Resume tips

Entry-Level Cybersecurity Analyst Resume Template

Hit or miss — some people say you need one, others say it wastes space and isn’t required. Probably does not matter for entry-level.
If you have one, it should clearly mention the years of experience you have and what position you are aiming for.
If you do not have one, the position you are applying for should go directly under your name.

Some people argue having a core skills or technical skills section in a resume is a requirement. Others say it wastes space because only skills listed in Experience will count.
I have heard that some recruiters will skim over the skills, looking for specific technologies before continuing onto the Objective or onto your Experience sections.
It may be better to err on the side of caution, at your discretion.
If you do list them, put them at the very top, just below the objective.
The skills you choose should cover at least about 75% of the job posting requirements.
Do not list irrelevant skills. The example above is for a Cybersecurity Analyst. For that position, you probably shouldn’t list skills related to Penetration Testing, Programming, or Mainframes.

I have heard that recruiters generally prefer Project Experience to be personal projects rather than school projects.
Each project should have a straightforward name.
Each project description should be written like a Performance Statement — I used this tool to do this thing and got this result.
Some people argue statistics matter. Some people argue statistics don’t matter. Who knows? Probably does not matter for entry-level.
For a skill to count, you must clearly specify it.
Example: You cannot just say you created an EC2 instance and assume that implies AWS experience. AWS experience without being mentioned will not be considered.

Skills covered should probably differ from skills covered under Project Experience.
Showing statistics here will likely matter much more.
If an occupation is not IT-related, it will be best to try and connect it to your soft skills if you listed them.
Apparently jobs love military experience.

Certifications and Education should generally immediately follow Experience. Experience matters the most.
Aim for 1-page.
Recruiters apparently get about 10-20 seconds to review a resume.
Keyword filters exist, but AI filters in ATS are apparently uncommon.
For government contractor positions, list an active or former security clearance if applicable.
For government contractor positions, service members and veterans may benefit from listing grade and duty position.