How to Write a Strong Cyber Security Resume for 2023

Introduction

Cyberattacks are taking place increasingly. Therefore, businesses, either big or small, require skillful cybersecurity professionals to secure their confidential data. These professionals have become integral to organizations since they’re highly focused on cyber threats and system-wide incursions to deal with vulnerabilities. Are you also planning to apply for a cyber security job? The first thing that recruiters will need is your cyber security resume to decide whether you’re the right fit for the job. 

Therefore when creating a resume, make sure that it precisely reflects your technical skills and work experience. This blog post will guide you on writing a cybersecurity resume and how to include skills, experience, certifications, cybersecurity courses, etc., which will help you stand out from the crowd. Let’s start!

How important is a Cyber security resume?

Employers hiring candidates in the cybersecurity industry are going to check out your different profiles on LinkedIn, or Social media platforms, including GitHub. But to come to a stage where recruiters screen candidates' profiles, you must send your resume, which will grab their attention and station “YOU” as a perfect fit for the respective job role. 

A strong resume is essential when applying for a cybersecurity job role because it’ll help showcase your skills, certifications, work experience, and much more. When working as a cybersecurity professional, businesses will often share confidential data with you, which they hope will be kept securely away from anyone who doesn’t have legitimate access to it. Thus, your resume is the best opportunity to develop trust with your prospective employer, which is one of the most important parts of the entire process for them.

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How to Craft A Winning Cyber security Resume?

Recruiters first scan every resume and select those they wish to revisit. It's just a quick glance of 6 seconds the first time around!

And if suppose, your resume doesn’t make it past in the first skimming, your chances of getting selected by the respective company come to an abrupt end. 

Always choose a reverse chronological format for your resume because this format orchestrates your resume in order. Also, HR managers and security service staff like this format for being well acquainted. 

Here’s how to organize a cyber security skills resume 

As you know, the demand for employees with strong cybersecurity expertise is rising, and employers are seeking employees with the most in-demand training and expertise to secure their networks and information from the constantly evolving world of cybersecurity threats. So, list your cyber security skills

• Start from the top with a compelling cyber security resume objective statement.
• List any past work experience, including appropriate cyber security roles and achievements.
• Create an education section for relevant cybersecurity coursework.
• List your cryptography skills to persuade them.
• List any cyber certifications, security investigations, and other categories to be easily noticeable.  

Always choose the best font to keep your resume legible. Efficiently use white space and headings to guide recruiters' through the different resume fields.

Haven’t you worked in cyber security before?

As your education field is more relevant, list it above your work experience section.

Despite this, they'll not consider you if you can’t intrigue HR from the beginning. Then, how to enchant them? 

By writing a 

Super-clear Resume Objective or Summary:

Write an impressive and engaging resume summary or objective. You can write a resume summary if you’ve worked in cyber security before. Here’s a short paragraph that will give you the best skills and most pertinent experience to win over your employers.

Here’re examples of cyber security skills resume summaries:

Entry level Cyber security resume examples: Resume Objective

Below is the professional summary for cyber security analyst resume:

RIGHT

A university graduate in IT with a background in cyber security and generous classroom hours spent on automation, cyber forensics, etc., wants to make a big career in the network security field.

WRONG

I Just graduated from university, and I don’t have much experience in cyber security, but being a fast learner, I think I will be an excellent fit for this role. 

The right professional summary for a cyber security analyst resume objective indicates that even though you’re a fresh graduate of the university, you’ve got the ability to cope with threats. It will be beneficial if you use their name to catch their attention and get interview consent in no time! 

Important Tip - The resume objective or summary is always added at the top of every cybersecurity resume. But having said that, it doesn’t mean you must write it first! Rather you can save it for later.

  Let’s try to understand how to articulate crucial elements of information that need to be listed on your resume.

Include Name & Contact Information

As we’ve discussed earlier, businesses highly care about candidates' identity when hiring for a security job role, specifically if they’re working in sectors with sensitive data such as defense or government-related information. Because of this, you must add the same name on your resume that you will use in different IDs.   

In relation to adding contact information, there’s no need to add a physical address unless mentioned explicitly. But do add your phone number and email address, as most employers use one of those methods. 

Another crucial addition under this section is the LinkedIn profile. Recruiters check your LinkedIn to verify the information added to your resume and also to authenticate your professional profile as a whole. So, add your LinkedIn profile link to your resume's contact section. 

Include Your Education

Start by adding the authorized colleges and universities you’ve attended together with information about your duration there. To amplify that basic data, add information about the coursework you’ve completed, which is related to the cybersecurity environment. Any courses you’ve taken in fields such as cybersecurity - Master, CISSP Professional, and CEH-Master, etc. will be beneficial.

Listing those courses shows the recruiters that you’ve at least academic knowledge of a few topics.

Here are entry level Cyber security resume examples of writing educational details:

[If you’ve completed your degree]

• Bachelor of Science in Cyber Forensics & Security
• Marshall University. Huntington, WV
• Relevant Coursework: Database Security, Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Analysis, National Security, Malware Analysis, Network Intrusion Detection, etc.

[If you’re still working on your degree]

You can add an unfinished degree as follows-

Majoring in Cybersecurity

Marshall University. Huntington, WV

Expected Graduation: 2022

Relevant Coursework: Cyberattacks and Defenses, Cryptography, Risk Management, Web Architecture, Access Control, Intrusion Detection Technology, Security Defense Countermeasures.

If you’re applying for a lower-level job like - a cybersecurity intern or junior cyber security analyst, list the high school as - 

Catholic High School, Flushing, NY

Graduated: 2022

List Your Cyber Security Skills

Under this section, list all your skills in bullet points. Still, you can better structure it for more ease of reading by categorizing it as follows

• Cybersecurity techniques - Under this section, list out all the techniques you’re familiar with, such as penetration testing, reverse engineering, encryption, incident response, etc. 
• Cybersecurity domains - If you’ve done any specialization in specific fields such as data center security, cloud forensics or operational resiliency, etc. then list them under this section.
• Cybersecurity tools - for some cyber security job roles, you might need to have knowledge of using specific tools such as Netsparker, Syxsense, Acunetix, etc. List those tools under this header. On the other hand, few companies prefer to use particular tools to execute their security operations. Thus if you know them, it can help showcase you as a strong fit in those associations.

Also, list some relevant soft skills under this section of your cybersecurity resume, but avoid going too ardently with it, or else you’ll turn out to be arrogant. Skills such as critical thinking, accountability, collaborative nature, etc., are worth mentioning.

Here’s a sample example of adding skills to your resume -

But just by adding all these skills in tabular form to your cyber security resume isn’t a great idea- instead you can take help of job ad to help you decide which skills are beneficial to them

Here’s a cyber security resume example about job description:

• Perform and manage technical analysis and penetration testing of internally-developed applications, systems, and devices. [1]
• Help in developing and assessing the security measures for different IT solutions. [2]
• Maintain current knowledge of security vulnerabilities, threats, and industry-standard methodologies. 
• To maintain technical proficiency, participate in appropriate and relevant conferences and courses.

Based on the above job description, you can list your skills as follows:

RIGHT

• Efficient in technical competency and penetration testing [1].
• Skilled in the development of security measures [2]
• Keen to improve security skills and personal growth [3]

WRONG 

• Encrypting Data.
• Detecting Malware.
• Deleting Viruses.

Considering the “RIGHT” example, you’ll find all the required skills written correctly, i.e., tailored in the way recruiters are looking for.

Add Relevant Certifications

Cybersecurity certifications are rarely done at the undergraduate or graduate level. But still, you can get a job in this sector by getting yourself certified. The more in-demand certifications deserve more weightage.

Cybersecurity certifications training courses help achieve two major goals- first, they provide an organized path to learning a particular cybersecurity domain. For instance, a most in-demand cybersecurity certification, i.e., Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), will teach you - the basics of ethical hacking, the effects of hacking on business, why ethical hacking is important, key terminologies in ethical hacking, and much more. 

Thus when the employer comes to know that you’ve got a CEH-Master certification, it’ll improve your chances of getting hired. When listing your certifications, keep a few things in mind - 

• To list the name of the certification,
• The name of certifying authority, 
• and The Dates between which you completed the certification; 
• also, include your grades or distinctions (if any) together with the above information.

Below is the Cyber security resume example about how to list certifications  

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• CompTIA Security+
• CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
• CompTIA Penetration Tester (PenTest+)
• SANS GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
• Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

You can gain expertise in CISSP by enrolling in CISSP training course by janBask training.

Describe Your Job Experience:

It's beneficial if you already have any experience in the cybersecurity sector! It indicates your interest in this field and your ability to deliver projects. Always add your work experience in reverse chronological order, including the organization's name, job title, work tenure, and most valuable contribution to the organization.

When explaining what you did at every job, don’t forget to mention your achievements. Try to relate your work to what the organization has accomplished through it. Hence rather than mentioning - developed a DNS zone auditing system - say that - developed a DNS zone auditing system, which helped reduce DNS attacks by 25%. This is an excellent way to show employers that you know how to tie your skills with the organization’s security goals.

Here are cybersecurity job description samples:

RIGHT 

Cyber Security Analyst

January 2016–December 2019

[Cybersecurity Company Name], New York, NY

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Kept track of the organization’s network security breaches and explored violations.
• Developed reports documenting security breaches and the extent of damage caused.
• Performed penetration testing and identified vulnerabilities in systems 

Key Achievement

Detected over 50 new viruses and malware in under 3 years.

WRONG

• Cyber Security Analyst
• January 2016–December 2019
• [Cybersecurity Company Name], New York, NY

Key Responsibilities

• Monitored systems.
• Virus removal.
• Cleaned malware.

If you’ve closely seen the “RIGHT” and “WRONG” job descriptions, you’ll find that something crucial is missing in the “WRONG” one- 

Well-chosen cybersecurity duties and relatable achievements! 

But if you’ve got no experience whatsoever? Don’t worry!  Make your educational section strong! And as a beginner, are you wondering about cybersecurity? What is it? We’ve covered each section in detail in our blog - Cyber security, what it is?

So, how to write a great cyber security resume for freshers and get access to an interview?

Here’s how to list education on your cyber security resume for freshers:

BS in Cyber Forensics and Information Security

Marshall University. Huntington, WV

Relevant Coursework: Network Forensics, Database Security, Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Analysis, Malware Analysis, Network Intrusion Detection.

Mention Projects Done:

Personal projects are rare in the cyber world; however, if you have any projects, add them along with all the information about your development and its purpose.

Also include other things on your resume, such as encryption tools, network traffic auditing tools, etc. You can also mention any security features for any application you’ve built. If you’ve contributed to any open-source projects, don’t forget to mention them. 

You can better understand cyber security project intricacies and enhance your portfolio by reading our article on the top 10 cyber security projects for beginners.

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Mention Your Accomplishments:

An award is proof of an exceptional level of skill in the cybersecurity sector, so, indeed, you should mention it on your resume. Also, if you’ve won any cybersecurity challenges and gained recognition, it's worth mentioning. When listing an award or winning any competition, don’t forget to mention the details of the respective project. Mention the skills you used, issues you resolved, and the final result you’ve accomplished, which helped you win. 

Tips for writing a Cyber security analyst resume that helps you stand out: 

• Be cardinal with formatting:

With many resumes in the inbox or on the table, subsequent employers spend only a few minutes scanning your resume. Therefore make your resume “Scannable” by adding bold headings for each section and making them slightly bigger. You can include subheadings like company name, dates, etc., in italics, and there’s another way around - make the main points bold, which will not only make the resume easier to read but also makes those words and phrases easier to stand out. Helping your potential employers easily communicate that you’ve got the required skills and job experience. 

• Highlighting Job Experience

Your work experience proves how worthy you’re at your work, so give proper attention to this section. Also, as discussed above, list it according to reverse chronological order. Emphasize major job responsibilities and how you used your skills to resolve the problem. You can also write about the benefits of this work experience at the end - i.e., what particular skills did you learn? How can this work experience make you a better candidate for the respective role? How can this experience help the respective organization in achieving its desired goals? 

• Skills and Education: What You Need To Know

Outdo the standard way of writing skills like - “expert in Microsoft” or “good communication skills.” Yes, mentioning them is essential but be specific - like - mentioning the programming languages you know or what malware or antivirus software you are familiar with. Just bullet-point them.

Remember that the education section is a great way to showcase the cybersecurity courses you’ve done and the degrees you’ve earned. Don’t forget to list any certifications. 

What Mistakes To Avoid

• Irrelevant Information

Job seekers are most likely to make a few common mistakes, such as stuffing resumes with irrelevant information about the job they’re applying for. It could affect your cause. Hence showcase only the relevant experience that you’ve in the cybersecurity sector.

• Avoid Using Excessive Passive Voice

Use active voice when writing your cybersecurity resume as much as possible. Because the passive sentence is wordy and unclear, so, it’s important for job seekers to convey their skills simply. But you can use passive voice moderately if needed. 

Where to Find Cyber Security Resume Template?

You can find many cyber security resume templates on the web if you want to impersonate a few of their best practices. But make sure that you use them only for inspiration purposes and not as your resume. Always write your resume on your own and assure that it reflects your skills accurately, including the needs of the job you’re applying to.

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Conclusion:

Now that you know how to write a cyber security resume that lands you a dream job, let’s summarize all the points

• Always use the reverse-chronological format to make it easy for the employer to read and follow.
• Begin with a resume summary or objective.
• Always include your job experience with appropriate duties and achievements.
• Add an education section that covers any cybersecurity coursework you’ve done.
• List IT and security skills using job ads.
• Improve your chances by adding different sections, such as certifications.
• Attach a cybersecurity cover letter before sending your resume.

Now THAT’S how a cybersecurity resume should be that can’t be ignored. Do you have any questions about writing a cybersecurity resume?  Doubts about how to write about network security skills or achievements? Or how to learn cyber security skills,  enroll in cybersecurity courses by JanBask Training, or reach out to us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!

FAQs

1. Should  I customize my Cybersecurity resume for every job?

Ans:- Yes, you must customize your cybersecurity resume for every job. You can list only the job experience and academic details you’ve got that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

2. How long should a Cyber security professional resume be?

Ans:- A cybersecurity resume must be two pages at most. As far as possible, keep it down to one page so employers can instantly pick up all the key information.

3. What skills should I put on my Cybersecurity analyst resume?

Ans:- You can put the three main categories of skills on your cybersecurity resume. They are

• Cybersecurity techniques: Penetration Testing, Reverse Engineering, Encryption, etc.
• Cybersecurity domains: Data Center Security, Cloud Forensics, Operational Resilience, etc.
• Cybersecurity tools: Netsparker, Acunetix, etc.

4. What are the roles and responsibilities of a Cybersecurity professional?

Ans:- A typical cybersecurity job description is as follows

• Monitor the cloud environment and identify malevolent activities
• Set up user access controls systems and manage user access to ensure security
• Carry out regular security audits for diagnosing security Vulnerabilities
• Configure patch management protocols for improving software
• Configure vulnerability management system all over the cloud environment
• Develop and follow disaster management protocols during the time of problems & ensure complete data recovery

5. What is the average salary of a Cyber security professional?

Ans:-

• As stated by Payscale.com, the avg. salary of a cyber security professional is $76,575 per year.
• According to Glassdoor.com, the avg. base pay of a cyber security professional is around $1,00,706 in the U.S.

6. What sections to use in an entry level Cyber security resume?

Ans:- Each resume contains different sections to showcase various aspects of the candidate’s educational and professional experience, along with other important details. 

Listed below are the standard sections of a cybersecurity resume that you’re required to frame every time:

• Header
• Personal Information
• Profile Title
• Summary/Objective
• Key Skills
• Professional Experience
• Education 

Below is a list of all optional sections which can be framed only when required or to improve your cyber security resume for beginners:

• Certifications (if any)
• Additional Information (if any)
• Awards & Recognitions (if any)

7. What additional information do you need to include in your Cyber security resume?

Ans:- You can include additional information related to all various details like languages you speak, hobbies you keep, or any other relevant information to your field of work.

Below is a list of additional information you can add to your resume:

• Hobbies & Interests
• Projects
• Volunteer Experience
• Publications & Research
• Language

8. How do you write a Cyber security resume for freshers?

Ans:- You can create a Cyber security resume with no experience. Just follow the below steps:

• Understand the job description
• Decide upon a professional and readable resume design
• Write the resume header including all relevant information
• Include a resume objective on top
• List your education information
• List any projects or community activities you’ve done in your education section
• List your relevant skills
• Create some other sections like language, hobbies & interests

9. How to write a perfect Cyber security skills resume header?

Ans:- The header of your Cyber security resume can help you stand out from the others and help recruiters keep track of your resume. Follow the below steps to frame the perfect cybersecurity resume header: 

•  Resume header should be written at the top of your resume.
• Avoid writing "CV" or "Resume" as your resume heading
• The header should be written in big font size.
• The font size should be between 16-20.
• Always use a single space between the first and last name.
• When writing your middle name, you can only mention the initial of it, followed by a period that should be written between your first and last name.
• Example: María Guerrero Pérez should be written as Mindy B. Iglesias.

10. Give details of the personal information section.

Ans:- An ideal personal information section must contain details regarding your:

• Contact Number
• Email Address
• Current Location, and
• Designation