Here's How Cyber Security Recruitment is Shaping in 2024

In a report published in 2019 by IBM, it was reported that the average cost of a single data breach is over USD 3.92 million.  

Data breaches are costly. They lead to severe fiscal damage, lead to increased litigation and insurance costs, and affect the company’s reputation as well. Moreover, according to several reports, cyber-attacks have become more rampant since the COVID pandemic; the increase in phishing attacks, increasing malware, and ransomware has been a great cause of concern lately. So, it is only natural that there’s a need to invest in the cybersecurity recruitment in organizations, both big and small, especially in 2024! 

The most popular types of cybercrimes are identity theft scams and phishing scams, in which sensitive personal information is obtained to hack accounts and impersonate the user or rob. Then there are other crimes that are more prevalent, such as online harassment, invasion of privacy, and cyberstalking. There are strict laws against these crimes. A cyber cell is usually capable of monitoring these crimes, but installing a security solution is a necessary step to prevent an attack in the first place. 

What are the most popular jobs in cybersecurity recruitment? 

Jobs in cybersecurity are considered to be the most well-paid jobs globally. Although when a candidate starts a career in cybersecurity, they normally work as a helpdesk technician, IT support technician, or engineer. Let us look at few job roles that have been in high demand lately. 

• Information Security Analyst: This job mainly focuses on protecting the sensitive information of your company. Along with this, an information security analyst designs strategies and implements policies to prevent cyber-attacks, monitors data, ensures that the employees comply with the security policies, and trains them to be aware of cyber frauds.  

• Software security engineer: This is another well-paid job that focuses on risk assessment, identifying vulnerability, and developing secure software.  

• Security architect: A security architect has to identify vulnerabilities and provide solutions to protect the data. It involves designing hardware and software security systems.  

• Penetration tester: For a penetration tester, the job is to identify threats by assessing ways in which security can be breached.  

• Information security investigators: They investigate cybercrimes and trace attackers.  

What are the courses or qualifications a candidate needs to work as a cybersecurity professional? 

Cybersecurity courses are normally of three to four years at graduation level, one or two years for masters, and PhD may take from three to five years. Courses in cybersecurity vary a little from engineering. The curriculum is less academic and textbook-oriented and more about practical knowledge. A cybersecurity aspirant requires patience and time to develop the required skills. In the process of the cybersecurity recruitment process, a recruiter must ensure the candidate has considerable experience along with good qualifications.  

The demand for cybersecurity talent and lack of candidates is a concern for both candidates and recruiters. Along with qualification and experience, industry certifications are also required today to pursue a good career in cybersecurity. Some important certifications a candidate should have are CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor), CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), etc.  

How to recruit cyber talent? 

• To recruit a cybersecurity professional, recruiters need to have a fair idea of this domain and what skills are required for your organization. To test a candidate with desirable cybersecurity skills, a recruiter needs to know which cyber security tests they need. Skills like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Security Management, Cybersecurity threat investigation, blockchain, and IoT security are some basic skills that are normally required in a candidate.  
• To test these skills, a recruiter could conduct an online test for which platforms like iMocha have customizable tests on cybersecurity, cyber security risk management, cyber threat management, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing skills, etc.  
• Apart from that, many candidates that are hired at entry level positions are normally recruited for IT support. For these candidates, along with cyber security skill tests, basic tests like information security governance skills, malware analysis, network security, and operations security skill test, etc. should be conducted to assess the necessary skills required to work.  
• Machine learning and AI are also widely used as security tools to detect malware and to make software solutions to prevent such attacks. Hence, a sound proficiency is desirable in a candidate who is starting a career in the field of cyber security. 

There have been many popular cases of breaches in security in the last decade. A study by Statista shows that nearly 471 million records were exposed in the U.S. in 2019, whereas the number of data breaches in the country added up to 1,257 that year. As the economic slowdown persists in 2020, we can definitely expect a rise in cybercrimes in the world, which makes it even more pertinent for organizations to invest in cybersecurity recruitment in 2021. 

These instances make cyber security recruitment even more crucial for an organization, as a lot is put on stake while hiring for these roles. 

Naturally, then, it becomes a difficult process as it involves assessing multiple skills and the required skillset varies in every organization. Therefore, skills assessment for each of the roles would have to be customized as per the requirements.  

To customize these tests and add questions from another test, the tools you’re using should be customizable. In imocha's skill test library, you can find assessments on all kinds of tech skills, which can be customized randomly as per your choice to design a perfect test and as per the needs of your organization.  

The demand for cyber security experts is increasing, according to a recent study by Deloitte, over the next two years, Canadian companies are expected to recruit around 8,000 cyber security experts. The expected demand for cybersecurity worldwide will create 313,000 new jobs. With an increase in demand there needs to be an increase in the supply as well.  

Moreover, according to a study by Cybersecurity Ventures, global economy is expected to lose $6 trillion annually till 2021 and can experience a shortage of approximately 3.5 million cybersecurity professionals.  

Cyber-attacks are so prevalent that every digitally conscious person has to think before working. In 2020, almost all businesses have suffered financial losses to some extent and this may result in an increase in cyber-crimes. Hence, having a strong team to manage these functions can help every small and large business to work smoothly without experiencing any damage.