How to Hire the Best Cybersecurity Talent

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HR Practices

There is a high demand for cybersecurity professionals that outpaces the available talent pool. It’s estimated that 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will be unmet in 2021. At Amazing Support, a North London IT support company, we see first-hand the effects this wide hiring gap has on the tech industry. To keep providing services in cybersecurity and IT support in London, we focus on cultivating our professional talent. Here are 4 top tips on hiring the best cybersecurity talent.

 Make an Attractive Offer

Since there’s a shortage in this sector, experienced cybersecurity professionals know exactly how much they’re worth. This puts them at an advantage to negotiate a higher salary, so expect to offer significantly more for cybersecurity experts than for other IT staff.

Additionally, a competitive salary may not be enough to attract top talent. Many workers today are looking for other benefits like good work-life balance. Holidays, pensions, parental leave, and sick days are just a few of the features you could offer to top-tier cybersecurity professionals. Flexibility is also highly valued in today’s job market, so allowing remote work could make your job offer stand out as well.

Salary and benefits are important components of the job offer, but you shouldn’t discount the actual work, either. Will the job you’re offering be exciting and challenging to an experienced cybersecurity worker? Many people in this industry look for meaningful work with employers that encourage professional growth.

Invest in Training

Candidates will be lured in by an attractive offer, but you should also think outside the box when it comes to recruiting. Many young cybersecurity professionals today have forgone traditional certifications like Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees in favor of practical internships or apprenticeships. If your company has standards on qualifications for hiring, you might rethink these and look for candidates with real-world experience.

When the pool of talent is small and demand is high, flexible entry requirements like these are a must. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the best cybersecurity talent.

Another thing to consider is providing on-the-job training after you hire. You may come across an enthusiastic candidate with the right soft skills, but not enough experience in the cybersecurity field. It’s becoming more common for companies to enroll new hires in an intensive training program to learn the skills they’ll need for their new job. This could be costly, and not every company can afford it, but grooming new hires yourself ensures they’ll have exactly the skillset you need.

Make Your Company Stand Out

Another way to attract cybersecurity candidates is to make your company well-known. Candidates are more likely to apply to an organization they’ve heard of, or know something about. Looking after your branding is significant, then, so potential hires get the right impression of your business. Having a great website – you’re working in IT after all! – and a decent presence on social media could be the difference between recruiting unqualified candidates and highly qualified ones.

In addition, try to establish your company in the cybersecurity community by contributing to forums and writing guest posts on other sites and blogs. Your online presence won’t count for much unless you establish yourself as a thought leader.

Cultivating your brand also gives your business a chance to explain your story and share your values. By doing so, you’re more likely to attract candidates who identify with those same principles.

Look for the Right Qualities

One final tip to help you hire top cybersecurity talent is to look for the right qualities. This is good general advice for most hiring managers, but it’s important to know which qualities are applicable to your field. For competent cybersecurity professionals, you want someone who loves to problem solve and is flexible in any situation.

Good IT professionals will also be curious, lifelong students are willing to expand their skillset and take on new challenges. In a field that changes as rapidly as cybersecurity, a willingness to adapt is a must. With that in mind, you also want someone who is reliable and ethically sound. The crux of cybersecurity is, of course, the security, so someone with demonstrated integrity would also be an excellent candidate.

Final Thoughts

The demand for talented cybersecurity professionals has never been higher. And it will continue to grow, as cybercriminals persist in new methods to wreak havoc on businesses and individuals. At our London IT consultancy, we specialize in cybersecurity and therefore hold our staff in this area to high standards. But we don’t expect excellence from them without investment on our part. We constantly look for ways to upskill our tech professionals so we can continue our work as a bespoke IT support company in London.

Author Bio

David Share – Director at Amazing Support has held positions as Operations Director and Head of IT in legal and professional firms for more than 10 years. He is a Director and co-owner of Amazing Support, an Award-Winning, Microsoft Silver & Cyber Essentials accredited specialist managed IT Support and Cyber Security Company.

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