A Challenging Cyber Security Talent Market

If you are responsible for an organization’s cybersecurity, challenges are part of your daily life. Building a talented and cohesive team is among them.

The demand for cyber professionals far surpasses the supply of those that have training or experience in the field. A study by ISACA’s Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX) reports barely 50 percent of organizations can count on receiving at least five applications for each cybersecurity opening.

In such a competitive market the talent will be choosing you as much as you are choosing them.

You need to be proactive and creative in your talent search. Include relevant technical schools and professional organizations in your pipeline. Take pains to show you welcome diverse talent such as women and minorities into your department—data show both are underrepresented and underpaid in this industry.

Finally, cybersecurity talent should have analytic skills, attend to detail, and in the best case have communication skills that allow them to collaborate effectively across every area of your company. Those are the traits to look for in junior hires. The techniques of cybersecurity can be taught. New hires should have a passion for cybersecurity, but a background in mathematics, analytics, problem solving, and investigations can be just as promising as one in programming.

So think expansively. Core skills can be more important than certifications. Creating a supportive environment where employees continually learn new skills from other seasoned pros in the group (in addition to formal training) helps guard against another hazard of this competitive market—talent poaching by your industry peers.