Getting Started in Cyber: Job Applications

The worst part of Cybersecurity is getting into the industry or moving around in it. Even when you're staring at the latest email where a coworker is questioning what ALCON scans are or noticing that one of your coworkers just wrote over a master template for an important document that you now have to go and fix, you can take a sigh of relief and realize that this is still easier than punching away at LinkedIn, Dice, or whatever job site turned social media giant all of the prospective employers are on this week.

This guide isn't going to say "Job Hunting Doesn't Need to be Hard (tm)" because let's be honest with each other, it is hard. At least at the time of writing in January of 2025, The it and cybersecurity industries have faced a bit of turmoil. Between mass layoffs and over saturation of entry level and mid level careers and positions this has been some of the hardest time to apply and to be in competition for jobs. I personally have had HR Experts say to Mentally prepare for nine to 14 months of job hunting. So this isn't a guide on how to make things easy or instantaneous, this is just a guide on how to make it less painful.

Fix your Online Persona

We're almost in Springtime right? So take A moment to revise and update all of your various social media accounts that you use for job hunting. This includes Linkedin, clearance jobs, dice, or any other service. Ensure that your profiles are up to date with your newest position and responsibilities listed. For more information, I posted some tips here to get your profiles up to speed.

Network Network Network

I know, you don't know anyone and you probably, like me, hate chatting people up for a connection. Too bad. The friends you make along your career are valuable assets and names to chat back up and ask for a reference. That reference puts you on a short-list for the eyes of the recruiter. After that, it's up to your resume to make sure you get the call back. So go on, have drinks with coworkers, hang out with attendees at conferences, or just commiserate with anyone else who you encounter in your career. They just might be a useful person to call upon.

Fix your Resume

Resumes are like noses: everyone has one and is proud of it and it can be the difference of whether or not you get the job. Okay, that doesn't really track but resumes are the difference-maker. The entire purpose of the document is to ensure that you get a call back. Yes, have a generic template but be ready for each job application to cater your experience accordingly. I have a guide for resumes with templates here.

Find a way to Stand Out

This is possibly the worst era to find yourself in to get into or to move around in cybersecurity. Companies are cutting back, trimming fat, and junior and intermediate roles are facing competition of hundreds after just a few days for some roles. If you just show up with a stock resume and nothing cool to show for it, you will be passed over time and time again. There are some on LinkedIn that will preach that it is just a numbers game, but if you work just a little bit ahead of time , you can save yourself a lot of the pain in rejection E mails. They'll still come, but you'll probably get less of them.

One way to stand out is by building an online brand like the one you see here. In the example of this website: this shows potential employers what I've been up to and my passion for not only the industry but for all the people in it. A dedicated domain and a blog full of my different experiences and opinions across a wide gamut in cybersecurity my dedication to the craft. Putting this in the header of my resume gives employers a one stop shop to the type of employee I am and a more detailed example of what I have done in my career.

Another example of standing out is to reach out and make a personal connection with the recruiter. This can be tough because the recruiters most likely won't be listed, but using OSINT and reaching out to any recruiter at the company can have positive results. A surefire way to find recruiters names is to look at LinkedIn under that company and search for the role 'recruiter' in the people section. Connect with them or fuzz their email (some websites have the format for company emails) and you have a way to stand out from the rest. [Thanks to Jason Blanchard for the tip!]

Be persistent and be organized

This is going to take a while. Depending on your experience, your network, and you luck, this could take a month to over a year. Keep at it. Make a job board tracker and for every job you apply to, list it. I have a sample format below. Copy the description from the job site so if they remove the public page before your interview you can refer back to it. Check back in every few weeks if you have a point of contact to show your interest and to figure out next steps.

Whatever you do, don't give up.

If this guide helped you, please let me know and if you have any tips, leave them below!