Prebuilt Projects2Jobs roadmap
Penetration Tester Roadmap
Build hiring proof for Penetration Tester roles: detecting, investigating, and reporting security threats.
Penetration Tester candidates and career switchers targeting Cybersecurity roles.
Timeline
8 weeks
Level
Beginner to intermediate
Final outcome
A Penetration Tester portfolio with shipped projects, public GitHub proof, resume bullets, and interview talking points.
Skills to prove
Log analysis
SIEM
Detection engineering
Threat modeling
Network security
Reporting
Portfolio projects
- Home-lab SIEM with custom detections and triage notes
- Threat model and hardening plan for a small web app
- Incident-style report portfolio with severity and business impact
Prebuilt build path
Follow these phases in order. Each one ends with a portfolio artifact you can show in GitHub, on your resume, or in interviews.
Step 1
Weeks 1-2
Build a detection lab
Create a realistic environment for analyzing security events.
- Stand up a home lab that collects auth, endpoint, or cloud logs into a SIEM-like tool.
- Document baseline activity and write triage notes separating signal from noise.
Deliverable: A working security lab with documented alert triage.
Step 2
Weeks 3-6
Hunt, detect, and report
Connect attacker behavior to detections and clear communication.
- Write detection rules for common attack patterns mapped to MITRE ATT&CK.
- Run one simulated investigation end to end and write an incident-style report.
Deliverable: Detection rules plus a professional investigation report.
Step 3
Weeks 7-8
Package the proof for hiring
Turn the work into evidence recruiters and interviewers can verify quickly.
- Polish each repo README with screenshots, setup steps, architecture notes, and tradeoffs.
- Write resume bullets and interview talking points that map each project to Penetration Tester job requirements.
Deliverable: Public GitHub proof, an updated resume, and interview-ready project stories.
Make it personal
Projects2Jobs compares this roadmap to your resume, current skills, and existing projects, then generates a role-specific build plan.
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