- [Instructor] Ahh, experience.
Not too much to ask for, right?
I mean, who wouldn't want to hire a candidate
that can join a security team,
and hit the ground running?
I get it.
There's a lot on the line when your duty
is to ensure the protection
of corporate assets.
Security tools need managing.
Vulnerabilities need patching.
Alerts required triage.
And active threats demand immediate response.
What you need is talent.
No scratch that.
You need top talent.
There's so much to do.
and so little time.
Unfortunately in the cybersecurity industry,
instead of hiring managers
having the luxury of selecting top talent
from a pool of highly qualified candidates,
it's actually the top talent
that has a luxury of choosing
from a massive pool of companies
in need of security personnel.
So what does this mean for leaders,
and hiring managers?
It means we need to be creative,
and find ways to broaden our search,
widen our talent pool and improve our odds.
Okay.
Let's take a break from the super
stressful topic of cybersecurity for a moment,
and talk about something a bit more fun
like shopping.
I like shopping.
Let's roll with that.
When was the last time you went shopping,
you got everything you needed,
and when you were ready to go and pay,
you found the cashier with the longest line?
I'm willing to bet that you,
like most people
while you may not necessarily
seek the shortest line,
you at the very least
try to avoid the longest line, right?
Okay.
I know that was a short break,
but let's unpack this within the context
of building your cybersecurity
talent pipeline.
Choosing a shorter line is synonymous
with taking the path of lesser
or even least resistance.
And while the same logic should apply
when hiring and recruiting.
Sometimes our desperation
for talent causes us to do the opposite.
Instead of taking the path of less resistance
or searching for talent
in a less saturated market.
Hiring managers still tend to,
well stand in the longest line.
Why do we do this?
Well it's because we've convinced ourselves
that there's too much risk
associated with hiring a candidate
having little to no real world experience.
I would argue however,
that instead of avoiding this risk
by passing over entry-level talent,
the risk should instead be mitigated.
This means structuring the team
in a way that creates
an opportunity for grooming newcomers
with the right skillset.
"Oh, but Tia,
that gives me more homework."
Yeah, you're right.
It absolutely does.
identifying the appropriate skills,
and or qualifications
begins with defining the roles
on your security team at a level
of granularity
that enables you to define specific
responsibilities based on skill level.
Ask yourself,
"What's the difference between hiring
a junior resource with the right skill set,
and taking six months to fully enable them
versus taking six months
to hire a mid-level resource
that will be more expensive,
and potentially challenging to retain.
I can think of a few differences
but hold on to that thought
for a moment and jump into the next video
where we discuss the importance of retention.