06 Feb Career in Cyber Security – Resume Writing Tips
Cyber security is one of the booming technologies with immense job opportunities and career growth. If you are thinking of a career in cyber security, you should first learn the essential skills. The next big step is to prepare an effective resume that attracts employers.
Putting the right details in the right way would solve help you hook the attention of employers. Once you identify the right track, the opportunity to begin your career in cyber security would be so close.
Resume writing is a nightmare for many as it involves too many tips and tricks to present oneself in a fine way. This post is meant to provide some tips and tricks for a career in cyber security.
Do’s
When you look for a promising career, it’s mandatory that you need to follow certain unwritten rules to land in your dream job in cybersecurity. Let’s look at the following do’s to begin with.
- Give an explicit description of yourself
The first and foremost thing to be considered in resume writing is an introduction about oneself. A crisp and clear statement about yourself, your goal and your passion to begin or continue your career in cyber security would attract the ones who look at your resume. Remember not to include the details that are mentioned elsewhere in your resume as it might make them feel bored. Also, add a formal passport size photo in this column.
- Highlight your qualification and skills
Although your educational qualification is irrelevant, don’t hesitate to mention it in your resume as it is required for the employer to know such basic information about you. Highlighting your professional and other skills related to the job would help the HR decide to proceed further with your profile. Ensure that your skills are mentioned in different ways for different job postings as placing emphasis on the right skills for the respective postings would yield a positive result.
Related – Must have skills to succeed in cyber security
- Let your experience speak
Broadcast all your past experience related to cybersecurity and other in chronological order, i.e., starting from your most recent work experience to your first employment (Example: 2019, 2018 ….2010). This would show the career path you have traveled, the companies you worked for, the time period you stayed at a company, the knowledge you gathered and the responsibilities you took. This basic info can make the HR decide whether to proceed further or not. So, putting this across in a winsome way would help you go ahead in the race.
- Focus on the length and format of the resume
I understand that you have so much to tell about yourself. Unfortunately, resume is not the right thing to have all those extra info. Highlight the headings and put the necessary details below in a nutshell. Make sure that the elaborate explanation is reserved for the interview where you can present them in a most alluring way. The resume should never go beyond 2 pages as it might be tiring for the HRs to go through many pages in every resume.
Don’ts
It’s equally important to pay attention to the don’ts as neglecting any of the following might adversely affect the chances of your resume getting selected for a wonderful opportunity in cybersecurity.
- Never lie
Never ever lie on your resume to make it look fancy as you might struggle to cover your lies in the interview, especially in cybersecurity. This will make HR reject you at once. It’s always better to admit what you know and show your willingness to learn new things, which would create a positive image of you. Always remember that walking out with a NO is better than walking with embarrassment.
- Avoid unwanted information
Pay attention to what not to put in the resume. Don’t add information such as caste, religion, favorite food, etc., as this won’t help an employer decide if you are the right candidate. Make certain that the hobbies you mention are also relevant to the job postings to some extent (Example: If a job posting requires relocation / frequent traveling, then you can add “love to explore new avenues” under hobbies).
- Don’t portray yourself as overqualified
Representing yourself as overqualified to make your resume look captivating would never help you as most of the employers won’t employ a person who is overqualified. They would think that you might shift to a better job when you get an opportunity as cybersecurity is a booming industry. If you feel like you need to gather more knowledge, join in a cybersecurity course.
- Avoid spelling and formatting errors
The foremost thing to focus on any resume writing is the spellings and the format. Making spelling mistakes would affect the first impression and it would make them feel like you are an irresponsible person. Use understandable fonts to make the reader scan through what’s in your resume and avoid fancy fonts which would often irritate them.
Bottom line
Though resume writing sounds like an arduous task, it can be made easy by following these simple tips. Make your resume more specific to the job posting and enjoy your career in cybersecurity.
Wish you a wonderful journey ahead!
Hope you liked this post! Please feel free to share your comments, ideas and resume writing experiences below.