Your Resume Gets You the Interview

Your Resume Gets You the Interview. Your Story Gets You the Job.

In the world of cybersecurity, we spend countless hours honing our technical skills, building labs, and earning certifications. We polish our resumes until they shine, listing every tool and framework we know. But when you finally land that interview, how do you stand out from everyone else with a similar resume?

The answer isn't on your resume. It's in your story. I'm talking about your "elevated speech.” The 60-second narrative that proves you're not just a list of skills, but a problem-solver.

The Anatomy of a Killer Pitch: The Cyber Detective

Forget just listing your experience. You need to tell a story. For me, that story came from an intrusion simulation I did with KC7. When I start my pitch, I don't just say "I have experience with incident response." I say:

"I'm a Computer Science student, but I really see myself as a cyber detective. I love the challenge of diving into a sea of data to hunt for clues and piece together the story of an intrusion."

This is the hook. It's more engaging than a simple statement. From there, I walk them through a mini-story using a modified STAR method:

• Situation: I was investigating a simulated ransomware attack.

• Task: My mission was to trace the threat actor from the initial phishing email to their final objective.

• Action: I used KQL to pivot through email logs, identified the malicious payload, and tracked the attacker as they dumped credentials and moved laterally across the network.

• Result: I successfully mapped out the entire attack chain and authored a detailed incident report with specific recommendations to prevent a similar attack.

The key is to focus on the result and the value you brought. You didn't just "do a task"; you produced a valuable outcome.

Tailoring Your Story: Know Your Audience

A great story is told differently depending on who is listening. You must adapt your pitch for each person you speak with. The goal is to connect, not to overwhelm them with jargon or underwhelm them with simplicity.

• For HR or a Recruiter: Keep it high-level. Focus on the problem you solved and the business impact. They care about your initiative and communication skills, not the specific KQL query you used.

• For Your Future Boss (The Hiring Manager): This is where you can get more technical. They'll appreciate hearing the details of the tools you used and the challenges you overcame.

• For a Senior Leader (The Director or CEO): Connect your story to the bigger picture. Talk about how your work helps protect the company, improve efficiency, or support business goals.

The worst thing you can do is make your interviewer feel like they don't know what you're talking about, or make them feel like you don't know what you're talking about. Reading the room is a critical skill.

Finding Your Niche: The Power of "Boring" Skills

Think about the skills in your field that many people find tedious. Is it documentation? Is it meticulously organizing data? Is it writing detailed reports? If you genuinely enjoy one of these "boring" but essential tasks, make it part of your story.

When I was writing my incident report, I discovered I love the process of piecing together evidence and documenting it clearly. Highlighting this in an interview can be a huge advantage. An employer might have a team of brilliant analysts who hate writing reports. If you're the candidate who says, "I actually find a lot of satisfaction in creating clear, detailed documentation," you've just solved a major pain point for them.

The Secret Ingredient: The Feedback Loop as Teamwork

A great story isn't written in a vacuum. When I was creating my incident report, I was relentless about getting feedback. I showed it to friends, family, and most importantly, I reached out to the security professionals who built the KC7 platform.

This isn't just about improving your work; it's a demonstration of initiative and teamwork. It shows you're humble, coachable, and dedicated to collaborating to produce the best possible result. An employer doesn't just want a skilled individual; they want someone who can elevate the entire team.

The Pivot: Turning the Interview into a Conversation

Your elevated speech shouldn't be a monologue. It should end with pivoting to a question that turns the tables and gets the employer talking. This is crucial for two reasons: it shows you're genuinely interested, and it helps you figure out if the job is a good fit for you. An interview is a two-way street.

"...That experience taught me how powerful automation is for increasing efficiency. I'm curious, how does your team see automation and the rise of AI shaping the future of your security operations?"

This question connects your experience to an industry trend (the "shift in cyberspace"), shows you're thinking strategically, and gets them to visualize you working in their company. By asking smart, open-ended questions, you become a consultant trying to understand their challenges, not just another applicant.

Your Story is a Living Document

Finally, remember that your elevated speech is not a static script you memorize. It's a story that should constantly evolve. The version you tell in an interview will be different from the one you share with a professional at a networking event. As you learn new skills and complete new projects, your story will grow with you. Keep refining it, keep telling it, and watch as it opens doors for you.