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If you think you know how to write a resume, think again.

The typical way of writing resumes is in the past. In today's world, job seekers have to focus on writing a resume that caters to the cyber world that most employers depend on. According to an article by The Seattle Times, the algorithm for resumes has changed significantly.

Before the beginning of the economic recession, it was common for job seekers to write resumes for actual people, when in fact, humans don't usually read resumes anymore. Instead, resumes are handled by online software systems programmed to look for specific keywords.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing resumes:
Don't focus on length - It used to be that resumes should be short, about one page, maybe two. However, software often processes how many pages are in your resume and associated fewer pages with less experience.

Don't focus on a career objective - In the past, it was common form to start your resume with a statement about what the applicant wants in a career and a list of past experience and job skills. Today, resumes should list technical skills first, because that's what software will look for.

Get certification whenever possible - While having a college degree is still essential, it most likely won't make your resume stand out. However, job training or certification in certain skills that are applicable to your career might be picked up on by certain software.

Present a professional online profile - Your resume should include links to online sources where employers can find out more information about you. Most software automatically looks up your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

"After LinkedIn, the next place the resume software will look will be Zillow to look up your address find out the value of your home," the article notes. "There's a lot that can be learned from this. Are you carrying a very high mortgage? Will you want to relocate to their office in Boston if you just bought a new house? Do they want to hire someone from Marysville if the candidate has to commute to Redmond every day? They'll use a lot of this information to second-guess your application."

Labels: How to Write a Resume