Should I write technologies in English if my resume is in Spanish?

Yes for the proper names of technologies and tools —React, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL— because that is how they appear in job descriptions and how the ATS searches for them. Descriptive text can be in Spanish or English depending on the posting language.

Does the ATS understand synonyms or abbreviations?

Do not assume it does. Most look for exact matches, so if the posting says Apache Airflow, write Apache Airflow, not orchestrator. When in doubt, include both forms naturally: the full term and its common acronym.

How many keywords should I include?

As many as reflect your real experience and match the posting, without inflating. An honest resume with 10 technologies you truly know beats one crammed with terms you cannot back up in an interview.

How do I know if my resume passes the ATS filter?

You can check it for free on NexCV: you get your ATS score by sector, the breakdown, and the keywords you are missing against the posting. It is the fast way to see what stands between you and the interview.

ATS Keywords for Tech Resumes: Which to Use and How

The bridge between your LATAM experience and a remote role that screens through an ATS.

6 min read

You apply to remote roles in the US or Europe, you have the technical background, and still no call back. Often the problem is not your experience —it is that the ATS did not find the exact words it expected. Applicant tracking systems (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Ashby, iCIMS) read your resume before any human does and compare its text against the job description.

This guide shows how that matching works in tech, which keywords to use based on your sub-specialty and —most importantly— where to place them so they count without falling into tricks that hurt you. The goal is simple: get your resume through the filter and into the hands of the person who decides.

How the ATS reads your keywords

The ATS looks for exact matches. It does not infer synonyms or expand abbreviations for you. If the job asks for Apache Airflow and you wrote workflow orchestrator, the system does not treat those as the same thing —no match. The baseline rule is to mirror the term exactly as it appears in the description.

Versions and nuance matter too. React is not the same as React Native; Next.js App Router is more specific than just Next.js. When the posting names a version or a specific mode, replicate that precision. This is not about lying —just describing what you already know using the vocabulary the system expects.

One key point for the LATAM-to-remote bridge: write technologies in their international form (in English when that is how they are named) even if the rest of your resume is in Spanish, because that is how they show up in job descriptions.

Keywords by tech sub-specialty

These lists are a starting point. Take only the ones that reflect your real experience and always cross-check them against the specific posting.

Frontend

React
Next.js (include App Router when it applies)
TypeScript
Core Web Vitals
JavaScript
Tailwind CSS
accessibility (a11y)

Backend

Node.js
Python
Go
REST
GraphQL
PostgreSQL
microservices

Data and AI

SQL
dbt
MLOps
RAG
vector databases
Apache Airflow

DevOps, Cloud and SRE

AWS
Docker
Kubernetes
Terraform
CI/CD
observability

Mobile and QA/Security

Swift
Kotlin
React Native
Playwright
OWASP Top 10
SAST/DAST

Where to place keywords without stuffing

The ATS spreads weight across a Skills section and the body of your experience. Both matter, so use them consistently.

In Skills, list your technologies cleanly and grouped (for example: languages, frameworks, cloud, data). It is your quick inventory, readable for both the system and the recruiter.

In your experience bullets, repeat those same keywords naturally, with context and a metric. Naming Kubernetes is not enough —say what you did with Kubernetes and what result you got.

Migrated 12 microservices to Kubernetes on AWS and cut deployment time from 40 to 8 minutes.
Optimized Core Web Vitals on a Next.js app and brought mobile LCP under 2.5 s.
Built Apache Airflow pipelines that processed 5M records daily with dbt.
Avoid keyword stuffing, white text, or context-free lists: modern ATSs penalize this and a human recruiter spots it instantly.

Derive your keywords from the job description

The best source of keywords is not a generic list —it is the posting in front of you. Read the description and underline every technology, methodology, and responsibility named. Those terms, exactly as written, are your priority keywords.

Translate your job title to the international standard so the ATS and the recruiter can place you. Ingeniero de Sistemas usually maps to Software Engineer; Desarrollador Full Stack to Full Stack Developer; Lider Tecnico to Tech Lead. Use the title from the posting when it matches your actual role.

Repeat this cross-check for every application. Two backend roles can ask for different stacks; tuning your keywords to each one is what makes the difference on the bridge to remote.

Certifications that carry weight in remote hiring

For remote roles in the US and Europe, certain certifications act as high-value keywords and as a signal of international standard. Include them with their exact name if you hold them.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator)
CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer)