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On Trend: Are You a Resume Rockstar?

Job Seekers

05.08.2025

Welcome to another installment of “On Trend”! This week we’re looking at an even more crowded and competitive security job market and how an amazing resume can get you the interviews you want.

This week’s US news reports have more federal government layoffs prominently featured. At the same time, public sector organizations are similarly downsizing their teams. This means greater competition for a more limited number of security jobs, despite protective services’ roles continuing to have their moment in the spotlight. Your resume is the most influential marketing document that will assist potential employers in viewing you as a high-value candidate in this more competitive environment.

Why you need a really (really!) great resume.

Your resume is often the first opportunity you have to make the best impression on a potential employer. Common ways to apply for jobs are directly on a company’s website, via a job board, or through a social media service such as LinkedIn. All these methods have one thing in common: they suggest you attach your resume to your application.

Talent acquisition teams may look for potential hires in their candidate management systems from the 30,000-foot level. But they also always want to look at the underlying resume attached to the application. Creating a resume that looks clean, contains an accurate record of your employment and experience, is targeted at the job you are applying for, and is optimized for readability will get you the attention you want.

Help!

Your first consideration is whether to write the resume yourself or hire someone to write it for you. The situations in which you might want to ask for assistance are:

• Leaving the public sector and struggling to understand how to frame your experience, skills, and competencies to a private sector employer.
• A work history that includes too many jobs in varied sectors.
• Just starting out in the security industry.
• Not comfortable marketing yourself.

Good bones.

Creation of a skeleton is a good first step. Have a solid, core resume that accurately reflects your experience as the underpinning for resumes you can customize for specific jobs. Key elements of your base resume are:

• Your name, your location, and contact information, including telephone numbers, personal email address, and personal website if you have one.
• The headline that describes your personal brand and makes it instantly clear what your focus is and where your expertise lies.
• The subsection to your headline that highlights your key differentiators.
• Your employment, to include the correct names of the organizations you work at or worked for. If you worked for more than one division, make it clear you were still with the same organization, just a different entity. If your employers were acquired or are now defunct, note that. Include the city/country where you were employed with each organization.
• A bullet list that focuses on your achievements in each position instead of a list of job duties.
• Engaging writing that makes it readable. Keep your writing lean to avoid word congestion. Include ample white space and use formatting where it can help direct the reader to specific sections.
• A section that highlights why you are unique. Include your continuing educational achievements, certifications, and professional affiliations.

Tailor your resume for success.

Adding meat to the bones of your resume will customize it for specific roles. Readers will appreciate it, and it will improve your chances with the automated candidate tracking systems that scan it for relevance to the position.

• The headline subsection should identify how your experience and skills are aligned with the position you are applying for.

• The bullet list of your accomplishments in each position can include core competencies that include relevant keywords in the job description. Include both hard and soft skills that match the requirements listed.

• Do not forget you can go to a second or third page if your career story supports it and the content on additional pages is consistent with the preceding one(s).

Definitely don’t …

• Put contact information on your resume that is outdated or not in keeping with how you want to be viewed. Make sure your email auto-answer and phone voicemail messaging are professional.

• Create a resume that is inconsistent with your LinkedIn profile. They need to match. Companies will absolutely check this.

• Attach every certificate for every training class you have ever completed.

Need more advice?

There is a world of guidance on how to write the perfect resume. Not all of it is good.

Consider visiting the websites of organizations that support good typical practices for human resource and talent acquisition professionals. For instance, SHRM has resume templates that you can use as a starting point. Professional organizations that support the various sectors in the security industry often have career centers that include Q&A and FAQ sections discussing resumes.

You can also use your professional network to source resume writers from peers who have utilized one. A resume writer will not be free, but a good one will be able to help you better present yourself if you are challenged to sort through it yourself. Try to find one who is familiar with the roles you have worked in.

The best result of having an outstanding resume:

Getting the interview and the job you want because you presented yourself in a compelling light!

Your resume is the most convincing document that potential employers will read before they have the opportunity to meet you. Put your best effort into getting it right, and it will be what opens the door to a great new security job!