Online Hiring in the Cybersecurity Field

Today's post is from Aubrey, looking at how you can improve your recruitment of Security Professionals. Enjoy!

In the present day, nearly all companies are digital. And if they’re not fully digital, they are quickly moving in that direction. Whether it be hiring, recruitment, employee management, or day-to-day tasks, most organisations function primarily with an internet connection. Online presence has become a vital element for companies nowadays and not just for gaining a profit. Did you know that 37% of job seekers will move on to another job offer if they can’t find information about the company online? This has made the recruitment process a lot more challenging. But worry no more. This article is designed to give you valuable information about online hiring in the cybersecurity industry and its true value for your business.

How Online Hiring is Affecting Cybersecurity

The fast-moving digital transformation caused by the pandemic has indeed made the hiring process even more challenging. Even with lots of great candidates, not having a formal face-to-face interview can make it difficult. This is especially true for information and cyber-security roles.

The ISACA’s 2021 State of Cybersecurity report indicated that 61% of cybersecurity teams are understaffed. Furthermore, 55% stated they have unfilled cybersecurity positions as well. These numbers make it even more apparent how much remote work and online hiring have affected the whole cybersecurity field. Leaving this issue alone can cause huge problems in companies, especially with the increased cyber attacks in the past years.

How to Get the Best Cybersecurity Candidate

With the new challenges recruiters face due to digitalisation, locating and hiring candidates is twice as difficult. But companies can’t survive or thrive in this era without a proper cybersecurity team, can they? Don’t worry; below are some of the top tips to help you get the best cybersecurity candidate, despite the current situation.

Look beyond the usual places

Recruiters definitely need to break away from targeting the same people — graduates of particular schools or from specific majors. One great way is looking into skills-based events, where you can get the chance to meet high-performing security candidates. You can also try looking in-house or into apprenticeship programs. There are many excellent sources of talents you might have missed. So go outside the box and look beyond the usual places.

Focus on relevant skills over formal education

Instead of focusing solely on higher education degrees, focus more on asking, “What skills do you bring to the job?” Sometimes, the best cybersecurity professionals won’t have formal education or higher degrees. Look for candidates who have certifications that can validate their knowledge of the best practices. Don’t forget to assess soft skills, too! Communication, leadership, business writing, and critical thinking are all just as important as cybersecurity knowledge. If you are building a team, then you should also consider how well they would fit into the group.

Have willingness to train candidates

That perfect “has-it-all” candidate that you’ve been looking for does not exist. Or if they do, they are probably not looking for a job right now. Instead of being too busy looking for a candidate that can do it all, hire realistically. Look for the one who has the most appropriate skills and values and someone who has the most potential with training.

Sell the job

The ever-competitive job market isn’t just applicable to job seekers. It’s even more competitive to recruiters like you. With countless companies that need cybersecurity professionals, standing out can be difficult. It’s crucial that you know how to sell the job correctly. Put more effort into your job postings, learn what appeals to candidates, and offer them what they want.

Don’t require “niche skills” if not necessary

Plenty of cybersecurity roles surely need specific technical expertise. However, not all of them do! There are also quite a lot of generalist roles where special technical skills aren’t required. So make sure to check your job descriptions and avoid requiring specialised skills that aren’t necessary for specific functions.

Benefits of Cybersecurity for Your Business

At this point, you already know how to build an A-class cybersecurity team. Congratulations! However, if you are still having second thoughts about taking the next step, take a look at these benefits cybersecurity can bring to your business:

Avoid Penalties

Globally, legislation protecting the security and privacy of personal data acquired by private companies is becoming increasingly important. Violations of these regulations can result in significant fines and penalties such as:

HIPAA - from $100 and $50,000 per violation (maximum penalty of $1.5 million annually)
GDPR - 4% of a company’s global turnover or 20 million euros (whichever is higher)
PCI-DSS - between $5,000 and $100,000 per month

To avoid these penalties, you must have a cybersecurity team to ensure you comply with security standards.

Protect Business Reputation

As if all those costly penalties aren’t enough, data breaches can harm your company’s reputation, too. You risk losing customer trust and people thinking that your company is untrustworthy. Harmful breaches can make it appear that your company doesn’t take adequate precautions to protect your customers’ privacy and security. Having professionals take care of data management will prevent this nightmare from happening.

Promote a Safe Working Environment

If you don’t build the best cybersecurity solutions for your company, you and your employees will constantly be at risk of a cyber-attack. Having your system or computers infected significantly affects productivity, as viruses can slow them down. Not only does this waste a lot of time for your employees, but it also flushes a lot of money down the drain for your business. Luckily, with a great cybersecurity team, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Use these tips to take your cybersecurity team and your company to the next level. You won’t regret it!

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