The harsh reality of what's happening in the cyber security jobs market right now... Despite mass layoffs hitting the headlines client organizations are hiring very aggressively and paying headhunting fees, not just mine there are other good specialist recruiters out there… So why are so many folks finding it hard to land a role & get off the jobs market? The truth is client organizations are looking for grade A top tier talent, the hard to reach, passive types that actually don't want to be found or approached. Literally the best! 95% of the employer market is after the top 5% of cyber security talent & it's one of the many reasons why job adverts are a complete joke (which I won't go into now). Basically the demand is extremely high within this subsection of the market and that's the hard truth not everyone is willing to talk about on a LinkedIn post... I'm seeing this more & more in my day job as a security recruiter. There's a huge misconception within the wider community that specialist recruiters are here to help absolutely everyone and generally get people a job, this is not the reality of what we do at all. We're paid to target and recruit a very specific ICP (Ideal candidate profile) that very few are able to access themselves. The sorts that can only be accessed by recruiters that have done a solid job in a niche for a long time, have incredibly strong networks & relationships in this space. There's no quick wins here, it's bloody hard graft... Advice for cyber security folks: Listen to the market & never play the victim. Fair or not, ultimately we are all slaves to this market and it's very unforgiving. Corrections don't care about our emotions so spend some time looking at where the high demand is. What are clients looking for? What does a grade A top tier cyber security professional look like? What's her communication style like? What does his personal brand look like? How does she interact with the community?… There's still opportunity out there, the rewards are still immense & hiring demand right now is stupidly high! All opinions, thoughts and comments here are very welcome. Let's debate, discuss, interact, and create a community on this platform so that everyone has the information they need to have an awesome cyber security career. After that it's up to everyone how they choose to utilize this info...
even when you are top talent with certs and experience it's still a sh*tshow and competition for bottom dollar
Rob Wood
1mo
Truth over here. What you know and what you’ve done is worth precisely zero. What you can do in a particular organisation is everything. These days that’s less about “the stuff on your CV” and more about how you can shape yourself to be the exact shape peg they need. That may change from week to week, and you’ll need to have the eye of a high-speed pursuit driver, seeing the road immediately in front of you, plotting the hazards down the road approaching to intercept, and maintaining the highest safely controlled speed the whole time. You secure the business, mature the program, manage the tech and incidents, and lead the people.
Lee Kushner
1mo
While there is a lot of truth to what you are saying Thomas Richard , it comes across very telling when you ( and others) give off appearances of being "for the community" but are then very blunt to share that you really only have interest in the "Top 5%" and people who you can place and make a buck from. A lot has changed in a very short time. Maybe I am old school. Also, let's not believe that your candidate pool and the candidate pools of other specialist #cyber recruiters are proprietary- because they are not The only thing that may be proprietary are Retained customers where the searches are also fully exclusive. When those are the only terms and conditions your firm and other specialists offer their Clients - you can declare that the industry has returned to good health. Let's be careful. Let's be accurate. Let's be helpful. That is all.
Stuart Mitchell
1mo
This is the accurate sentiment of the market right now. Not all skill sets are created equally in cyber security. And not all skill sets that were useful or high value 5 years ago are relevant now. People are still getting hired, (good) recruitment companies are still making money in the space and those who are adapting to market conditions are thriving.
Danny Hetzel
1mo
James E. Gonna have to agree with Thomas. Depending on the segment of Cybersecurity, leet coding skills are optional. I think basic ability to read multiple code languages will serve you far better than any leet coding skills ever will.
The top 3 causes of data breaches tend to consistently be (year after year): application vulnerabilities, stolen credentials and malware due to phishing. This points to skills in vulnerability response process improvement, identity and access management, and automated phishing response as the top ways to close doors and protect your average enterprise. None of these involve coding. All involve strong elements of soft skills/persuasion/organizational change management. Perhaps the over-focus on edge cases/technology solutions is part of the problem?
Vien P.
1mo
Doesn’t help that there are some recruiters who just ghosts you when you’re most in need. This happened to me by a recruiter that’s big and well known to everyone here. Luckily I have a large network to lean on, I feel for the people that aren’t as lucky.
Chris Pfoutz
1mo
To say organizations are hiring very aggressively but only willing to accept top 5% talent just doesn't pass muster. Particularly when said companies are unwilling to pay top 5% salaries. But you are right in how candidates should approach recruiters. Recruiters are paid by the client and the finders fee in the range of 30%. The only way they can command such a bounty is if they present truly superior talent. Headhunters don't work for the candidate, they work for the client. If you don't stand out as a superior candidate, you'll be ignored. Candidates who expect recruiters to find them a job or help with their career search are misguided.. It's not a charity.
Deputy Director/Lead, Navy Red Team
1moI think the hardest part for job seekers these days is the lack of knowing what that 5% threshold is and how far from or close they are to it. Evaluation of skillsets in the market vs. evaluation of one's own skillsets to a potential employer. It's an incredibly difficult road to navigate as a job seeker. It's tough when employers have the luxury of only entertaining the search for that niche 5%-er and another candidate may be at that 10% mark with marked potential. As part of my hiring process, I've always looked at not just what is ideal, but what core functions do we actually need and can be a fair and realistic approach to how we advertise, pair down, and interview candidates.