Over the last few years, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced nearly the entire workforce to go remote, IT staff across the globe were forced to rapidly adjust to millions of employees logging in from unsecured home offices. Not surprisingly, this led to significant spikes in malicious cyber activity. In fact, in 93 percent of cases, an external hacker can breach an organization’s network perimeter and gain access to the local network, according to a new study of pentesting projects from Positive Technologies, conducted among financial organizations, energy organizations, governments, and industrial and IT companies.
Cybersecurity solutions and the protection of a company’s digital assets is clearly a priority for C-suite executives. But what makes the desire to increase cybersecurity staff particularly challenging is the significant skills shortage that the industry is experiencing. For example, in 2021, the Fortinet Global Threat Landscape Report revealed just how difficult it is to find and recruit qualified cybersecurity experts. Globally, 60% of leaders admit their organizations struggle with recruitment. Even more challenging, more than half of the same leaders surveyed admit their organization struggles to retain cybersecurity experts already working for them.
So, whether you’ve been thinking about a switch to a cybersecurity career for a long time, or if you’re looking for your first job in tech, there’s plenty of room in the rapidly expanding cybersecurity solutions arena for you to grow your career. Here’s how to get into one of the hottest careers of the decade, with in-demand jobs and high paying salaries.
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How to Gain Entry into the Cybersecurity Field
One way to start gaining entry into cybersecurity roles is for those employees who have already begun a career in tech to examine their transferable skill sets. Several other technical fields have skills that can easily transfer to cybersecurity and would give a candidate a “leg up” when applying for cybersecurity jobs. For example, employees in financial and risk analysis, security, and intelligence, are well-positioned to transition into cybersecurity.
Interestingly, studies have shown that only about 20% of employers view an undergraduate degree in cyber security or a related field as the most important qualification for getting a job in cybersecurity. Instead, most employers say they value skills and professional certifications over a degree. These can include:
- Risk assessment and management
- Authentication
- Linux
- Information Systems
- Digital Forensics
- Coding Languages
A second way to become a cybersecurity expert is to place your focus on training specifically for a particular role within the field. The cybersecurity solutions space is so expansive that you can find roles that fit the skills you already have and also your natural talents. To help narrow your interests, here is a list of cyber security roles and some skills needed for each:
- A Pentester: Responsible for simulating a cyberattack on their own company, with the insights gleaned to help companies address vulnerabilities in their systems. Pentesters must be creative and keep excellent documentation of their work.
- A Compliance Analyst: Ensures their company is up to date with government laws and industry regulations. Analysts are true researchers at heart and usually have great project and people management skills
- An SOC Analyst: Monitors a company’s network security for malicious activity. These roles require great diligence and familiarity with software such as Intrusion Detection Systems and firewalls is usually required.
- Cybersecurity Engineer: These positions are more technically-focused and often job ads will include many of the responsibilities of other cybersecurity roles for more status with a company and high compensation.
Also, enrolling in a cybersecurity bootcamp can be a fast and straightforward way to start acquiring the skills you need to become a cybersecurity expert.
Work with a Recruiting Partner for an Inside Connection
Using a recruiter to land a role in cybersecurity comes with many advantages. A professional recruiter who is deep in the cybersecurity community will understand how your talents and skills can relate to different roles. These recruiters understand the requirements of cybersecurity jobs and introduce the right people to the right organizations in need. In some cases, specialized recruiters can present a candidate directly to the hiring manager which allows them to find out about requisitions before they are even posted publicly. That gives candidates a great head start in the selection process for exciting new job prospects.
Once you’ve made the commitment to pursue a job as a cybersecurity expert, you have some options on not just how to gain entry, but which path you want to explore within the rapidly evolving field. The good news for those interested in becoming cybersecurity experts is it is a constant growth field globally with excellent compensation and significant potential for career advancement. Now is the time to work with a great recruiter and start planning the roadmap to help you become that cybersecurity expert you’ve always wanted to be.
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About the Company:
Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) has partnered with some of the biggest Fortune brands to offer excellence of service and best-in-class team building for the last 25 years.
PTP’s diverse and global team of recruiting, consulting, and project development experts specialize in a variety of IT competencies which include:
- Cybersecurity
- DevOps
- Cloud Computing
- Data Science
- AI/ML
- Salesforce Optimization
- VR/AR
Peterson Technology Partners is an equal opportunities employer. As an industry leader in IT consulting and recruitment, specializing in diversity hiring, we aim to help our clients build equitable workplaces.
