Organizations are headed into the perfect storm. We don’t have enough cybersecurity professionals and are suffering ongoing threats via cybercrime. The cybersecurity skills shortage is nothing new, but it is increasingly concerning, especially as companies transform digitally. The pandemic put a lot of us online in new ways. Without cybersecurity expertise, everyone is at risk.

The (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study for 2020 finds the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 89% to defend organizations’ critical assets. The gap shrunk somewhat in 2020, but (ISC)2 suggests that is partially due to reduced business requirements during the pandemic. Ultimately, (ISC)2 says there were 3.1 million unfilled cybersecurity roles last year.

Each empty role represents a potential data breach or similar unwanted activity. Leaving cybersecurity to chance is setting oneself up for failure as hackers grow ever more sophisticated. It’s clear that something has to change – so what can your organization do?

Fix Your Job Postings

To have cybersecurity, you have to hire and recruit for it. If your job requirements and descriptions are not good enough, you will miss out on talent. Especially when hiring younger generations, it is vital to be clear and compelling in your job postings.

For example, if there are areas of the job requirements that are flexible, be clear that they can flex. This broadens your hiring pool, so long as you are okay with flexing those areas.

Highlight the benefits of working for your business, outside of the monetary compensation. What sets your company apart, as a great place to work? You are trying to sell your company as a great place to do cybersecurity work, just as much as you are trying to find the right recruit.

Getting your job postings out to a variety of people is also important. It’s clear that the cybersecurity job market is a competitive one, and you need to compete! Work toward building a strong and diverse network to which you can share open roles.

That could be a better list of job bank websites, professional cybersecurity and tech networks, social media, or asking existing staff for recommendations. The idea is to further enhance who is finding your job postings so you are more likely to find someone for the role.

Consider Alternative Backgrounds

Not every cybersecurity professional starts as a cybersecurity professional. If your company is having a hard time finding a cybersecurity expert, consider hiring someone who has general IT skills. You can always invest in training to bring them up to speed as a cybersecurity pro if they have the right background.

This takes more time and effort than bringing in someone who already has the skill and training. However, it can help with long-term retention, and even with future recruiting. Investing in your employees to give them valuable skills might attract more tech experts in the long term.

An ISACA report says that 66 percent of its survey respondents report that retaining cybersecurity talent is a challenge. With such a gap in available workers, it is easy for any company offering something seemingly better to court an employee away, leaving you short-staffed again. By training and transitioning existing employees, and considering others from pools outside of cybersecurity, you can fill critical jobs and keep people in them.

Ensure HR Understands Cybersecurity

While your HR department does not need to know everything there is to know about cybersecurity, they should understand the basics. Unless your CIO or CTO is involved in the hiring process, perfectly suitable candidates might be excluded if HR doesn’t understand tech qualifications.

Work with a Recruiter or use RPO

Here’s a way to put all of these tips together for the best results. Your company can work with a recruiter – especially a recruiter experienced in hiring for cybersecurity needs, like Mitchell Martin. A recruiter who specializes in cybersecurity can advise you on the most appropriate language for your job postings and will have a strong understanding of what makes a good candidate.

Another option is to outsource a portion of your hiring with Recruitment Process Outsourcing.  This can often be more cost effective and puts all or some of your recruiting in the hands of experts while freeing up your HR department to focus on their own specialties.

Hiring for an in-demand, niche skillset within a labor shortage, coming out of a pandemic, is certainly a challenge.  By working with a staffing company, your company has access to an existing pool of expert talent, many of whom are prescreened, to fill those gaps as quickly as possible. And, you don’t need to worry about burdening HR with tasks requiring highly specialized knowledge.

We are here to help you find a strategy to handle your cybersecurity needs, now and in the future. Keep your data safe and your company thriving, with skilled professionals on your team.

Job seekers wanting a cybersecurity role, search our open jobs and apply for what fits. Or upload your resume and join our talent community. If you’re involved in cybersecurity hiring, get in touch using our contact form to learn how we can help.