Do you have no experience and no education? No problem! This series is for you! We’re here to assure you that there’s space for you in cybersecurity.
In Part 4 of this series, let’s talk about how to apply for jobs in cybersecurity.
But before we get into that… Let’s talk about what we discussed in Parts 1–3 of Where to Begin.
What We’ve Covered So Far
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed goals and how to structure your goals based on your priorities.
During Part 2, we talked about having self-awareness. Do you desire money or self-fulfillment? Does your self-fulfillment come from earning money or having hands-on involvement in creating software?
Do you want to get into forensic or travel the world working as a cybersecurity consultant? Once you know, you can avoid positions that you’ll likely hate and are more likely to be successful at. Then you can familiarize yourself with job titles that you might see in your area of interest.
Part 3 encouraged you to utilize your resources. The internet is full of free information and courses that will allow you to learn more about the cybersecurity industry and the plethora of jobs and skill sets that will lead you to a lifetime of career success.
This will also give you the knowledge to help you avoid things you hate and protect yourself from a job that’s going to only lead to burnout.
Now you’re up to speed and ready for Part 4!
Start Applying!
Seriously – JUST START APPLYING! Obviously, you won’t be qualified for everything! But in reality, a lot of being qualified for a job is in your head. Only people who dare to try are “qualified” – it’s mostly mental.
As I’ve said many times before, QA jobs are great places to begin your career in cybersecurity, particularly if you’re technical. If you’re not technical… you’re doomed.
NOT!! Actually, not at all!
You Don’t Have to Be Technical
Always remember – you don’t have to be technical to get a good job in cybersecurity. Graphic designers are always in demand. As are strong communicators. Or you could get a position in security awareness training, which is a position that involves close work with all kinds of people.
Basically, if you’re good with people, you don’t need to be good with code. However, if you’re good with code and not great with people, it’s time to start building your interpersonal skills.
Skill-Based Searching Is Key
If you’re not educating yourself and working on skills-based training, as we discussed in Part 3, then you won’t be able to conduct a skill-based search for jobs, which is essentially taking the skills you have or would like to develop and searching for jobs based around those skills – not the job title. This makes finding a job in cybersecurity infinitely easier.
If you start trying to look for jobs without a specific goal, you’ll run into two issues.
1. Know what you want.
If you don’t know what type of job you want, you’ll have this exact conversation over and over.Friend: “What kind of cybersecurity job do you want?”
You: “Anything!”
Friend: “Well, I hope you find something. Good luck!”
And the conversation will end there.
If you instead reply, “I want to get into forensics,” your friends and professional connections will be able to actually connect you to people within their network that can help you find the position you’ve been dreaming of. Being specific allows the other person to relate to you and connect to you on a personal level, which makes them more likely to help you.
2. Don’t focus on the titles.
Titles mean nothing, particularly in cybersecurity. Conduct your job search based on skills – NOT titles. Forensic analysis, security awareness training, disaster recovery. Once again, these are skills, not titles. Not sure what to look for? Google “cybersecurity skills” to get an idea. It’s easy to figure out what type of skills will be needed for the types of jobs you want to do.Don’t Get Intimidated
You may have to contact 100 companies or apply to 100 jobs – or more – to find the perfect job for you. Be prepared for the fact that most of the jobs you apply for won’t be a good fit or you won’t get called back for an interview. But the beauty of a job is, if you find the right one, you only need one!
But you have to start. Just start! Start applying to jobs now!
Are You Ready to Learn Even More?
If you’re ready to learn more or feel like you need a bit more help, notiaPoint has your back. Check out our seven-day email training course, Cybersecurity Essentials.
This free training gives you a full week of advice and information about how to start a cybersecurity career.
Plus, when you sign up for Cybersecurity Essentials training, you’ll also receive “The Ultimate Cybersecurity Jobs Qualifications Guide” and Ask Nato Riley’s e-book, “The 10 Laws of Online Personal Cybersecurity.” If you’re ready to make a change, don’t wait. Stop procrastinating. Start now.