According to the Cybersecurity Jobs Report, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 65% to support global demand. Despite numerous vacancies, entry-level cybersecurity applicants struggle to land jobs. Since employers can’t find cybersecurity professionals to fill these roles anyway, shouldn’t it be a walk in the part to get a cybersecurity role?
On average, only 10% of job applications result in interview invites. Why is this so? It all boils down to your resume. And this right here, is where a lot of entry-level cybersecurity applicants get it wrong. In my experience, I find that two things hold true:
- Employers want to hire
- Entry-level applicants aren’t selling themselves well enough.
Creating a resume is the first step to putting yourself out there to let the world know what you can offer. Without much of a job history, your resume MUST tell your story to your potential employer well enough to gain a first impression. The average employer will spend six seconds looking at a resume. It is vital for cybersecurity job seekers to have an understanding of how to put their best foot forward, and that includes having a resume that is simple, yet compelling.
RESUME SECTIONS
Your resume structure is very important. A good structure consists of various sections that communicate the different aspects of your educational and professional experience. A standard resume should have the following sections:
1. Personal Details
It may sound cliche but the ‘Personal Details” section of your CV is your first opportunity to introduce yourself to a potential employer. Get the basics wrong at this stage and you might as well wave goodbye to the chances of getting an interview.
Entry-level applicants are guilty of including irrelevant information such as Nationality, Date of birth, Place of birth, Gender, Marital status, Number of children, Photograph, Current salary, Religion & Health status. Such information can destroy your chances of getting an interview if you get it wrong. So, take it all out.
I promise you, your potential employer is interested in two things: Name & Contact Details (Email or Phone & Home address).
2. Profile Title (Headline)
Your profile title is a brief phrase that summarizes your expertise. Profile titles such as “Aspiring Information Security Professional” aren’t compelling at all and would probably put your potential employer off. Use short, concise, and industry-standard titles. Common entry-level cybersecurity titles include:
- Security Administrator
- Security Analyst
- Security Specialist
- SOC Analyst
- IT Security Officer
3. Profile Objective (Summary)
This section isn’t always necessary. However, if you choose to include it, you have just one job; to sell your candidacy.
Write down a brief summary of your skills, experiences, and goals as they relate to a specific job opening you’re applying for. The intention is to show the hiring manager quickly and convincingly that you are the best person for the job.
4. Key Skills
The key skills section is the heart of your resume. Your skills section highlights your abilities related to the job you’re applying for. It’s important to include both “hard skills” – specific, quantifiable attributions such as programming languages, operating systems and security tools – and “soft skills” like time management, customer and personnel management etc. To get this right, analyze the job listing, paying particular attention to the keywords used to describe the job requirements. Identify the hard and soft skills and feature them prominently on your resume.
Putting this section at the top of the page shows the hiring team what you can do without making them go through a page of work experience, educational background, and other qualifications. If written well, this section of your resume emphasizes your ability to do the job and persuades your potential employer to learn more about you.
5. Professional Experience
Your professional experience is a detailed summary of your employment history. It’s a report of all jobs you’ve held in the past. Depending on your background, you can include full-time positions, part-time jobs, temporary roles, internships or even volunteer work.
I can confirm that this is the most difficult part of your resume to write. Begin with your current or most recent job and continue with the previous ones. The description of each job position should include the following information: Name of the company, location, job title, dates, responsibilities and accomplishments, promotions, and awards. Here, it’s important to tailor your experience to the specific opening. Your accomplishments should match the employer’s needs and priorities. This is one of the quickest ways to get noticed and invited for an interview. Do your research and re-arrange your bullet points to reflect the type of experience they want.
It’s not uncommon to find entry-level cybersecurity applicants having a hard time in this section. As a student or fresh graduate, place your work experience after the education section. You definitely didn’t just spend years doing nothing. Sure, your work didn’t take place in a formal workplace but studying counts for something too. Think of any job-relevant experience that you could put on your resume. Have you done some volunteer work for a local charity? Attended a conference? Worked as an intern? Add it to your resume. Treat your internships and extracurricular activities as regular jobs.
6. Education
The essential information to include in the education section is your degree(s) and the schools attended. Additionally, feel free to create a subsection for your certifications, licenses and any special awards and honors earned.
These six subsections will convince your employer that you’re a serious candidate. Job hunting is no easy feat but not too worry, you’ve got what it takes. Remember, it’s not only about you. It’s also about your future employer.
Before you pen down a CV draft, go over your dream career job descriptions and determine what the employer’s priorities are.
If you’d like more insight on revamping your CV, just ASKHACKTALES.
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