CV Writing Toolkit

Content: (Each of the below MUST be included)

• Personal Information (telephone number, email address, job title/ job that you are applying for, location, LinkedIn profile)

• Professional Summary - Why are you the right person for this job? Think about previous experience, transferable skills, and passion for the role.

• Certifications - industry-specific and prioritise based on role

• Work experience - give a brief synopsis of the job and then bullet point key achievements. DO NOT just list daily activities. Follow CAR method to structure your work experience section. 

Note: Other sections may include education, volunteering, other achievements. 

DO’S 

✅ Keep it concise: Keep your CV up to 2 pages. A recruiter will give your CV an average of 7 seconds. They have not got the time to read reams. 

✅ Use an ATS friendly formatting: CV builders such as FlowCV are ATS compatible. Many companies use this software for screening and parsing CVs. Templates using Canva, tables or columns format will break the scanning.

✅ Tailor to specific role: Keep your CV very specific to the job you are applying for. 

If it is a SOC position:

• highlight the home labs you have built, your technical proficiency.

• highlight technical proficiency on specific SIEM or XDR tools

If it is GRC position:

• highlight your experience in documentation writing. 

• Show understanding of ISO27001, NIST and other frameworks

✅ Demonstrate your passion for cyber security: What was the hook for you? Including brief origin story in your professional summary or referencing personal projects or home labs help uplift your CV

✅ Make it visually appealing: Again FlowCV has various designs, formats and colour ways to give a really professional finish. 

✅ Show, don’t just tell: Provide evidence to support your knowledge or skill. For example:

Wrong: “I have great technical knowledge”

Right: “Built a home lab environment using pfSense firewall for network routing, security onion and Splunk to simulate real-world threat detection and response scenarios”

DONT’S

❌ Overlook the importance of transferable skills. Communication skills is also a top priority for a career in cyber. Use your non-cyber knowledge and experience to provide insight into your strengths and what you can bring to the table along with your other technical role specific skillset.

❌ Over-rely on AI tools. Use ChatGPT as a spell checker and grammar tool but always double check the context afterwards. AI tools provide you with generic content and lack your originality. Always personalise with your actual experience.

❌ Make unsubstantiated claims but instead evidence it with quantifiable data point. Every statement needs backup evidence. Your task should always follow with a measurable result.

❌ Include irrelevant work experience. Focus on roles that demonstrate relevant skills.

Remember - your CV is likely to be the most important document you will create in your life. Re-read, make it something you are proud of. 

Quick Self-Check Questions

• Does my CV pass the 7-second test? (Can someone quickly understand my value?)

• Have I shown passion for cybersecurity?

• Are all my achievements backed up with specific examples?

• Is this tailored to the specific role I'm applying for?

• Have I proofread for typos and grammar?

• Is it ATS-friendly and visually appealing?

• Does it highlight both technical AND transferable skills?

• Have you filled in the CV Review registration form here?