Ethical Hacker Community Forums

I have no idea where to put this post, so here it lands.

I'm editing my resume and will be applying on some networking & security positions.  I noticed on a couple other resumes that they had a small "Professional Affiliations" section on the bottom of the resume and had a couple security sites on there such as SecurityFocus.  Do you think it's a good idea to do this on mine and list The Ethical Hacker Network and possibly LearnSecurityOnline?

I don't have any professional security experience but want the prospective employers to know of my passion for InfoSec and that I do know how to handle myself with Buffer Overflows, Session-Hijacking, and various Tools such as Nessus, Nmap, Metasploit, etc..

Any resume tips would be great!  :)

How pathetic is this?  I'm replying to my own post.  ::)

Forgot to ask if anyone has any good ideas for making my resume not look like a backpacker's resume.  Since graduating in 2001, I have worked as a Jr Network Administrator for a 6mth co-op, hardware tech for a couple mths with Computers for Schools, Tech Support for HP - 1yr, 7mths working/traveling in Europe, 8mths as a Computer Tech for London Drugs, 1yr of Teaching English in Taiwan, a few mths backpacking around the world and my current position at Dell as Tech Support for 1yr.

Should I just leave out my time in Europe and Taiwan and have gaps to make it more technical for the IT Security or Networking positions i'm applying on?

p0et,

I think you should absolutely keep all of your experience in your resume.  When I interviewed for this job, which is my first security job, I stressed three main skills that I bring to the table: communication skills, relationship building, and the diversity of my career.

You have a diverse base of experience in IT, and that is essential for someone working in security.  How can you secure a desktop when you don't know how to support it?  You have to understand the needs and attitude of a typical user before you can implement security guidelines that are acceptable to those users.

There is also a school of thought that more and more managers are buying into.  If you're a smart person and you have a little bit of experience then you can be taught whatever technical skill you need to know.  If you're not able to communicate effectively, or if you don't have good people skills then you will never be useful to the company and they shouldn't waste their time with you.  If someone came to interview with me and they had their CISSP certification and years of experience, but was also defensive, arrogant, or communicated like a forth grader, I wouldn't hire him or her. 

Your technical experience shows diversity, and it proves that you know a thing or two about computers and you'll be able to handle the technical aspects of the job.  Your experiences overseas show that you're able to deal with people from diverse backgrounds.  You must be a good communicator if you were teaching English in Taiwan. 

Obviously you should stress your technical ability, but always remember that people are hiring more than a technician.  They're hiring someone that they have to work with, communicate with, and relate to every day.

If there is anyway you can afford to go to a professional that does resumes, that’s the way to go.  They not only make the resume look nice, they have ways to phrase things to make them sound better other than you might have thought of.  For instance, I once went to Japan to meet with a manufacturer to discuss some business related items. It really wasn’t much of a trip as far a business thing, but my resume person told me to put down that I now had “international marketing” experience.   So much has to do with the way you phrase things. Of course you don’t want to get ridiculous or get caught in a total fabrication. 

very good advice right there

Thanks for the great replies guys!  ;)

Unfortunately, I don't have the money to hire someone to look at my resume but I do have a couple people I know who look at a ton of resumes for their jobs.  They're not in IT though.

I'm trying a different format to the resume right now.  While at the SANS conference, another volunteer said that he mainly scans the resumes that come in for certain tools and keywords such as "nessus", "metasploit", etc..  He said a good way to go would be to list the tools I'm comfortable with near the top.  If I do that though, I'll have a long list of around 15-20 tools and the resume will look like there's too much empty space. 

I'll see what some of these guys say anyways.

Here is a site I bookmarked awhile back, in a failed effort to update my outdated resume. There are some good tips here though

http://certification.about.com/cs/jobs/a/resume.htm (http://certification.about.com/cs/jobs/a/resume.htm)

Computers dont just scan resumes, so do people. 

Now I know that everyone will tell you that you shouldn't put any flashy stuff into your resume, and I subscribe to that theory too,  but there is one place that I do use some special formatting.  On the right side of my resume I have a long, thin box called summary of qualifications.  That's where I list my certifications, years of experience, and any other information relevant to the job.  Three, maybe four bullet points at the most.  All that information is still included in the body of the resume, but it allows for someone to easily scan my resume with their eyes and decide if I am someone that should go in the short stack or the trash can.  Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of my resume right now or I would show you what I mean.

i'd like to see how looks too if you can dig that up.

Not that I am an expert but if you (or anyone here) like I can review you resume and give you my option. I have done a lot of interviews lately for Network Engineering positions and security is one area I do review. Also e-mail me (slimjim100 (at) gmail.com) and I can send you a link to my older resume to show you the format I use. Your resume is the first impression the person get of you and normally the hiring manager only sees the resumes that HR forwards up. I know a lot of Companies use keyword searches from there resume banks. I wish all of you looking for a job the best of luck.

Slimjim100

Thanks for the link (having a look at it now) and the other advice.  :)

If you guys have time to take a quick look at my resume, let me know or email me at honkanen (at) gmail.com.

p0et,

   Thanks for letting me take a look at your resume. I sent you a few different ways I arrange my resumes but all-in-all looks good. I tend to like to see good descriptions under each work experience and you had good information listed.

Slimjim100

My company is always looking for security professtionals.  I have posted a few postions in the Careers Central portion of the forum.  If you're still looking for work, I'd be more than happy to review your resume.

if you are looking for work in Austin texas you can send your resume to me.

i am hiring

Hello,
I am with Trion World Network and we are looking for some key folks for our emerging team:
In Redwood Shores, CA
Austin, TX

•   Senior Security Analyst –not yet posted

It would be helpful it they had some interest in video games or gaming in general or best if they come from the game industry.
If you can think of anyone who would fit or have interest in these roles, please feel free to have them contact me directly or to forward this along as you see fit. If this is you please let me know of your own interest by replying with your own resume.

Defining games and original entertainment for a connected world
About Trion

Trion World Network, Inc. is the publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the connected world. Trion provides groundbreaking new capabilities and content to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of online, gaming, and traditional media. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, and with a Technology Center in Austin, Texas, Trion combines unrivaled experience and vision in the online entertainment industry with a world-class team of internet and gaming veterans. Privately held, Trion investors include Time Warner, NBC-Universal, GE, Bertelsmann, Rustic Canyon, DCM and Trinity Ventures.

Learn more about us and the industry from Red Herring, http://tinyurl.com/ysumj8
And also our recent news http://www.trionworld.com/site/news5.php
Thanks,
Lea
lea@trionworld.com

As far as the resume preparation is concerned, the buzz sentence is "HOW DO YOU PROJECT YOURSELF AND HOW DO YOU MARKET YOURSELF". As mentioned in the previous posts, no matter how technically sound you are, if you don't have the soft skills and the right attitude (which you have to project in the resume, and during the interview time), you are nowhere.

Please send me a copy of your resume so that I can send you my suggestions.

I have to agree with what most others have said.  An intelligent person can be taught the technical skills needed in a position, but you can't teach someone how to be personable.

I started out in this field after tending bar for nearly 10 years, and deciding on a career change.  I've been told flat out that I've won jobs over more technically qualified applicants because of my inter-personal skills and proven dedication to customer service.

In the meantime, because of having these opportunities, my skill set has grown considerably, making me even more marketable.  (not to toot my own horn, or anything  ::))

Also, I know that p0et started this thread nearly a year ago...how has the job search gone?