How to Build a Cybersecurity Resume that Gets You Hired
Cybersec Café #58 - 03/11/25
In today’s difficult job market, companies are on the hunt for skilled security professionals to secure their infrastructure, safeguard their data, and protect their organization against threats.
If you’re anything like me, that sounds like an ideal day - a mix of technology, security, and just the right amount of challenge.
But before you land that dream role, you need a resume that actually gets you interviews.
The goal? Maximize your interview rate for every job you apply to.
Let’s break down exactly how to make that happen.
Success Criteria
A great resume gets your foot in the door.
Its job is to prove to recruiters that you have the skills, experience, and mindset to succeed in the role.
Whether you’re applying for a Security Analyst, Engineer, Architect, Manager, or any other cybersecurity role, your resume should highlight a few key areas:
Domain Expertise: Show your understanding of security principles, frameworks, and methodology in practice.
Technical Skills: Demonstrate your hands-on experience with relevant tools and technologies.
Teamwork/Leadership Abilities: Highlight your ability to collaborate, mentor, and take charge.
Problem Solving/Critical Thinking: Showcase your ability to analyze threats and respond effectively.
Ability to Handle Projects: Illustrate your ability to own and deliver on action items.
Initiative: Show you’re a self-starter who improves security beyond the job description.
A well-written resume is also the first proof that you have clear communication skills.
Here’s how to structure your resume to highlight your strengths.
The Blueprint
I. Your Information
Think of the top of your resume as your formal introduction.
It should include:
Your Name
Contact Information (Phone number and professional email)
Location (Keep it General - e.g. Bay Area, CA)
Relevant Links
Remember, we’re also applying for tech jobs. So this is a good place to paste your GitHub, personal website, and LinkedIn.
This section should be clean and to the point - no extra fluff.
II. Professional Summary (Optional)
You’ll find plenty of advice online saying you must include a Professional Summary—a short 2-3 sentence overview of your experience and skills.
Personally? I don’t think it’s necessary.
Your resume should do the talking. If written well, it will do everything a Professional Summary does and more.
However, if you do include one, make sure it’s punchy and impactful.
Start strong and immediately showcase your value, then include a brief mention of your key skills and domain knowledge.
An example:
"Cybersecurity professional with 5+ years of experience in threat detection, incident response, and cloud security. Proven ability to build and optimize security operations while driving proactive risk mitigation strategies. Passionate about securing infrastructure and defending against evolving threats."
That said, if your resume is already concise and well-structured, you can skip this section entirely.
III. Education
Your education certainly belongs on your resume, but where you place it depends on how relevant it is to the job.
If your degree is highly relevant (e.g., a Bachelor's in Computer Science or Cybersecurity), put it at the top.
If your degree is unrelated or your experience is stronger, move it to the bottom so your work takes priority.
If you attended a prestigious university, even with an unrelated degree, keeping it near the top can still be beneficial.
You’ll have to make the call here based on where you think it adds the most value based on your situation.
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IV. Experience
This section is the heart of your resume - your chance to showcase who you are and why you’re the right fit for the job.
A strong experience section highlights what you did (solution), why you did it (Problem), and the impact it had (Results).
The best way to demonstrate your impact is with one of the following formulas:
Problem Statement + Solution + Impact
Solution + Problem Solved + Impact
Each bullet should demonstrate your value in a measurable way.
Let’s take a look at a couple examples and break them down:
Example 1
Created 12 scheduled queries to identify anomalous user behavior through statistical data analysis to enhance threat detection capabilities by triggering alerts on statistical outliers.
Problem: Lack of visibility over user behavior
Solution: Built 12 Scheduled Queries leveraging statistical analysis
Impact: Enhanced threat detection capabilities
Example 2
Led the development of a custom SOAR platform utilizing multiple AWS services to cut costs and reduce SOC Analyst ticket triage times by 40%.
Problem: SOC Analyst inefficiency causing high labor cost
Solution: Developed custom SOAR platform
Impact: Reduced triage times by 40% and cut costs
Pro Tip: If you use metrics in your resume, be ready to back them up in an interview - make sure you have a concise answer for how you know quantified the impact.
Here are some additional tips to consider when writing your experience bullet points:
Use past tense for completed projects and current tense for ongoing work.
Don’t use acronyms - Applicant Tracking Systems might not recognize them.
Include buzzwords from the job description into your resume - recruiters will be searching for these.
Continuously iterate and tweak your resume.
Your experience section should sell your impact - make it quantifiable, clear, and compelling.
V. Skills
Employers look for applicants that have both soft skills and technical skills, so it’s important to highlight both on your resume.
Technical skills are easier to showcase in writing, so be specific - list tools, languages, and use-cases that best display your expertise. Avoid vague terms and focus on technologies you’ve actually used in meaningful ways.
Soft skills are a lot harder to capture on your resume. Personally, I think a resume should lean into your technical abilities, but still call-out key moments you may have taken a leadership role, worked with cross-functional teams, or kept things organized.
I also recommend including a list of the systems, frameworks, and tools you’ve worked with at the bottom of your resume. While it’s unclear how much weight this carries with automated scanners, it’s a solid way to wrap things up.
VI. Clearances, Certifications, & Awards
In today's market, you need to take any advantage you can get.
Showcase any credentials, certifications, security clearances, or industry awards that can strengthen your credibility in this section.
This is especially important if you are applying to government positions, since they generally require clearances like Personnel Security Clearance or a Facility Security Clearance.
Certifications are also a great way to demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning in your career. They show that you’re actively expanding your knowledge beyond your day-to-day work.
For any readers who don’t have a formal education or are looking to pivot into the industry, this section becomes even more important.
Certifications like the CEH, CISSP, or CompTIA Security+ can help bridge the gap and prove you have the foundational knowledge needed to succeed..
VII. Projects
Is your GitHub poppin’? Are you a side project warrior?
This is your chance to show off the tools, websites, or apps you’ve been building in your free time.
For instance, my own resume includes my newsletter, some resources I’ve released through articles, and my SaaS side projects (Security Sip, SecuriBeat, and my upcoming tool - more info coming soon).
Think of this section as an opportunity to show your passion for the industry beyond your job title.
You can also include any relevant courses you’ve completed that don’t have certifications attached to them but still prove your dedication to self-improvement.
VIII. Other Involvements (Optional)
This section may be polarizing, but I think it’s a great opportunity to round yourself out as a person.
Small to midsize companies in particular want to see that the person they may be hiring brings something unique to the table, not just a set of technical skills.
Take this chance to list any accomplishments, hobbies, or passions that you are particularly proud of - these can become conversation points come interview time (see my How to Prepare for Your Cybersecurity Interview article for more information).
The Cover Letter
When it comes to cover letters, I think they’re hit-or-miss.
Some people will say you need to write one, others will say you don’t - I’m of the camp that you don’t.
The tech industry is unique in that cover letters aren’t always required.
In my own anecdotal experience, a lot of job applications don’t even have a place to upload one, or they make it optional.
That being said, there’s one situation where I’d suggest you write one: when you’re applying for your dream job.
This is the job you’ve been preparing for, the one at the company you’ve always wanted to work for, the one you don’t want to miss out on.
In that case, it might be worth taking the time to craft a strong cover letter.
Otherwise, let your resume do the talking.
Finish It Off
Once you’ve got your resume in a solid draft, here are a few extra tips to consider before you start hitting “submit” on those job applications.
Tailor Your Resume
You’ll come across some job descriptions that are one-offs. These are jobs that might target a niche you specialize in. When you come across one of these, take a bit of extra time to tailor your resume. Add in specific bullet points that highlight your expertise in that niche. This small extra effort can make a huge difference.
Proofread
This is the most important tip I can give you: Proofread your resume. I’ve seen one too many resumes with spelling and grammar mistakes. Spelling errors show lack of caring - every detail matters. You want to give companies every reason to say yes, don’t let a simple spelling mistake be the reason they say no.
Myth: Resumes Should Only Be One Page
Resumes should be as long as they need to be to demonstrate your experience. I’m not saying you should aim for two pages just for the sake of it, but as your career grows, it becomes harder to show everything you’ve done in just one page. Now, this doesn’t mean add fluff - still make sure every bullet point is meaningful and impactful. But let this free your mind so you don’t feel the need to fit everything on one page.
Get Feedback
Before you submit your resume, have a trusted friend or family member take a look. Even better, get feedback from someone who works in the industry. Fresh eyes can catch things you may have missed, and industry-specific advice can take your resume to the next level.
Good luck out there.
Securely Yours,
Ryan G. Cox
Just a heads up, The Cybersec Cafe's got a pretty cool weekly cadence.
Every week, expect to dive into the hacker’s mindset in our Methodology Walkthroughs or explore Deep Dive articles on various cybersecurity topics.
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