Cyber Security CV & Resume Writing Guide
March 1, 2023, 8 min read
It is now abundantly evident that cyber security experts will be of paramount importance in the year 2023. Large and small businesses have been hit by security breaches recently, and the resulting financial losses have been widely reported in the media. IT security experts are in high demand, which is expected to continue. Here are some targeted approaches to writing your CV, examples, and recommendations tailored to this expanding sector. Let’s get you noticed by recruiters, stand out from the competition, and get hired today!
1. Make a template for your resume
Having a CV that is easy to read is crucial. Administrators in charge of hiring want to be able to swiftly and easily access the data they want. It’s not hard to discover both free and premium resume templates online that cater to the needs of a cybersecurity expert or analyst. It is possible to find practical resume design examples on the Google Docs online word processor.
Methods for deciding on a Google Docs Resume Layout
To access the templates, you will need to create a Google Documents account, which is free of charge. When logging into Google Documents, select “Template gallery” from the menu in the upper right corner. Then, below, you’ll see a list of choices. Here are some suggestions for whittling it down:
Assure that it is pleasant to the eye. Avoid chaotic designs, lots of clutter, and jarring color contrasts. Maintain a professional, uncluttered style for your CV.
Evaluate your options to choose the best resume format for you. Generally speaking, resumes can be found in one of three formats:
The chronological resume highlights your professional experience in reverse chronological order to highlight your upward mobility. That’s the standard format. It’s ideal for job seekers who wish to highlight their previous work experience.
A functional CV for cybersecurity positions places more emphasis on your abilities than your employment history. Someone with no prior knowledge will benefit most from this format. It’s also a smart pick for anyone trying to make a career change and highlight generalizable abilities.
On a combined resume, you highlight your experience, education, and skills. You can use this format to highlight your skills and expertise in one place. Although combination resumes provide more leeway than the other two, you should avoid becoming too wordy or repetitive. Minimize it to two pages at most.
2. Make a header
Create a header with your full name and contact information using a large, legible font and plenty of white space at the top of the page. You can give your complete address or only your city and state, depending on your preference. Don’t forget to include your contact information (telephone and email) below. Provide a link to your professional website or networking page so potential employers can learn more about your background and skills.
3. Create a resume summary or aim
Create a resume summary or objective that sells you to the hiring manager as the ideal candidate. An objective or summary statement for a resume is a brief (one to two sentences) statement that highlights your most relevant abilities, professional ambitions, and work experience. Candidates with little to no employment experience in cybersecurity should include a resume goal. It’s a chance to explain how this position fits your long-term plans and why you’re interested.
4. Complete the outline of your CV for a cyber security position
Your contact information should always be listed first on a resume. Your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, and email, should be prominently displayed. It is also appropriate to provide links to profiles highlighting your cybersecurity experience. For instance, your LinkedIn and GitHub sites would be great additions to a resume highlighting your expertise in cybersecurity.
A GitHub link can provide hiring managers with more information about the projects you have engaged in and your roles.
5. Include a brief explanation of your qualifications on the CV
In the summary section of your cybersecurity resume, you should briefly identify yourself and your qualifications. Summarizing one’s entire identity in a few words is no easy task. Don’t worry; they can find out more about you in the rest of your resume. Don’t complicate things; concentrate on your professional goals and ignore past mistakes. Get across to your potential employer why you’d be an asset to the team. An example of a summary section for a resume in cybersecurity follows.
“Analyst with over three years of expertise in security engineering and incident management, specializing in the finer points of cybersecurity. I have experience creating secure software and would like to learn more about cryptography.”
6. Demonstrate your proficiency in the field of cybersecurity
Your resume format determines whether your talents section comes first (or if both teams are presented simultaneously). After this part, you will better understand the skills employers are looking for in candidates with varying levels of expertise in the cybersecurity field. Whether you’re writing a resume or a cv, it’s essential to highlight technical abilities and soft workplace skills.
7. Remember to list your relevant work history
Experience in cybersecurity should be listed first if your resume follows a traditional chronological pattern. Always begin your job history with your most recent position and proceed backward if you want to make a good impression. You should list the company name and location, the dates you worked there, and when you left. You could put the address of the company’s main office even if you worked from home. Please detail your accomplishments and contributions to each position’s assigned tasks.
8. Provide your licenses and clearances that prove your qualifications for the job
Include a section on your CV detailing your credentials and security clearances. Please include details about your highest and longest-held security clearances. If you have any certifications, list the full name of the certification, the organization or state that issued the certification, and the date you got the certification. Certifications and clearances are great alternatives to an excellent academic record for showing potential employers that you have the skills they are seeking.
9. Specify your academic background
The dates of your academic accomplishments should also be listed backward. Don’t forget to tip your degree or major, the year you graduated, and the name and location of the institution you attended. Do not forget to include any relevant schoolwork or extracurricular activity.
The most important points
To impress potential employers with your application, use a resume template to make your document consistent and straightforward.
- Consider using a legible font size of 10 to 12 points.
- To highlight your professional experience, use a chronological format.
- If you would rather highlight your abilities than your job experience, consider using a functional resume approach.
- Examine job postings for positions you’re interested in and see how closely your qualifications match up.
Your resume should be no longer than two pages.
- Don’t forget to list your qualifications, prior experience, education, certificates, clearances, and contact information on your resume.
10. Include Credentials and Permits
Seek out and prominently display any additional credentials, certificates, and safety clearances in their sections on your resume to set yourself apart from the competition. Approvals like Personnel Security Clearance or Facilities Security Clearance are typically necessary for higher-level and government cybersecurity roles.
Due to the dynamic nature of cybersecurity, prospective employers value candidates who demonstrate a hunger for knowledge and a commitment to lifelong learning. Some employers place a higher value on specific certificates than on a degree. Therefore it’s essential to highlight all of them here.
11. Check any typos in your resume
Verify your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all proper in your resume by reading it over after you’ve finished writing it. Focus on detail just as you would in your cybersecurity work on your CV. Also, have a trusted acquaintance or former coworker have a look at it.
Top cybersecurity resume samples/examples
A cyber security analyst’s job is to foresee and prevent cyber attacks before they cause damage to the IT system. They safeguard corporate networks, sensitive data, and hardware to counteract cyber threats. As a result, they will test for vulnerabilities and set up antivirus software on various tools. Large companies often list data breaches as a top issue. Therefore, highlighting your ability to prevent such violations in your resume is essential.
Looking for an entry-level position in cyber security but have no relevant work history? To help you get more interviews and launch your career as a cybersecurity specialist, we’ve provided a downloadable example.
Include your work experience first on your resume. That’s crucial data if you’re a seasoned expert in cybersecurity. To stand out, you should emphasize any relevant certifications you may have. You are recruiting recruiters to appreciate hiring cybersecurity engineers when candidates have earned and maintained pertinent certifications in appropriate fields.
Give your resume more substance by explaining how you’ve made a difference at each of your prior employers. Be as specific as you can by providing numbers for the number of penetration test runs, the network size, the amount of time it takes to recover a system, and so on.
The cybersecurity skills you seek are present in the résumé of this prospective SOC analyst. Details on their efforts in intrusion detection, vulnerability assessment, and network monitoring are provided. Provide definitions for each of these concepts in your SOC resume.
Modifying the resume’s format is a top priority. After the part about the candidate’s abilities is the job experience section. This must never occur. Start with your employment history and go on to your schooling, certifications, and talents.
This CV was written by an aspiring information security analyst focused on the cybersecurity skills necessary for an entry-level position. References to network systems, penetration tests, and security evaluations show that you have a firm grasp of the duties associated with this position.
The candidate’s ability to develop new policies and procedures for the organization is another evidence of their expertise in the sector. Hiring managers will see that you can go from finding a security hole to filling it in with a plan of action if you can do this.
Download this free sample resume for an Information Security Officer to boost your work prospects and get more resume-writing suggestions. Use this free resume builder to make your version of this resume or a similar one.
In less than 5 seconds, you should be able to capture the recruiter’s attention with this portion. When doing this, how do you go about it? First, you should review the posting to understand the employer’s preferences and expectations. Then, in your resume’s summary, utilize the exact keywords (as long as you genuinely have those skills). What technologies have you used to detect and prevent threats? How have you dealt with security breaches? How long have you worked in the field of cybersecurity?
Your playthings can be routers, gadgets, and networks. But how can the recruiting staff trust you before seeing you in action? Use this impressive sample resume for a network engineer to win them over.
You’ve done the legwork for ground-breaking data analysis. Create a data engineer CV that shows you have the cutting-edge knowledge to offer your prospective employer the upper hand.
Need to find work in the field of data science? Be hired for your dream data scientist job with the help of our detailed guide.
Conclusion
Use these cyber security resume samples and writing advice as a starting point as you search for your next position in 2023. In just a few minutes, you can use this Cyber Security resume sample as a starting point for your impressive CV. Enter your information below to get started creating your new resume.
Featured image source: Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-white-long-sleeve-shirt-holding-a-clipboard-with-resume-5989933/
