We live in a day and age where nearly every company is hiring. This is a great environment for both young people that are just starting their job search, as well as more experienced people looking to make their way up the corporate ladder. However, you won’t get hired by ANYONE if you have a resume that is lacking. There are a million resume tips out there that you could read. Some are great. Some are not. We have curated a list of some tips that are guaranteed to help you improve your resume, especially when applying for jobs in the cybersecurity field.
Tailor your resume for your position.
Tailoring your resume for the position is a tip that could apply to any field. If I was going to apply for a job at NASA, I probably wouldn’t include the babysitting jobs that I worked in high school. Likewise, if you’re applying for a job at an IT help desk, it may not be relevant to include your previous work experience in an Applebee’s kitchen. Each job application should receive a slightly different resume curated to select words that the position asks for. Here’s an extra tip: Keep a ‘master resume’ with ALL your possible work experience/skills. Then, when it comes time to apply for a job, pick and choose bits from your master resume to use on your current resume. This will help speed up your application process and allow you to curate top-quality resumes.
Find a specific focus.
Cybersecurity is a broad field. It is important for entry-level professionals to decide what area of cyber security they want to focus on. This specialization will be appealing to employers who know that nobody, especially at the beginning of their career, can do it all. It will also help you set goals, both short-term and long-term, and narrow in on the jobs you are most interested in.
Emphasize soft skills.
The cyber security field puts a heavy emphasis on technical skills and knowledge. However, don’t underestimate soft skills. It is often much easier to teach technical knowledge than to teach good soft skills. Skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership are great to have. These skills could set you apart from other candidates that may have the same qualifications that you do. Even though this is primarily an ‘online’ industry, soft skills are always important. A new job can always teach you how to navigate a new system, but it probably can’t teach you how to read the room.
Certifications are key.
While there is no shortage of jobs in the cyber security field, entry-level candidates will face hurdles due to their lack of experience and education. In the field of cyber security, education and certifications are huge. In fact, one of the reasons for the shortage of workers in the field is not that people don’t want the jobs, but that they aren’t qualified. Many large firms have come out with great certificates and programs to show your knowledge. The best part is that most of them are free! Check out this ultimate list located here:. This will help you curate a list of certificates and get that cyber security job you’ve always wanted.
Keep your resume visually appealing.
You could be the most qualified candidate in the world, and you wouldn’t get the job with an ugly resume. You wouldn’t even make it to the interview. Your resume needs to be easily readable. It needs to be neat, concise, and balanced. Big open spaces? No good. Messy formatting? No good. Spelling errors? Come on! No number of certifications or charisma is going to win over an interviewer that sees a resume that looks like it was written by a high schooler. There are numerous awesome templates online that will get you started in the right direction. In 2021, there is no excuse to have an ugly resume.
These are just a handful of cybersecurity resume tips to get you started in the right direction. Applying for jobs can be a stressful and tiring process; but, with these tips, you should get hired in no time! Do you have any favorite cybersecurity resume tips? Let us know on our social media channels! Keep an eye out on our website – you never know when we might be hiring!
Who Is Aspis Consulting?
Aspis is a cybersecurity consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri with branches in Duluth, Minnesota, and Washington DC. Our team offers a full suite of services including Darkweb Monitoring Solutions, Cybersecurity Management Consulting, and Cybersecurity Consulting to both commercial and government clients. Aspis has a mission of democratizing cybersecurity and bringing it to anyone that needs it. Aspis Consulting has been featured in countless articles including Forbes next 1000, IBM’s newsletter, and the Chamber of Commerce’s Dream Big Awards. To learn more on how Aspis can help you with your cybersecurity in Kansas City or across the country check out our website. Also, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to do on cybersecurity news, local updates, and need to know tips.
