Secure The Cyber Leadership Role: Key Insights for Success

Recently I’ve working with a number of clients and candidates on various senior cyber positions and have gained some valuable insights from a hiring perspective. If you're a senior candidate or manager looking to excel in the cyber job market, there are some essential considerations that can significantly boost your success in securing your next career move.

Shift the Focus from Titles to Responsibilities

Rather than focus purely on job titles, it's crucial to shift your focus to the actual responsibilities and tasks involved in the role. Whether you've been a CISO, Director, or Head of Cyber, the underlying duties often overlap. Align your skills to effectively address the core business goals and challenges associated with the role.

Craft an Impactful CV

Creating an impactful CV is essential for senior cyber professionals. Highlight not just your leadership roles, but also your adeptness in team management, budget oversight, and project outcomes. Provide clear details about the projects you've led, including goals, team size, budget, and timeline. Equally important is showcasing results: Did you achieve set goals? Were projects completed on time and within budget? Did your team's work contribute to business revenue?

Tailor Examples During Interviews

While senior candidates often have varied cyber experience across roles, it is important to tailor your examples to the position you're applying for. Stay on point and avoid sharing irrelevant or vague stories. Directly relate your examples to the role requirements, demonstrating a solid understanding of its requirements and how your past experiences align.

Prepare Relevant Questions

Come prepared with 3-5 relevant questions about the role. Tailor your questions to expectations, business goals such as "What are you trying to achieve? What are the business objectives to be delivered?". Show a keen interest and enthusiasm for the company you are interviewing with and what they are trying to achieve.

Cultivate Relationships with Recruiters

Considering the senior nature of your role, job opportunities might not be as abundant as those for junior cyber candidates. Building relationships with recruiters is valuable, especially cyber specialists like us, even when there are no immediate openings. Proactively connect with recruiters and meet with them in person or virtually to have a conversation about your preferences and career goals. Maintaining these relationships increases the chance of being considered when suitable opportunities arise in future.

Leverage Cyber Security Certifications

In the realm of cyber security, particularly for managerial roles, relevant certifications set you apart, demonstrating your passion and commitment to the industry. Noteworthy certifications for cyber managers include Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP),Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), ISO27001 Lead Auditor, and NIST NCSP. Alongside this any focused technical certifications that delve into areas such as Cloud, SIEM and other areas of tech can be valuable. Some popular certifications would be any public cloud security certifications such as AZ-500 or AWS Certified Security. 

Thorough Research is Key

Although you might be experienced in interviews with 5-10+ years of experience under your belt, don't become complacent. As a senior candidate with substantial experience, invest time in researching the company and the hiring manager. Thorough preparation is crucial for success.

Close the Interview Strongly

Before the interview wraps up, make sure to inquire about the feedback timeline and the next steps in the hiring process. Be direct with your questions - "How long should it take to get feedback on today’s interview?" and "What are the next steps in the process?". This ensures you leave the interview with a clear understanding of the process and your performance.

The job hunt can be challenging regardless of experience levels. By following these insights, it will certainly enhance your chances of finding and securing your next role. At the cyber leadership level and looking to chat about your next steps? Reach out to any one of our team for a chat.