“Cybersecurity is a complex and ever-evolving field. How can I find the right job opportunity?”

This question has been asked by many professionals in the industry. How do you know where to look? How do you know what employers are looking for? How do you ensure that your technical skills and soft skills match up with those of the employer’s requirements?

The demand for cybersecurity professionals is high. There are almost half a million open job postings in the cybersecurity field. However, it is not easy to prioritize what to learn or which jobs to apply for. Ready to make sense of it all? Contact CIBR Warriors for the fastest way to a better position in IT!

This blog post will guide you through the process of finding a good cybersecurity engineer job opportunity.

Should you become a cybersecurity engineer?

The job role of a security engineer is an advanced-level one. It can take up a lot of time and requires a lot of self-discipline. The job has many moving parts, but the most important one is preventing system failures or cyber-attacks.

The primary responsibilities of a cybersecurity engineer are:

• Securely Provision – Designing, building, and installing software and hardware for secure IT systems.
• Operate & Maintain – Monitoring and testing system performance and making changes to ensure secure and optimal operation.
• Protect & Defend – Ensuring that security measures are being followed, such as protecting access to the network and enforcing password policies; risk management, vulnerability testing.
• Analyze – Monitoring and analyzing the data generated by firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, and other security solutions for anomalies that could indicate a cyber attack.
• Investigate – Investigating incidents of hacking, cyber threats, or security breaches by tracking down system vulnerabilities and fixing them.

This cybersecurity job title comes with a lot of pressure and responsibility. It requires a commitment to be successful in this field.

The trade-off is a high average salary and a secure job position. Glassdoor estimates the average base annual salary for cybersecurity engineers to be around $100k in the United States.

If you’re deciding whether or not to look for a position as a cybersecurity engineer, keep in mind that this job is for someone who wants a challenging and rewarding career in cybersecurity. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!

Defining the Right Opportunity

Before you set out to search for your next job, you first need to define what you’re looking for. The term ‘cybersecurity engineer’ is a broad one.

Here are some questions you should answer to find the right fit for yourself:

• How large of an organization is best for you in terms of work/life balance?
• What benefits are you looking for?
• Is the location of the job important to you? How about your commute time?
• Are you open to relocating or working remotely?
• What level of security clearance are you looking for?
• What salary range are you interested in? What’s your current salary, and where do you see yourself five years from now?
• What type of company culture are you most productive in?

These questions will narrow down your focus so that when searching through cybersecurity job opportunities, it will be clear what types fit best with your personal preferences.

If you’re going to dedicate your time and expertise to a company, it should be the most suitable for your lifestyle.

Searching for the Right Fit

Once you’ve established your needs and wants, it’s time to look for the right cybersecurity engineer job opportunity.

There are many ways to find one, so it’s essential to prioritize what works best for you.

Getting Promoted

One of the simplest methods is to start in an entry-level position at a company and work your way up to the cybersecurity engineer position.

This is the best method for those who want to learn their way into cybersecurity, and it’s the most common.

The downside of this approach is that it can take years before you’re earning a six-figure salary, but you’ll have job security in your current position until then.

More obvious issues are that you may not enjoy working at the company you’re currently at, they may not have the position of a cybersecurity engineer at all, and it can be difficult to get promoted in a company that doesn’t have the proper structure.

In that case, any of the other two methods are better for furthering your cybersecurity career.

Professional Network

Regardless of the industry you’re in; networking is at the core of most successful job searches.

Networking means finding people from your industry, such as other cybersecurity engineers or recruiters and just talking to them about what they do for a living. This gives you insight into the profession and also provides potential leads on job openings that may not be advertised yet.

The best way is through face-to-face networking, but you can also use social media to find people in the cybersecurity industry.

The downside of this method is that it takes a lot of patience and persistence, as well as being the most time-consuming option.

There is also no guarantee that a job opportunity presented through networking will be the right fit for you.

It’s important to keep in mind your goals when deciding how and where to network – how much time do you have per day? How open are you to trying different approaches? How do you feel about a cold call or email?

The upside to this method is that it has the highest chance of succeeding and will be most likely to provide an opportunity for advancement.

Online Job Searching

This might seem like the fastest, easiest way to find your next cybersecurity engineer job opportunity, but it’s far from it.

It’s easy enough to find a job posting, but the problem is that there are so many. They all look the same – you’ll need to spend hours searching through each one, reading about what skills are required for the position, how much experience you require to apply, which cybersecurity certifications, etc. And then, after applying to a position, it might be another few hours or even days before you know if they’ve even received your application. How do you decide which job to apply for in the meantime?

It’s a good idea to supplement this search with other methods so that when something comes up through online sources, you can act on it right away instead of waiting days or weeks.

This type of job searching is best for those experienced in cybersecurity, have some connections through networking or professional contacts, and don’t mind spending hours researching a single position before applying.

The Easiest Solution

If everything we’ve talked about here seems like a lot of work – it’s because it is.

It’s not uncommon for it to take weeks or even months before you find the right opportunity, and that can be exhausting.

But luckily, there are a few companies out there who put in the work so that you don’t have to – cybersecurity staffing agencies are an excellent resource for finding a good cybersecurity engineering opportunity.

You tell them what you’re looking for, and they’ll do the searching themselves while providing support to help with your resume, cover letter, interview skills – whatever it is that will equip you best for success.

A staffing agency’s goal isn’t to find you the best job opportunity; it’s to make sure that when they present a position for you, it’s perfect.

If you want to save yourself time and stave off those tension headaches, you should consider looking into cybersecurity staffing agencies.

Conclusion

The requirements for a cybersecurity engineer are a mix of technical knowledge and people skills. It’s not easy to find a good job opportunity in this field, but with the proper training, experience, persistence – or all three! – you’ll have no trouble tracking one down.

Before you set out to search, you need to be clear on what you’re looking for. What type of company is ideal for you? Do you wish to work from home or go into the office every day? How important are salary and benefits for you? These considerations will have a considerable influence on your search.

Once this is taken care of, there are three main methods to look for the right job: internally (within the company you’re already at), through networking, and online job searching.

CIBR Warriors want to find a great job opportunity for you, and we have the skills and expertise that will make sure you’re successful when searching for a position through us.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, get in touch with our team today!