When you’re looking to break into or advance within the OSINT industry, crafting a compelling CV is crucial. Hiring managers often spend just seconds scanning each resume during their initial review. So how can you ensure yours stands out? 

Crafting a CV to make those precious seconds count involves showcasing the right skills, experience, and results in a way that’s both clear and impactful. Here’s a guide to help you write a killer CV that will help you land your next OSINT job.

Understanding What Hiring Managers Are Looking For

Someone reviewing CVs submitted for a job is looking to determine:

• That you have the necessary experience and technical proficiency for the specific role.
• That you have delivered specific results in previous roles that make you right for the position and indicate you can deliver for them.
• That the job you're applying for is a rational next step given your career.

Structure Your CV for Easy Scanning

Recruiters won't read your CV word-for-word unless you’re shortlisted. Instead, they’ll scan it quickly, looking for key information that proves you can do the job. Therefore, it’s vital to keep it concise by limiting your content to one page, two at most. While you want to convey everything that makes you stand out, don’t overcrowd your CV. Keep it clean with enough white space for the reader to focus on the most important details.

Additionally, you should also use a clean, professional design. While many beautifully designed templates have been created, a traditional black-and-white format with standard section headings and bullet points to highlight your most significant achievements and responsibilities is the most ATS-friendly approach.

A well-structured CV should have:

• Contact details at the top
• A short personal branding statement
• Key achievements and core skills near the top
• Work experience in reverse chronological order
• Education and any certifications at the end

Target the Job with Clarity

Be explicit about the role you're applying for. You can do this by starting your CV with a target job title or headline that clearly reflects the role you’re pursuing. This can be as simple as “OSINT Specialist”, "Open-Source Intelligence Analyst", or “Investigative Journalist”.

Add a Personal Branding Statement

A personal branding statement is a unique, concise paragraph or sentence that clearly defines who you are and what differentiates you from others in the OSINT field. This offers a quick snapshot of your expertise and achievements that show why you're the right fit for the role.

When writing this, look to convey how many years of work experience you have, the roles and responsibilities have you held previously, and the types of organisations you previously worked for.

Example:

“Results-driven OSINT practitioner with 4+ years of experience leading entity-focused investigations for law enforcement, corporate security, and insurance sectors, specialising in identifying internal and external threats linked to theft and fraud. Skilled in leveraging OSINT tools and methodologies to collect relevant information, identify risks, conduct investigations, and provide actionable intelligence for security management and crime disruption.”

Highlight Achievements and Quantify Your Impact

Employers don’t just want to see a list of duties but the tangible outcomes your actions achieved. To stand out, the work experience section of your CV must focus on demonstrating the results of your work and quantifying those outcomes wherever possible.

Highlight Achievements

Employers need to see that you have delivered results. The work experience section of your CV is where you can provide concrete examples of how you’ve applied OSINT skills in professional settings. Rather than simply listing responsibilities, focus on the outcomes of your actions. What were the results of your investigations? Did your intelligence reports lead to decision-making that impacted the organization? Did you help identify a key threat or contribute to preventing a major issue? These are the types of achievements that will stand out.

Examples:

• Successfully identified 30 instances of internal theft that led to the recovery of £220,000 worth of merchandise and assets.
• Mapped an organised crime group, leading to actionable intelligence that contributed to multiple prosecutions.

Quantify Your Impact

Numbers matter. Where possible, add specific metrics to your achievements. This makes your contributions clear and measurable, making it easier for hiring managers to gauge your effectiveness. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your examples.

Examples:

• “Led a team of 3 analysts to compile all-source subject profiles for criminal investigations, producing 300 intelligence reports annually to support case resolutions and 50+ prosecutions.”
• "Uncovered social media posts in a fraud case, exposing exaggerated injury claims and preventing over £20,000 in unnecessary payouts."

If you have limited professional experience in OSINT, don't worry! You can still highlight the impact of personal projects, internships, or volunteer work. Even if the metrics aren’t large, focus on outcomes and how your actions contributed to a larger goal.

Showcase Your Core Strengths with Actionable Keywords

ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) are often used by companies to filter through CVs. To ensure your CV passes through these systems and makes it into the hands of a recruiter or hiring manager, make sure it’s ATS-friendly by using relevant keywords. To do this, include a Core Skills section near the top of your resume. 

This section should be easily scannable and tailored to the job description. Focus on the tools and techniques that are most relevant to the job and where you have significant expertise.

This section should showcase your hard skills—such as:

• Entity resolution
• Geolocation and mapping
• Data scraping
• Social media intelligence
• Proficiency with specific OSINT tools

You can also incorporate soft skills like:

• Problem-solving
• Critical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Clear communication

For those new to the OSINT field, focus on transferable skills such as problem-solving, research methodologies, or proficiency with data analysis tools.

Don’t Forget Education and Certifications

Finally, while experience is critical, a brief overview of your educational background matters too. While many OSINT professionals build their expertise through hands-on experience, formal education plays a role in demonstrating your knowledge, particularly for those newer to the field.

Make sure your educational section is clear and concise, but include your highest level of education, as well as any certifications or training related to intelligence, security, or data analysis. For each example, list the issuing organisation and the date of completion.

Moving Forward with Drafting Your CV

Writing a CV that lands your next OSINT job means focusing on the right elements: clearly stating the role you’re targeting, highlighting your key accomplishments, showcasing your relevant skills, and backing up your experience with real, quantifiable results. Keep it concise, ensure it passes the ATS filter, and make it easy for the recruiter to quickly see why you’re the perfect fit for the role. A strong CV will mean you stand out from the competition.

Now that you’ve got a solid understanding of how to structure and highlight your OSINT CV, take action. Refine your resume, apply these best practices, and start applying for OSINT roles. Remember, a CV is a living document. Update it regularly to reflect your latest achievements. To help you get started, download our free OSINT CV template to put these strategies into practice and kickstart your job search.

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