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Example Security Analyst Resume - Browse more resume templates and build a stand-out resume
How to Write a Powerful Security Analyst Resume
Cybercriminals are roaming the information superhighway trying to steal our data.
You’re the pro that will stop them in their tracks.
In fact, you’re the next Graham Culey.
Does your security analyst resume prove that you’re that good?
We exchange information is almost every aspect of our lives. That opens the door for forces from around the world who wish to do us harm.
That’s why companies and governments hiring security analysts only want the best.
Your security analyst resume should display the information they want to see.
It should show that you’ve got:
- Strong IT skills
- Extensive network experience
- Attention to detail
- The ability to communicate well
It takes this combination to keep the data thieves away.
Information security analysts aren’t always catching criminals red-handed like in the movies. They spend hours doing grudge work to keep cybercriminals away from your data.
If your resume is written poorly, it won’t show that you can keep up with the required work.
No worries. We’re here to help you write a resume with all of the data points that you need.
This security analyst resume guide will show you:
- 8+ security analyst resume examples that showcase your ability to thwart data theft
- How to highlight your industry knowledge relevant to the position
- How to balance technical skills with soft skills you also need
- Ways to make sure your resume matches the job posting
- How to include your education, certification and achievements on your security analyst resume
- How to get more interviews by writing a superior security analyst resume
Security Analyst Resume Example
Looking for related resumes?
How to write a solid security analyst resume
You are the defender of data that we exchange on the internet.
Your resume must show how you’ve kept data secure in the past.
Hacker attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Security analysts must be as creative and clever to beat them.
You must know everything about information security within a company. You must also be able to communicate well to explain the risks.
The best information security analyst resumes display both technical and soft skills.
Include technical skills that show you can detect and analyze threats to protect computer networks from them. You should have some basic knowledge of HTML, web development and application security.
List your soft skills separately. How did you educate others about how to protect their data?
The problem is not only the hackers. It’s also the people within your organization who do not take precautions.
Include how you kept networks safe and taught coworkers how to do their part.
Match your cyber security analyst resume with the industry and the job posting.
Do they need someone who can investigate security alerts and determine their urgency? Do they want someone with the skills of a forensic investigator?
If so, focus your resume around what skills and experience they need.
Here’s what a recruiter expects to see in your resume
- What security analysis fundamentals have you mastered?
- What is your cybersecurity analysis background and what led you to this type of work?
- Can you communicate with others about threats enough to prevent them?
- How will you keep their data secure?
The must-have sections of a security analyst resume
- Detailed resume header
- Resume summary
- Resume experience
- Education and certification
- Technical and soft skills
Each section should tell how you’re an information superhighway defender. Let’s go through these sections step by step.
Your Security Analyst resume header houses valuable data
Treat your cybersecurity analyst resume with the respect it deserves.
Your header gives the information that recruiters will need to reach you. It does more than that if you write it right.
It begins to tell your story.
Let’s look at a cyber security analyst resume sample. Does your header look like this?
All that data is true. It also makes your story seem generic.
Let’s just make a few tweaks.
Companies right away have an idea of your specific experience. Tell them more of your story by including a link to your LinkedIn profile or website if you have one.
How to tell your data defender story in your security analyst resume summary
Supersleuths need an origin story. Super security analyst stories also need proof of why you’re super.
How do you prove to companies that you’ll keep their networks safe and secure while they sleep at night?
That doesn’t mean writing a novel. There’s a reason why it’s called a “summary.”
Use your quantitative data and job posting keywords to keep it concise.
This information security analyst resume example shows what not to do.
The recruiter is already looking forward to the next resume. This is why:
- Your experience is too vague. How did you keep networks safe?
- How many years of experience? Be specific.
- It lacks any specifics like skills and required certifications from the job posting.
Let’s try this summary.
This is way better, but still not the best story you can tell. A recruiter may think it’s:
- Missing key information
- Nonspecific
- Not concise enough
Let’s tie it all together in one more example.
Now that’s an information superhighway defender that a company needs. The summary’s short but includes specific skills and quantifiable experience.
How should you highlight your security analyst resume experience?
Anyone who connects to the internet is prone to hackers and online predator threats. These threats continue to become more complex.
You need to show employers that you have the right industry knowledge and experience.
Can you keep up with the latest trends and put them into action?
Recruiters want candidates with experience working with information technology. Show that you have experience navigating an organization’s IT infrastructure including firewalls and routers.
Your experience monitoring computer systems’ infrastructure and traffic makes potential employers more confident that you will keep their data safe.
Include experience performing security testing and audits to identify vulnerabilities.
Prevention is key to stopping hackers.
You want to weave experience managing projects and explaining risks into your experience section. You must stay organized to collect data and monitor systems.
Once you find threats, you must communicate with others about how to stop them. That includes many who do not understand threats like you do.
Professional security analysts often use software like Tableau, a business intelligence and analytics software program, to understand their data and share content. Include your experience using this type of software.
We’ll look at a few security analyst experience resume sections to show what works and what falls short.
2 security analyst experience resume sections
This is where you show off your experience keeping data safe. If you struggle with how to highlight your experience, explain your roles like this:
- What did you do to prevent hackers from penetrating computer systems?
- How did you secure systems when the infrastructure came under attack?
- How did you work with your colleagues and co-workers to prevent future attacks?
Job candidates do not always do themselves justice in explaining their work. For example:
This could be any security analyst that the company interviews. It doesn’t show how they are a superhero of data protection.
How did you keep data safe? Be as specific as possible.
Be as specific as this candidate.
This candidate definitely serves and protects a company’s data. This version shows you monitored and prevented threats, organized your data and communicated them with others.
How should you explain your duties as a security analyst on your resume?
Here are some common responsibilities of information security analysts:
- Investigate security breaches and cybersecurity incidents.
- Install security measures and operate system and information infrastructure protection software including data encryption and firewalls
- Stay current on IT security trends
- Perform tests and uncover network vulnerabilities
- Develop company-wide IT security best practices
Do you lack experience performing some of these tasks?
Candidates for security analyst jobs often come from varied backgrounds including security administrators, database administrators and computer systems analysts.
Emphasize your experience and how it relates to the job. For example, emphasize your work as a database administrator if you want a job defending databases from hackers.
If you have gaps, do the following:
- Show how your work in past industries overlaps the job you want.
- Describe how your education led to real-world experience and how it prepares you for the job.
- Include apprenticeships and projects that connected you with the work that security analysts do.
Does your security analyst resume need an education section?
Stopping cybercriminals in their tracks is complicated work. It takes having the right education.
A security analyst must understand computer systems and infrastructure. Include an education section that showcases your training on information technology.
Many companies want candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology or software engineering. They may prefer a specific degree like a cyber security degree.
Job experience and certifications can make up for a lack of advanced education.
Certifications can prove that you’ve been formerly trained in necessary skills. List certifications that match the security analyst job description first.
Security analyst certifications worth including in your resume
You also want to include certification in specific programs you may use. For instance, include if you are aTableau Certified Professional.
What skills should employers see in your security analyst resumes?
It takes a variety of technical skills to keep computer systems safe.
You should be familiar with penetration and vulnerability testing, firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols, anti-virus and anti-malware software, and security information and event management.
That’s just some of the technical skills that you will need. You will also need soft skills.
That includes analytical and communication skills as well as creativity. You must also be detail-oriented to perform this type of work.
17 Technical skills to include on a security analyst resume
- DLP, anti-virus and anti-malware
- IDS/IPS, penetration and vulnerability testing
- Firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols
- Incident response
- TCP/IP, computer networking, routing and switching
- Windows, UNIX and Linux operating systems
- C, C++, C#, Java or PHP programming languages
- SaaS models
- Cloud computing
- Security Information and Events Management (SIEM)
- Security system log analysis
- Security regulations and standards
- Network and systems monitoring
- Data-loss prevention
- Ethical hacking
- Reverse engineering
- Computer forensics
How do you make your security analyst resume superior?
- Highlight how your background fits the position
- Connect each resume section to explain how you are the right candidate
- Show how your experience fits the company’s needs
- Match technical skills and keywords with the job posting
