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What the market is not telling you about the cyber security skills shortage
Cyber Security: A Peer-Reviewed Journal,
4
(1),
70-76
(2020)
Abstract
In this paper, we examine the common myths surrounding the reason for the skills gap within cyber security. Many common beliefs are repeated on social media, fuelling the belief that the market is not moving on or solving common problems. Issues such as low salaries and unachievable job descriptions are often quoted but are rarer than we would all believe. With research spanning the past six years, we examine what professionals in cyber security actually value in a job search. We also examine options to solve the skills gap quicker than we consider possible. Rather than focusing on attracting school or university leavers, it is possible to reduce the gap from other talent pools. Finally, we look at whether and why talent does leave the industry, questioning if the negative press about culture around security teams is actually contributing to the skills gap or if people are simply choosing a different way of working.
Keywords: skills gap; talent; retention; recruitment; careers; jobs
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Karla Reffold is an experienced and passionate recruiter and business owner. Karla has experience running businesses in recruitment, staffing and e-commerce. She has experience recruiting up to CXO level and across a variety of industries. Karla has over ten years’ experience as a recruiter and business leader. She is committed to growing and developing BeecherMadden as an award-winning international recruitment company, seen as the recruitment partner of choice for cyber security. BeecherMadden provides talent to banks, consultancies, telecoms, retailers, technology houses and public sector bodies. In 2017, BeecherMadden was acquired by the Nicoll Curtin Group. Karla is a judge for the Cyber Security Awards, the National Cyber Awards and the American Cyber Awards. She is the host of industry interviews on the Cyber Talks media platform. She is also an experienced speaker on the topic of cyber security and women in technology. Her views are often sought and published on this subject, as well as entrepreneurship. Karla was included in SC Magazine’s Top 50 Women in Security in 2019. She was a finalist at the Women of the Future awards in 2016 for Entrepreneur of the Year and a finalist in the Future Ladies Awards for Mentor of the Year in 2019. BeecherMadden won the Cyber Security Recruitment Company of the Year in 2019 and has been shortlisted for a number of awards for its recruitment services.
