Career Networking Online: 4 Steps to Improve Your IT/Cyber Security LinkedIn Profile

We know you’re busy studying on Cybrary and maybe working, raising a family, doing laundry, and watching last season’s Game of Thrones episodes. However, if you’re looking for a job (which many Cybrary students are), it’s important to carve out a little time this week to update and improve your LinkedIn profile.To respect to your busy-ness, we’ve put together a list of 4 steps you can easily apply this week to beef up your profile and stand out from the crowd a bit more. It’s important to note that hiring managers, recruiters, and others who may be involved in your job search will be looking at your LinkedIn profile. But you knew that already.Here are 4 steps to improve your cyber security/IT LinkedIn profile:1. Determine and Use Your KeywordsThe job-hunt.org website suggests identifying 2-3 keywords that are most important to you. For example, if you're an Applications Developer, you may wish to have both Senior Programmer and Applications Developer as core keywords/phrases.You can also take this a step further by indicating your areas of specialization; you might want to add phrases like "mobile applications" or "financial applications" (or others that are relevant to your work).Review the job descriptions that appeal to you based on the nature of the work and select a short list of target employers offering keywords you may wish to add to your profile.Be sure to use accurate keywords in your: location; headline; skills and endorsements; and your LinkedIn summary.2. List All Certifications and ToolsAccording to an article on TechRepublic, candidates should be able to distinguish themselves from other IT and cybersecurity professionals and show their focus within the field. "The best way to do that is by including all relevant cybersecurity certifications, environments, tools, and skills on your LinkedIn profile," Stephen Zafarino, senior director of recruiting at Mondo, added.This includes information on the environments you’ve worked in (such as complete secured or corporate) and highlighting any tools with which you're experienced. List all your certifications, even those that may seem irrelevant. Some companies are looking for experts with specific certifications even if they don't explicitly state that in the job description.3. List Your Coding and Networking SkillsThe article on TechRepublic also shares that, “Depending on the position, you may or may not need strong coding skills for a cybersecurity job. However, they are often necessary for analyzing software for vulnerabilities, identifying malicious attacks, and other tasks required in the field.” Don’t be shy- if you have them, list them.Regarding networking skills, the article notes that Indeed research has shown that globally network security specialists are the most in demand by employers. "Networking skills are important," noted Engin Kirda, professor of computer science at Northeastern University. "I try to see if someone has operational and technical knowledge on networks and network-based services."4. List Your Practical Knowledge of Vulnerabilities and AttacksFinally, the TechRepublic article notes that most everyone hiring cybersecurity pros are looking for concrete examples of knowledge of exploits and attacks, according to Engin Kirda. "I believe that being knowledgeable in cybersecurity also means that the candidate knows how attacks work in practice (not only in theory) and has a good understanding of the state-of-the-art defenses, and their limitations," he added.We encourage you to review your and update your LinkedIn profile page this week – remember, there’s no time like the present. And, as always, go forth and use your skills for good and help create greater peace in the world.

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Sources:7 Great Ways to Optimize Your Keywords for a More Powerful LinkedIn ProfileHow cybersecurity pros can improve their LinkedIn profiles: 4 tips