Tools

Django, Flask, FastAPI

Spring Boot, Express.js

Microservices Architecture

Message Queues (RabbitMQ, Kafka)

CI/CD Pipelines

Concepts to Include

Database Design & Optimization

API Development

Authentication & Authorization

Caching Strategies

System Design

Scalability

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Full Stack Developer Keywords

Frontend + Backend Combined

Include keywords from both Frontend and Backend sections, plus:

Full Stack Development

End-to-End Development

MERN Stack / MEAN Stack

JAMstack

Monorepo

Database Integration

Deployment & DevOps Basics

AWS, GCP, Azure

Vercel, Netlify, Heroku

Docker Basics

Environment Management

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DevOps Engineer Keywords

Must-Have Technical Skills

Docker, Kubernetes

Terraform, Ansible

AWS, GCP, Azure

CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)

Linux, Bash Scripting

Monitoring & Security

Prometheus, Grafana

ELK Stack

CloudWatch, Datadog

Security Best Practices

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Concepts to Include

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

High Availability

Disaster Recovery

Auto Scaling

Cost Optimization

Incident Management

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Data Scientist Keywords

Must-Have Technical Skills

Python, R

Pandas, NumPy, SciPy

Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch

SQL, NoSQL

Jupyter Notebooks

Techniques & Methods

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Computer Vision

Statistical Analysis

A/B Testing

Tools & Platforms

AWS SageMaker, Google AI Platform

Tableau, Power BI

Apache Spark

MLflow, Kubeflow

Feature Engineering

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Mobile Developer Keywords

iOS Development

Swift, Objective-C

SwiftUI, UIKit

Xcode, CocoaPods

Core Data, Realm

App Store Guidelines

Android Development

Kotlin, Java

Jetpack Compose

Android Studio, Gradle

Room, SQLite

Google Play Guidelines

Cross-Platform

React Native, Flutter

Expo

Firebase

Push Notifications

Mobile UI/UX

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How to Use This Guide

1. Identify your target role from the categories above

2. Compare against your resume - which keywords are missing?

3. Use our ATS Keyword Tool to automatically check coverage

4. Add missing keywords naturally within your experience bullets

5. Don't keyword stuff - context matters

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Pro Tips for All Roles

Do:

✅ Include both acronyms and full terms (e.g., "CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)")

✅ Quantify your achievements with metrics

✅ Tailor keywords for each application

✅ Use action verbs (developed, implemented, optimized)

Don't:

❌ List skills you can't discuss in an interview

❌ Use outdated technologies prominently

❌ Copy-paste without context

❌ Forget soft skills (teamwork, communication, leadership)

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Ready to check your resume? Use our free ATS Keyword Matcher to see exactly which role-specific keywords you're missing.