Cyber Security Resume Example & How to Write Tips 2025
Despite what you know about malware, firewalls, and other aspects of information technology, finding a new job in the industry can be a challenge. However, following a few cybersecurity resume examples can guide you through the best practices of showcasing your education and skills—and perhaps help you land the job of your dreams.
Cybersecurity Resume Example
You want the best possible cybersecurity resume to hand over to a hiring manager, right? Whether you’re emailing it in or doing it the old-school way, you have to make sure that it looks its best. Better yet, it would be ideal if it stood out from the crowd—but without going outside the boundaries of what’s expected in the typical resume.
One way to do this is by checking out a selection of cybersecurity resume examples. If it’s clear that a lot of people are including a particular resume section (or formatting it in similar ways), then that might be what recruiters are expecting to see. Throughout this guide, we’ll share examples that are up-to-date and perfect for your 2024 cybersecurity resume.
Your resume is your chance to lay out your professional qualifications. So we’ve provided samples that provide you with hints to help you create something great on your own. And if you think that’s more than you can handle, CVMaker provides a large selection of professionally developed resume templates for you to choose from. They’re already formatted, so all you need to do is add in information about yourself, your job experience, and education—and you can turn in a job application you can be proud of.
What to Include in a Cybersecurity Resume?
Whether you’re preparing a cybersecurity analyst resume or a cybersecurity engineer resume, there are several things that you will want to include. Some of the most important items to share are your skills, what work you’ve done in the past, and whether you have any degrees. This will give a hiring manager all the information they need to decide whether to move forward with your application.
However, you need to be aware that there are some things you shouldn’t include on your resume. For example, leave out industry buzzwords—they’re not necessary when it comes to sharing your skills and experience. And if the person reading your resume isn’t familiar with every buzzword—because they sometimes come and go—it could work against you. So use industry-specific terminology in moderation.
An important thing to keep in mind is that while there are a lot of openings for jobs in cybersecurity, there are lots of other people applying for those positions too. This means you need to stand out.
When all is said and done, your resume should only include relevant information that ensures you look like a great catch as an employee. And you can do that with the use of the following resume sections:
- Personal information
- A resume objective
- Professional work experience
- Education
- Skills
- References
The rest of this guide will focus on each of these sections one at a time. We’ll make sure you know what the section is all about, detail the best type of information to share and how to format it so it looks good and keeps eyes on it. Since resumes are often looked at for less than a minute, we want to be sure you have the best chance of being noticed from the second your resume hits someone’s inbox.
Personal Details in a Cybersecurity Resume
What should you include in the personal details of your cybersecurity analyst resume?
This section should be limited to your personal information:
- Your full name
- Mailing address
- A professional email address. This doesn’t mean your email has to have a business domain, it just shouldn’t be something silly or rude. That’s not the impression you want to make.
- Phone number, including area code (if you’re applying for a remote position that has international teams, you should include your country code as well).
- If you have a website or blog that’s industry-specific, you may want to include that as well.
To help you stay connected and aware, it might be a good idea to sync your professional email address with your cell phone. That way, you can respond in a timely way if someone reaches out to you.
Remember, this section is to provide a prospective employer with your contact info, it’s not the place to summarize your education and work history. That comes next!
How to Format This Section
You have a few options when it comes to formatting. You can follow the image above, or you may choose to use a professional resume template—or even a resume writing service. CVMaker offers both.
How to Write a Good Personal Profile for Cybersecurity
Now that you’ve provided all your contact information, you can get into the specifics of what to include on a cybersecurity resume, whether you have lots of experience or you’re looking for a junior-level position.
First of all, you want to tailor this section to the job posting. Don’t try to sell yourself on something a prospective employer isn’t looking for. Keep it short—maybe three or four sentences—and provide a concise summary of your work history and background, your most relevant skills, and any accomplishments you may have achieved in your career. Additionally, if you have any career goals that are in line with the position, be sure to mention them.
Top Skills to Include on a Cybersecurity Resume
This is the section where you want to list any cybersecurity resume skills you excel in, since there’s a good chance this will be one of the first sections a prospective employer will look at. Make sure you look for specific skills or keywords mentioned in the post and include them. Even if it’s only mentioned as a “nice to have” and not an absolute requirement, if it’s something you’re proficient at, add it.
Your list should include, at the very least, the following top cybersecurity skills, which include any tools and software. You should add any pertinent soft skills as well.
- Programming languages such as C and C++, Python, PowerShell, and JavaScript
- Network security monitoring tools
- Encryption tools
- Web vulnerability scanning tools
- Penetration testing
- DevOps
- Network intrusion detection
- Threat knowledge
This image of the skills section gives you an idea of how a template can make the things you are good at stand out for recruiters and hiring managers.
How to Format This Section
As you can see, your skills aren’t limited to your technical knowledge. So make sure this list is a mix of hard and soft skills—the technical side of things plus skills such as communication and teamwork. Even if most of the job involves working alone, you’ll need to communicate with teammates and managers about security issues and other matters on a regular basis.
When you format this section, make sure it looks clean. You can use a template like the one featured in the above image to create dots to indicate your level of proficiency in various skills. Alternatively, you can describe your level of knowledge with each skill using a word or two. This provides better insight into how experienced you are with essential abilities.
How to Showcase Cybersecurity Experience on a Resume
Your resume will need a section that shows off your professional work experience. A list of past jobs you’ve had in the industry—and the title—initiatives you took on, when you worked there, and more. The primary purpose here is to show what you have done in the past. The work experience section also shows an employer whether you have consistently held employment or not.
The image above gives you an idea of the layout you can use for this section. Obviously, what you add will depend on what you’ve done in the past, so just use the image as a guideline.
How to Format This Section
Using the section above, if your security specialist job is the last one you had, it should go first. This is known as a reverse-chronological resume format and it’s the most common for cybersecurity resumes. You list details about your most recent position, whether you’re still working there or not, and work backward until you get to the oldest. Include the company you worked for, your job title, and when you were with the organization.
Underneath this information, using a series of bullet points will add depth to each position. For example, you can include information about the intrusion detection you did, how you fought security risks, and what assessments you were in charge of. Once you’ve completed the first job, you can move on to the second and so on. Just remember not to include too many details since your cybersecurity resume should be one to two pages long.
How to Write a Cybersecurity Resume with No Experience
If you have little or no experience in cybersecurity, you’ll likely be responding to job posts for entry-level positions. The good news here is that prospective employers aren’t looking for extensive experience, so you can craft a cybersecurity entry-level resume accordingly.
So if you’re just out of school, what are your options?
Take a look at the cybersecurity resume with no experience sample shown above. Here, our job seeker focused on their university achievements, so this should give you an idea of what you can add to your resume. It should be based on anything you’ve done in the past, both in work experience and education.
You’ll want to emphasize your ability to conduct security audits, collaborate, and work to ensure your company is compliant with industry standards. Your education should indicate your foundation in cybersecurity, plus any experience you may have—perhaps on projects—in monitoring.
How to Add Education to a Cybersecurity Resume
Now that you’ve been through the information about work experience, it’s time to move on to your education. This is where you’ll put information about your bachelor’s degree, certifications, and other information related to your education. At the very least, it’s essential that you list your highest degree. Many cybersecurity positions require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, so hiring managers want to see that reflected.
In the image above, you can see that the applicant has their bachelor’s degree listed. They also show they’re a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). As depicted, these should be in chronological order, much like the work experience section. So, you might put your bachelor’s in 2010 and then include your CompTIA Security certificate above that if you earned it in 2018.
How to Format This Section
The formatting here is relatively simple for a cybersecurity job. Start with your most recent educational achievement. Add the institution where you received your degree or certification, the courses you took to get it, and the degree you received. Assuming you have some work experience on your cyber security resume, nothing else needs to be included.
However, if you’re looking at entry-level careers, you might want to add more information in this section. Consider adding things like your GPA, classes or courses you took that would add to your cybersecurity knowledge, plus any achievements that would strengthen your case for being a good hire.
If your resume has sufficient information about your skills and work experience, don’t be tempted to just add extra information for the sake of it.
Key Takeaways
Before we wrap up with a list of FAQs, let's highlight some important key points.
The Basics:
- Essential Sections: Your cybersecurity resume must include your personal information, and a professional summary that includes your work experience, education, and skills.
- Formatting Best Practices: The best—and most common—format is the reverse-chronological format.
Make Sure to Highlight Your Skills and Experience
- Technical Skills: Emphasize your proficiency in programming languages (Python, JavaScript), network security tools, encryption techniques, penetration testing, and cloud security.
- Soft Skills: These are just as important—and sometimes more important—than your technical skills. Highlight communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.
- Work Experience: Provide details of specific accomplishments, such as security incident response, vulnerability assessments, and network security implementations.
- Education: List any degrees, certifications (CISSP, CISA, CEH), and relevant coursework you have.
- Tailoring Your Resume: Customize your resume for each job application, highlighting the most relevant skills and experiences.
Provide a Strong Personal Summary
- Be Concise: Keep your summary brief but impactful and focus on your key qualifications and career goals.
- Optimize Keywords: In light of software like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) it’s important to use relevant keywords from the job description to improve your resume's visibility.
- Quantifiable Achievements: Highlight specific accomplishments, such as reducing security breaches or improving system performance.
FAQ
1. What skills are essential to include on a cybersecurity resume?
There are several, but some of the most important include technological skills such as network configuration, programming, and firewall installations. Risk identification, data management and analysis, and cloud implementation and management are all essential skills.
2. How can I make my cybersecurity resume stand out to employers?
If you have any accomplishments in the industry, be sure to list them. This should include things like how you improved efficiency or saved money.
3. Should I list certifications on my cybersecurity resume, and which ones are most relevant?
Yes, just be sure to include the name, who certifies it, and the date you received your certification. Some popular options are CompTIA Security+, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
4. What format is best for a cybersecurity resume?
Use the reverse-chronological resume format.
5. How do I showcase technical skills on a cybersecurity resume?
Stick to the skills that best match the position, including work you’ve done on any relevant projects. When possible, always quantify any achievements.
6. What types of experience are valuable to highlight in a cybersecurity resume?
There are several, but to name a few: risk management, network security, incident response, and encryption.
7. Should I include personal projects or open-source contributions?
Yes. As long as the experience you gained from them is relevant to the position you’re applying for.
8. How do I list soft skills effectively on a cybersecurity resume?
First, make sure to list any relevant soft skills the post mentions. Any additional soft skills you have should be mentioned in your work history and or summary sections.
9. What are some common mistakes to avoid on a cybersecurity resume?
Try to avoid using an excess amount of technical jargon. Instead, focus on sharing any quantifiable achievements.
10. How can I tailor my cybersecurity resume for a specific job posting?
Spend some time reviewing the job posting and then customize your resume to match the necessary skills and experience.