Tips for Hiring the Best Cybersecurity Specialists

Cybersecurity is an extremely fast-growing industry. Lots of companies and people realize they’re at huge risks from cyberattacks. As companies try to stay ahead of those that want to steal from them, they try to pick up only the best cybersecurity specialists. So, if you’re in the market, follow these tips for hiring the best cybersecurity specialists.

More Than Education

The best place to start is by looking at your own requirements and limitations. Although it seems like the right choice to limit your application pool to people with relevant degrees, you could miss some people who have the best skills. Look for talents and skills that extend beyond only having a degree in cybersecurity.

Certification

One way to find people with the proper skills for your security needs is with certification. There are a lot of different certificates pros can get to deepen their understanding of certain systems or skills. Require these certifications to find people who have the skillset you need on your team.

NERC Background Check

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) oversees making the rules for and protecting vital infrastructure. They require a certain type of background check for any new hires, which is available to anyone. A great way to make sure you’re hiring someone good is to have them go through a NERC background check.

Widen the Search Pool

A lot of people limit their options by only hiring from places that produce talent, but good cybersecurity specialists can come from all sorts of backgrounds. Extend your call for applications beyond school programs to get more applications. You can narrow it down from there to give yourself the best chance at finding the best hires.

Training

You shouldn’t expect new hires to have every skill you want. It’s almost impossible to find someone who fills that role. But you can find people who’re great at their jobs and have the majority of the skills you want. Once you find someone who fits almost all your criteria, train them to become the cybersecurity professional you’d wanted to hire.

These are the basic tips for hiring the best cybersecurity specialists. You don’t need to do a lot more than putting these tips into practice (along with your previous recruitment policies) to find some great candidates. Hiring internally is also useful; a lot of great cybersecurity people might already work for you in other positions.