“Have any advice for getting a gal’s foot in the door who just graduated from a college’s Cyber Security Program — from a CISO’s POV?” A new connection asked me this question through LinkedIn’s private messaging feature.
My reply is below. I’ve changed her name in this article.
Bethany,
I wish that it wasn’t like this, but the reality is that most companies promote from within for lower-level security positions. Even entry-level security positions are often internal transfers from, for example, the Help Desk.
Now, having said that… let’s back up for a minute and look at things that work for getting any job in IT or cybersecurity.
When I teach college courses, I tell my students to do two things:
1. Be active on LinkedIn and immediately start building your connections.
2. Join clubs and organizations related to (a) business in general, and (b) your special areas of interest.
More on item 1 — don’t just focus on cybersecurity connections. Form connections with people in all kinds of business, because those companies hire people with security skills. You need lots of connections from companies who NEED cybersecurity, not just connections who are IN cybersecurity.