How a recruiter analyses your CV: cybersecurity edition

Looking for advice on how to write your cybersecurity CV? Delphine is a recruiter at Orange and will guide you so you can set yourself apart. Her objective is to highlight your experience, motivation, and potential. Here's how.

Digest

  • Your cybersecurity specialities, right at the top of your CV
  • The right keywords to grab the attention of the recruitment team
  • Your personal projects and online training
  • Your interpersonal skills (they count just as much as the rest)

What's your day like regarding technical work, analysis and presentation?

Building a dashboard in the morning. A team presentation in the afternoon. That's a good picture of the reality of a data analyst's day. Of course, topics change and uses evolve. But your constant task is to make sense of the data. At Orange, this is key: you alternate between modelling, visualisation, exchanges and documentation. And all in the same day.

Start with what interests you in cybersecurity


Show us what drives you, and why you want to progress in this field. Mention it in the header of your CV.

Doing “Capture the Flag” competition at the weekend? An online course or certification in the evening? Don’t forget to tell us what you like to do. It shows us what you'll be doing tomorrow at Orange.

Use the right keywords

SOC, Pentest, forensic, CERT, ISO 27001... If these words mean something to you, put them at the top of your CV and statement. This is what recruiters look for in a cybersecurity CV.

"I'm going to look for your interest in cyber right from the title, because I want to recruit motivated people. I'll look for keywords like Pentest, SOC, forensic, CERT... Make sure you mention them at the top of your CV”. - Delphine, Orange recruiter.
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.

Show what you're learning in cybersecurity

Online training, cybersecurity webinars… It’s important to show that you're evolving as fast as our technologies, even without a formal framework.

List your certifications, e-learning, self-training, and podcasts in your CV. It will help you stand out from the crowd.

"I want to know if the candidate has studied anything cybersecurity-related, and if they have passed certifications such as ISO 27001, CEH Ethical Hacking. Don't hesitate to attend conferences or events to listen to experts on specific subjects and develop your network." - Delphine, Orange recruiter

Check out more CV tips

How a recruiter analyses your CV: coding edition

How a recruiter analyses your CV: cloud edition

List your technical and interpersonal skills


A good cybersecurity CV is one that shows your know-how as well as your interpersonal skills.
  • Tech: Linux, Python, firewalls, cryptography... Your skills are precious.
  • Human: discipline, ethics, perseverance, curiosity. Your skills are just as important.

It's this mix that makes the difference and drives responsible cybersecurity forward.

If you’ve taken part in competitions, mention it

Ever taken on a HackTheBox challenge? Earned a medal on Root.me? Put that in your CV. Even if you don't win, it shows us that you like to research, learn and progress. And that's exactly the kind of mentality we're looking for.

“One way of showing interest in the field is to mention your participation in Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges on Bug Bounty platforms like Root.me / TryHackMe / Hackthebox / YesWeHack... Orange also organises some - look that up.” - Delphine, Orange recruiter
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.

Focus.

Add a link to your cybersecurity achievements

A TryHackMe profile? A video of yourself defending a cybersecurity-related dissertation? Share the link! GitHub, portfolio, LinkedIn post: any medium is welcome. It's the best way to show what you know and love to do.
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.

Ready to Apply?