The IT security industry is hotting up. Last year, we talked about the IT security boom and this year is already proving no different. Businesses across the country are taking recruiting action to improve their IT security products, practices and vulnerabilities – and it’s time for you to take advantage. But job searching can be tedious, time-consuming and not all that effective. We’ve gathered together the top 10 ways to improve your job search and land yourself your ideal IT security position.
Career, work-life balance and salary goals – they’re all an important starting point for any job search. Identify what you have in your current role, where you want to be in ten years’ time, and what your next step should be to achieve that. This will help you to narrow down the type of job, company and benefits to begin searching for.
Closely tied with identifying your goals, is picking your speciality. IT security is an exciting career with plenty of opportunities, roles and specialisms to choose from. Make your job search easier and your career more successful, by picking a specialisation, researching the different areas and roles, and tailoring your job search appropriately.
The IT security skills of today aren’t necessarily what businesses are recruiting for tomorrow. Learn and keep up-to-date with current and future IT security trends to accurately predict what recruiters will be looking for when reading your CV. If you haven’t got the future-proof skills required, get studying. It’s also a good idea to become familiar with the IT salary and benefits that you could earn – again, enabling you to tailor your job search further.
Tip: check out our 2019 IT salary guide for the latest IT salary information.
Of equal importance, is becoming familiar with the types of companies that you want to work for. Once you know the industry and size that is important to you, start looking for companies whose values you identify with, whose employees have only positive things to say and who offers the benefits that you’re looking for. And, don’t forget to take this further once you have secured an interview. Know enough about the company and its competitors to show the interview panel that you’ve done research beyond the website.
There’s nothing worse than pulling a CV together at the last minute, learning a new skill the night before your application is due or finding out what SC/DV clearance entails on the morning of your interview. It’s stressful for you, obvious to the recruiter and results in sub-standard outcomes. Invest time in your CV, interview technique and skills – they’re your most important tools.
A scatter-gun approach to job hunting is bad news. You not only lose track of who you have applied to and when, but businesses can tell, and it turns them off. A tailored approach to job hunting results in well-thought-out applications, useful CVs and interview offers from jobs and companies that you are interested in and that will further your career. It may sound more time consuming now, but it will reduce the overall time you spend searching for a job by increasing your chances of securing a job.
The more people you talk to, the more people who are talking about you. Build your network through LinkedIn, networking events, meetups, conferences and specialist IT recruitment agencies. It’s also a good idea to develop a list of security and cyber leaders on social media channels to follow the latest news, tips and analysis – giving you something interesting to talk to your new network about.
If your job search is not going to plan, it’s time to check yourself out. Do a 15-second scan of your CV, visit your LinkedIn profile, view your Twitter account and get a friend to quick-fire interview questions at you. If you wouldn’t hire yourself, then a potential employer isn’t going to think any differently. Make changes where needed.
If you’re not noticeable from the crowd, you’ll be spending a long time in that crowd. Stand out from your competition by being active on LinkedIn, speaking to new people at networking events, writing your own blog (if that’s your thing) and getting noticed for the right reasons.
It’s easy to start your job search by putting your CV up on the internet, scouring job boards and talking to old colleagues. But is that getting you anywhere? Speaking to a specialist IT recruitment agency can improve your job search in an instant. We can help you achieve all of the above while getting your CV in front of the best businesses to work for in the UK.
To find out more, get in touch with our specialist IT security recruitment consultants today.
