So you want to get into Cyber Security? Before we begin it is important to highlight, it is a difficult task, not impossible but difficult. If you really want the career it is there for you but along the way you will have to be brave, resilient, passionate, committed and very thick skinned. You will regularly hear people talk about how requirements for entry level candidates are unrealistic, that entry level roles will always require 1-3 years of experience (then that no longer is an entry level role surely?), a degree will always be needed and employers just will not take a chance on people. Don't get me wrong that exists to a degree, but none of that is insurmountable.
The first thing it is important to point out is that it is helpful to understand why it is considered so difficult and where job seekers frustrations lie. This will help you understand reasons for rejections and any lack of communication you may come across and ultimately help make you more efficient as well as resilient which are some of the key attributes you will need to succeed. There are four things I think you need to understand about your journey into enter Cyber Security:-
Getting yourself noticed
A big challenge you will face is getting yourself noticed, this can be a bit of a skill in itself but is absolutely one you learn through being brave with trial and error. You have to think of yourself as a brand. How do others perceive you? What makes you different or interesting? How do you maximise how many people come across you? When they do come across you what makes them likely to consider or recommend you for a role. This is likely where your opportunity will come from in my experience rather than applying via a job board.
I found Linked In a fantastic platform. I was lucky enough to get plenty of advice along the way and utilised as much of it as I could. This is a topic in itself but if I had to summarise I would say make as many industry related connections as you can and talk to them, ask about the industry, ask about how they started and try and get as much insider knowledge as you can. I also always believed it was important to contribute to the Cyber community. I would regularly post articles or advice on how to keep yourself or your employers secure as possible. This helps demonstrate that your passionate and knowledgeable about your topic as well as confident in yourself. Commenting on other professionals posts is also really helpful as it helps you get into conversations about specific topics as well as act as a vehicle to make connections.
The risk for the employer
It is also important to understand how appointing an unproven employee affects a hiring manager or recruiter's decisions? When looking at applications the hiring manager will likely have a large candidate list, and a good portion of those will be experienced in the role they are advertising for or have similar experiences. Its an easy decision for them to go with someone proven in their vacant role, why would they take the risk with someone who has never physically worked in the position or industry before? There is a lot less risk of the appointed candidate not working out. There is also less of a training requirement for any starting employees as they will likely be just learning new tools but have all the fundamental knowledge. Any unsuccessful appointments will be a reflection on them within their organisation as well which may tarnish their own reputation.
It takes a very brave hiring manager or recruiter to take what essentially could be considered a gamble on you. Don't fret, these people do exist its just a case of finding them. This is a significant challenge make no mistake but there are ways to navigate this and make yourself stand out through more personal interaction. Understanding the risk for hiring managers or recruiters helped me to reduce the frustration I was feeling when I was finding it hard to make a breakthrough or when receiving rejections.
Understanding recruiters
I found understanding a recruiters responsibilities and challenges was also really helpful. It is a highly demanding role, particularly if they work for an agency. Don't get me wrong as with everything in life there are good and bad recruiters, but sometimes even the good recruiters just need a nudge now and then, mostly due to the fact there are not enough hours in the day. Just think a recruiter could have circa 200 plus applications for a single role and will likely have multiple roles to fill at any one time. The roles will also be expected to be filled quickly in most instances. That means screening literally hundreds upon hundreds of applications. You could not be receiving a response because the recruiter doesn't have the time or it could be they are avoiding having a negative conversation with you. In my mind there are 3 types of recruiter:-
A) The "Ghoster" - These are the recruiters you ultimately want to avoid. You will likely have to contact recruiters to find out how your applications are progressing. Sometimes you will find that a recruiter will not answer your calls, reply to emails or call you back after leaving answer machine messages. Move on from these recruiters and try not to take it personally. I have a 3 strikes rule, if they don't respond after attempting to make contact with them 3 times move on to where your time could be better invested. These recruiters are not going to fight your corner with hiring managers and that is what you want them to do in order to get you in front of a hiring manager.
B) The "Good Guys" - Hopefully this is the recruiter you come across more often than "The Ghoster". They will be open minded about having conversations with you, getting to know you and hopefully keep you in mind for roles that may come up. They generally don't ignore you because you have not got a degree or 3 years experience. They understand the industry they recruit for and that there is a place for real entry level candidates. This may not necessarily be with every company they work with but they have a good knowledge of their client base and understand where you may find opportunity. If the "Good Guy" is impressed enough with you they will not be afraid to challenge a hiring manager and put you forward as an option. They are always honest with you as well. Whilst having negative conversations with applicants is never easy they are prepared to provide you with honest feedback as well as potentially offer some guidance.
C) The " Super Recruiter" - These are absolute gold, and should you come across one make sure you keep in contact. These are the recruiters who will go above and beyond. They may suggest roles with companies they are not directly recruiting for, they will put you in touch with their own connections in the industry, they will offer you advice around CV's, your Linked In profile and what they consider to be useful approaches to get you in front of hiring managers. All this is in addition to what the "Good Guys" will offer you also. I was lucky enough to come across 2 of these in my time looking for my first role and these are the recruiters I will be reaching out to first should I decide to look for roles any time in the future.
Helping identify what recruiter you are talking to or working with will help you decide who to put your faith in, and who to move on from in order to maximise the time you have to spend looking for your role. Its obviously not as black and white as stated above, you may have a good recruiter who offers to help you with a CV but doesn't share connections with you for example. The rejections you may face when applying for roles is never easy to deal with but if you prioritise finding good recruiters to work with who are honest about your chances with roles and where you should be looking it will hopefully help to reduce the number of rejections you receive.
Understanding success
The work you put in may not reap a quick reward. Hopefully by now you will be clear that entering Cyber Security can be a very difficult task. Its about planting seeds, the more you plant and nurture the more likely they are to grow into an opportunity. Any of the conversations you take part in may open a door, this could be with a recruiter, it could be with an industry professional offering you advice who could champion you within their own organisation or it could be a conversation with another entry level candidate who manages to find a role where there is more than one opening. It could take weeks or months for it to bear fruit but as long as you try and keep yourself in the forefront of peoples minds it can happen. It is just up to you to ensure you have as many of those relevant conversations as possible.
I think it is also worth pointing out that when your searching for that ever elusive first role it will sometimes feel like your not getting too many "wins", what you need to do is understand the scale of the task at hand and recognise what a real "win" is. A real win is a recruiter calling you about a role, a real win is increasing your Cyber Security connections in Linked In by 30 this week or a certain number of views on a post, a real win is a landing a first interview. The perception of a "win" has to be more realistic in this kind of environment and you will find that helps you maintain focus and motivation.
I decided very early on that I was not going to let the perceived short comings of recruitment in Cyber Security to hold me back. The industry wasn't going to change quick enough to allow me an opportunity so I needed to come up with ways to navigate or counteract the challenges I would come across. There were plenty of people who were willing to help me through that journey along the way and I firmly believe it was because I came across as different to lots of the other entry level candidates out there. I didn't spend my time complaining about lack of opportunity, I actively tried to find ways that would increase my chances and I ensured I contributed to the Cyber community so that people already perceived me as a Cyber Professional. It was understanding the obstacles and where my own strengths were that set me up to do the right things to work towards gaining that first role. It was a mindset I believe enabled me to be successful and the same can apply for you.