Top hacks for recruiting cyber security talent
Of all IT verticals, cyber security is one of the worst affected by talent shortages. It is also an area that organisations are acutely wary of, with the increased level of cyber attacks coming from a multitude of angles. So how do you make sure you're able to effectively find and recruit cyber security team members and properly protect your business from cyber threats?
Target graduates of cyber security courses
There’s a growing number of specialist training courses in cyber security across different colleges and universities. From programmes fully focused on cyber security management, information and network security or cyber investigation, to more generic IT courses that now include cyber security modules.
When searching for new talent, consider partnering up with those colleges or universities to get your brand prominent in the minds of their students and you'll stand a strong chance of securing the top emerging talent.
Look beyond the formal qualification
While possessing a relevant qualification is certainly a good sign, there is a lot more to being a successful cyber security professional than simply having the theoretical background.
Why not cast your net wider and hire someone with either a more generic science qualification, or perhaps even no qualification at all?
What you’re really looking for is a set of skills that can be acquired through industry experience in the cyber security field.
When working on your job descriptions, focus on limiting the amount of required skills or academic qualifications to only what is absolutely necessary.
Readjust your job descriptions
Keeping the above in mind, consider writing your job descriptions in a way that will allow you to capture wider, more diverse group of candidates.
The more specific your job adverts are in terms of required years of experience or certain qualifications, the more you are restricting your talent pool. A long list of strict requirements, where candidates are unlikely to ever have experience in every single one, might be putting talented people off from applying. They will likely have the skills or knowledge you’re looking for, but could be deterred by the sheer volume.
Upskill your current employees
In many cases, organisations might be able to find the perfect match for their cyber security roles if they look inside their organisation. Employees who have the potential and will to familiarise themselves with the specifics of cyber security could well be a great match - and they're sitting right in front of you!
By offering to upskill your current staff in this field, you’re not only saving recruitment costs, but also giving your employees an opportunity to develop and advance their career, which is great for your retention rates. Many studies have shown that employees are more likely to remain with their employer if they feel their career development is supported by their company.
Final thoughts...
The term cyber security may refer to a wide range of professionals; from security engineer, cryptographer, ethical hacker, security analyst, to vulnerability tester, security consultant, and many, many more.
We can support you with all your cyber security recruitment needs - let us know what you're looking to achieve through your hiring activity.
Equally, if you’re currently looking to higher a high volume of IT or cyber security professionals, you might want to consider outsourcing this task to a project recruitment outsourcing specialists. If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Talent Solutions team.
