Hiring Good Cyber Security Professionals Is Hard Work

The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown cyber security professionals into an  unprecedented situation, with many facing the most difficult challenges of their career. For Business and IT leaders the challenge is exaggerated by the shortage of qualified cyber security professionals to fill jobs at their organisations. This is despite the relatively high salaries and stability associated with jobs in the field.

In a recent cyber skills survey carried out by Cyberbit,  60% of respondents said that barely half of all applicants for cyber security positions at their companies were properly qualified. This included a lack of adequate skills in intrusion detection, and network monitoring, again with almost 60% saying these are major areas of concern.

Cyber security jobs will grow by 31% between 2019 and 2020, or much faster than the average for virtually all other occupations, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected. In 2020, the worldwide cybersecurity workforce gap, or the difference between the number of skilled professionals required to protect organisations and the number available to fill those roles, declined slightly according to the leading professional certification organistaion (ISC)2. They calculated the  number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide in 2019 - 2020 to be 3.12 million people worldwide, with 359,000 of those in the US.

Concerns over inadequately prepared cyber security job applicants come even as demand for cyber security jobs remains strong and there are five important reasons why organisations have difficulty  in finding the right cyber security employees.  

  • There is a disconnect exists between HR and the information security team at many organisations.  Cyberbit's survey found that HR departments often do not have a clear idea of cyber security roles and the requirements for those roles; in fact, just one-third of the respondents to the survey felt that HR understood those requirements. The gap can often affect an organisation's ability to attract the right talent for the cybersecurity team.
  • Wrong perceptions about cyber security may be holding back people from entering or exploring the field as a career option.   A 2020 report from (ISC)2 of 2,500 individuals in the US and UK who are not currently in the cyber security field suggests that not enough job seekers are considering a cybersecurity job to close the gaps. Despite a ready availability of jobs, relatively high salaries, and good job stability, many are not drawn to the field because of mistaken perceptions of what the work entails. Many individuals consider the cyber security profession to be one that requires a high level of specialised technical skills, the survey found.

Though 69% agreed that cyber security might offer a good career path, 61% felt that they would need more education or certifications to enter the field. Some 27% felt that their inability to code was a disqualification, while more than one-quarter (26%) described the field as being too intimidating.

  • One important reason why some organisations have a hard time finding cyber security professionals is that they insist on hiring only people with formal four-year degrees in cyber security. That's a mistake, said John Pescatore at the SANS Institute, who thinks that its more valuable  to have hands-on experience with cyber security, rather than merely having attended classroom lectures that talk about doing something.

This is especially true for entry-level cyber security jobs, he said. Many university cyber security degree programs tend not to be very useful to hiring organisations because of their over emphasis on a lecture-driven format, Pescatore said. Often, they are also not especially exciting to creative, inquisitive, and analytical individuals seeking a career in cyber security, he added. 

  • Hiring managers should think more broadly about the requirements for cyber security roles. Academic degrees in cyber security and certifications in the field are important. But not all roles require technical skills. In fact, plenty of opportunities in the cyber security field are good fits for non-technical professionals. 
  • Individuals looking to break into the cyber security profession can help themselves and their employers by picking up coding skills and one of the best skills to break in at the entry level is considered to be Python coding, which was designed to be a straight-forward and generally lightweight scripting language that would require minimal coding background to accomplish automation and analysis.

Tackling the skills shortage calls for a fundamental reassessment of how organisations deal with defining the requirements for cyber security roles. Also, improving the ways in which they communicate those requirements to candidates, especially those who may want to enter the field but are put off by their misconceptions about the profession.

ISC2:          Cyberbit:          TechBeacon:       US Bureau of Labor Statistics:     Image: Unsplash

You Might Also Read: 

Five Reasons Why Women Should Consider A Career In Cyber Security:

« Instagram, TikTok & Twitter Shutdown Stolen Accounts
5G Will Disrupt Cyber Security »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

SAMATE

SAMATE

The Software Assurance Metrics And Tool Evaluation project is an inter-agency project between the US Department of Homeland Security and NIST.

Hyve

Hyve

Hyve provide a wide range of managed web hosting services including private, hybrid and public VMware cloud hosting.

CERT-IS

CERT-IS

CERT-IS is the national Computer Emergency Response Team for Iceland.

DirectDefense

DirectDefense

DirectDefense is an information security services and managed services provider.

Tenfold Software

Tenfold Software

Tenfold is the unique, centralized platform for managing user and permissions efficiently and automatically.

Ockam

Ockam

Ockam gives you the tools you need to establish an architecture for trust within your connected device applications.

Touchstone Security

Touchstone Security

Touchstone Security is a company with a passion for technology, a hyper-focus on cybersecurity, and a special affinity for cloud technology.

Red Points

Red Points

Red Points protects your brand and content in the digital environment.

BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust is a leader in Privileged Access Management, offering a seamless approach to preventing data breaches related to stolen credentials, misused privileges, and compromised remote access.

SignalSEC

SignalSEC

SignalSEC provides vulnerability intelligence, malware analysis, penetration testing and associated training services.

R3I Ventures - House of DeepTech

R3I Ventures - House of DeepTech

The House of DeepTech is an incubator for deeptech entrepreneurs that are transforming global industries. Areas of interest include cybersecurity.

International College For Security Studies (ICSS)

International College For Security Studies (ICSS)

ICSS India offers technical education to students, clients and partners in IT Industry by our well qualified, certified and experienced trainers.

Senteon

Senteon

Senteon is a turnkey cybersecurity platform designed to make securing confidential data affordable, understandable, and streamlined for small-to-mid sized businesses and MSPs.

Park Place Technologies

Park Place Technologies

Park Place Technologies' mission is to drive uptime, performance and value for critical IT infrastructure.

Thunder Shield Security

Thunder Shield Security

Thunder Shield is a professional cyber security service provider of penetration test, source code review and security assessment services.

Arista Middle East

Arista Middle East

Arista Middle East is part of Global Arista Technologies specializing in OT Cybersecurity.