WSJ–“Companies Urged to Adjust Hiring Requirements for Cyber Jobs”…

News of the current shortage of cybersecurity professionals and the demand needed in the coming years to fill roles is seemingly ubiquitous these days.

There’s an interesting article in the WSJ on the correlation between the shortage of cybersecurity capable applicants available and the job requirements being posted by hiring companies & HR departments.

Despite holding a doctorate in computer science and having extensive military, federal and private-sector experience, Mr. Cunningham said he is routinely approached by companies offering entry-level positions.

Job postings on social-media websites for positions usually regarded as gateway roles are rife with such requirements. For instance, one post on recruiting site Glassdoor for a security operations center analyst at a Texas office of a major bank, a role many would consider as gateway, asked for a bachelor’s degree; at least four years of experience, including time doing penetration testing, digital forensics and vulnerability assessments; and professional certificates.

And if all those are the requirements to just reach entry-level, what hope is there for everyone else?

Professional bona fides, such as the Certified Information Security Systems Professional certification, can be an advantage for job seekers, but organizations awarding such continuing education certificates find it puzzling they are a requirement in entry-level job postings.

“You need five years of experience to have a CISSP,” said Clar Rosso, chief executive of ISC2, which issues the certification. “Possibly the human resources recruiter doesn’t have experience in the area and they’re not able to say, wait, that doesn’t even make sense.”

Almost like a catch-22, you need the experience to get the job, but you need the job to get experience.

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a federal body established to analyze U.S. cybersecurity preparedness, recommended in a September report that federal agencies should consider candidates with nontraditional academic or professional backgrounds. Similar recommendations have been made by other commissions studying artificial intelligence and the role of national service in U.S. society.

Source: Companies Urged to Adjust Hiring Requirements for Cyber Jobs [WSJ]