Chapter 5 of 12 · When you start applying
Writing a CV and a portfolio of lab results
- What do I put on a security CV with no security experience?
- What is a portfolio, and what goes in it?
- How do I get past automated filters?
Without security work experience, your CV has to show something else: that you can learn, that you have done hands-on work and that you understand what the job involves. A portfolio of lab results does a lot of that work for you.
CV basics
- Keep it short and easy to scan. Put the most relevant things first.
- Match the words in the advert where they truthfully describe you. Many applications pass through keyword filters.
- Describe what you did and what happened, not just your duties.
- Include certs earned or in progress, with an expected date.
- Link to your portfolio near the top.
Turning past work into security language
Most jobs have security-adjacent parts. Did you handle customer data carefully, follow a process under pressure, train others or spot something that looked wrong? Describe those plainly. Do not stretch them into claims you cannot back up in an interview.
What goes in a portfolio
- Three to five write-ups from your homelab or online labs, each one page.
- For each: the goal, what you did, what you found and what you would do differently.
- Scorecards or certificates from labs you completed, with a sentence on what they tested.
- One piece of writing that explains a security topic to a non-expert.
The question you might not ask out loud
Is it bad that my portfolio shows mistakes?
No. Showing what went wrong and how you fixed it is often the most convincing part. Employers want to see how you think when things do not work, because that is most of the job.
Rule of thumb:Never put real company data, client names or anything from an employer’s systems in a portfolio. Use your own lab and invented data only.
Ask someone to glance at your CV briefly and tell you what they remember. A first look is often quick. If they cannot say what job you want, rewrite the top.
Keep one master CV with everything on it, then trim a copy for each application so the most relevant work sits at the top. It takes a little longer per application, but a CV that clearly matches the advert is far more likely to reach a person than a generic one sent everywhere.