In a highly digital world, every company has become more technically inclined with heightened exposure to cybersecurity threats such as phishing and ransomware. Hiring on-demand security experts are now more important than ever. HR should therefore look for cybersecurity professionals who have adequate skill sets which should include securely processing personal data.
No matter how small your business is, cybercrime is a severe threat to all especially when engaging with your customers or suppliers online. Fostering a mindful company culture would not be prudent enough. It's advisable to have a cybersecurity expert or two to be responsible for the company's cybersecurity strategy and efficiently prevent any possible security breaches. HR should be able to identify someone who can quickly attend to security problems even when hiring freelancers to ensure that your company will be protected from any cyber-attacks.
📢Calling all hiring managers, check out these tips on how to find top cybersecurity experts for your company:
Check Out Platforms & Talent Hubs
It’s crucial for companies to look beyond educational institutions and to find people in different digital spaces where cybersecurity experts lurk around. Though, let us first take into account that there has been a long known disconnect between what is taught at schools and what IT professionals should know, particularly about cybersecurity. This increases tenfold when you start asking about their technical skills gained outside the classroom.
You better start breaking away from the usual recruitment pattern... Come on, targeting graduates from a select set of schools is very old school and won’t be of much help when finding the right people for your company. If you want to find excellent cybersecurity talents, you may want to consider the following places:
- Oomple - a platform for skilled professionals offering their expertise and companies seeking their services to fill skill gaps and accomplish important projects efficiently.
- Bug Bounty - a crowdsourced testing platform that has been providing cybersecurity services since 2015 with a wealth of experience in the field.
Don’t Box Candidates in Traditional Skill Sets
Contrary to the popular belief that cybersecurity requires niche skills, what's actually needed in this field is not so different from the fundamental competencies when interacting with technology. The possible challenges are not one-dimensional and thus it wouldn’t be wise to find and hire professionals from the same curriculum. You would need someone who can think out of the box and challenges conventional practices. Though, it would still be best to look for someone who already has hands-on experience combating cyber attacks.
Pro tip: Ask your candidates about their actual experience and ask about the actions they took to secure the company’s online assets! Oomple vets candidates for you and presents only top qualified professionals.
A red flag🚩 you should be on the lookout for is when your candidate favours an automated approach to cybersecurity, as diligent monitoring is required to make sure that everything has been looked into. A manual approach is always the way to go! Thus, streamlining your onboarding and offboarding is crucial to also manage their expectations. Cybersecurity problems will continuously evolve so you need someone who not only meticulously looks into present issues but also has the initiative to research on those they have never seen before.
Carefully Compose The Job Description
One of the most frustrating experiences for job seekers of any kind is when they’re asked to often do something more than what is included in their job description. This is also true for on-demand cybersecurity professionals. As a hiring manager, you do not want to be misleading and should outline the projects and tasks to be accomplished as well as the expected time to complete them. Be specific in order to help freelance candidates gauge whether they are right for the project as well.
Should you start interviewing them, watch out if someone is trying to oversimplify your job description and the company’s approach to information security. Anyone who claims that they can provide a simple approach to job security is an automatic no-no. It just doesn’t exist yet. If there is, we wouldn’t need this long guide on how to find top cybersecurity experts. Just remember that there is nothing simple with the work of a cybersecurity professional as they need to employ various approaches to protect your company!
Focus On Your USP
Remember that you’re not the only one who is choosing here, but also the freelancers themselves! You should be able to sell your company and the job well in order to stand out from other companies that may have also offered them a position. Aside from articulating your USP, you should also know what appeals to the candidates such as describing the company culture where they can both thrive and have fun despite the serious work.
These are only a few of the best practices when finding an on-demand cybersecurity expert for your company. Keep in mind that employing a succession plan is also important to ensure a smooth transition that speaks volumes about the company’s culture and systems in place. Hiring a cybersecurity expert on contract can alleviate a lot of the stress of hiring a professional in this field. Find cybersecurity contracts on the Oomple platform to offer your company peace of mind, finding the right fit.
Best of luck! 🤝
✍️ Written by: Chatty Garrate