BUILDING A RESUME FOR CYBERSECURITY

Creating your resume may seem like a daunting and confusing task, especially when it comes to deciding on what to include. The main goal of your resume is to describe your experience, education, and interests in a way that is relevant to the position for which you are applying. To create one that is polished, professional, and relevant be sure to focus on what employers most want to know. 

Contact Information:  Feature this prominently so employers can easily reach you, including:

• Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• LinkedIn Handle
• Github User Name

Objective: The objective states what you are seeking, serves as a headline for your resume and summarizes what you have to offer.

Applicable experience. For cyber hiring managers, experience is more valued than education, so this portion of your resume should go first and include internship, research, tutoring, or jobs that have allowed you to gain knowledge, skills, and insights relevant to the position you are interested in.

Employment information should be in reverse chronological order and include:

• The organization’s name and location
• Position held
• Dates of employment (month and year)
• Bulleted descriptions of your accomplishments. Begin each one with a verb and concentrate on areas related to the position you are seeking.

Tailor the descriptions of your experiences and duties so they highlight your results. Do not only describe what you did, describe the value of your work to the company, e.g., provided level one SOC support, or created technical documentation. Always note if you spearheaded a project or were asked to take on additional work beyond your regular role.

Employers hiring in cyber security will scan your resume for examples of how you have applied security concepts. Have you done risk assessment for a company or developed a new software? List any relevant projects.  Be sure to highlight leadership or creative experiences and any special projects you worked on or aided.

You do not have to list every position you have held. If you choose to include a job that is less relevant to the position for which you are applying, keep the description to one line. Use this opportunity to showcase the value of working while going to school (“worked as a server for 10 hours a week and enrolled in 18 credit hours”).

Pertinent skills. Technology, technical writing, and professional skills are the top three skills considered desirable by employers in the cybersecurity field. Include skills you have used inside the classroom, as part of a project for a student organization, for prior employment, or in independent research. If the job requires a specific technological skill set that you have, be sure to include those skills and types of knowledge on your resume. Do not forget to include professional skills like technical writing, teamwork, communications, and your adaptability to change. Only list skills that you have and can speak to knowledgeably in an interview.

Most employers today assume applicants for cybersecurity roles know how to use Microsoft software; list “Microsoft Office Suite” instead of individual components, then use the extra space to highlight what makes you stand out.

Education.  List details about your education in reverse chronological order, with the most recent or current item first.  Be sure to include:

• University and Location
• Degree(s)
• Major(s) and Minor(s)
• Expected graduation month and year
• GPA (cumulative GPA is recommended, or you can include your major GPA which is listed on your degree audit)

Interests, activities, and leadership experiences. In cybersecurity this is an important section where you can share things that indicate passion and interest in related fields.  Recruiters are interested in well-rounded students who have assumed leadership roles and participated in other activities during their time as a student. Showcase your accomplishments, gained skills, and knowledge. When choosing what to include on your resume; a general rule of thumb is to list only those that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying. List a bullet point or two under each activity to show the value of your experiences and the impact you had on the organization.  Not every activity has to be structured. Consider activities you enjoy that demonstrate security skills such as jigsaw puzzles, board games, escape rooms, ham radios, technology interests of any kind, music, history, etc.

Honors and awards. If there is room, use extra space to highlight pertinent honors and awards, like a prestigious scholarship or a “best poster” award.

Relevant Coursework/projects. List ones that highlight differences between Trust (law policy, ethics, psychology, international studies, security, etc.) and Cyber (data analytics, networking, database administration, etc.).