The interview is one of the most crucial parts of applying for a cyber security position. It’s your window of opportunity to start or advance your career. You’ve probably already heard it all: make eye contact, look sharp, research the company...
But interviewing for a cyber security position is a little bit different. The technical gap makes it hard for HR professionals to find talented candidates. Just parsing a resume for the right keywords is difficult since terms and definitions in the cyber security industry is inconsistent.
In this interview with Stephen Semmelroth, we talk about the recruiting world and considerations when preparing for a cyber security interview. Stephen is a military veteran who’s transitioned from leading top cyber teams to now, the recruiting division at StrataCore, a cyber consultancy.
He shares tips and reallife experiences on how to ace the interview, be shortlisted in the process, and get hired for the cyber security job.
Several key takeaways Stephen emphasizes when you’re interviewing for a cyber security job include:
Alignment. Do your personal goals and abilities align with what the company is looking for? Tailor your resume and interview responses accordingly.
Due Diligence. If you’re chatting with a nontechnical interviewer, frame your technical abilities in terms of driving business outcomes. Use your OSINT skills to find out the business reasons why a company is looking to fill a position.
Decisiveness. Many candidates expect the company to tell them their role. Rather, be decisive about the role you want and communicate with authority why you’re the right person.
Appearance. It matters. In virtual interviews factors, like camera, quiet, and sound make a huge impact on the impression for the interviewer.
Find an internal referral. This greatly increases the chances of your resume actually being read by a human. Referrals are much less expensive and risky for companies, and they tend to have higher success rates.
00:00 Introduction Stephen Semmelroth
01:51 What do employers look for in a cyber security candidate?
03:07 How to craft a good cyber security resume
08:27 Do your former titles and responsibilities matter?
10:32 Spraying applications vs. sending targeted ones
13:02 How is a cyber security interview structured?
19:28 What hiring systems do cyber security employers use?
25:06 Using OSINT to research your target company
28:14 The DNS question
35:50 Important nontechnical factors of a cyber security interview?
39:31 Reasons people fail a cyber security interview
43:43 Successful cyber security candidates
46:51 Get in touch with Stephen Semmelroth
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