What do cybersecurity leaders want in staff? These 3 skills beat certifications and experience
Certifications and years of experience can only take you so far in cyber now. Automation means new skills are coming to the fore.
Cybersecurity experts are in high demand, with almost half of professionals considering resigning due to the demanding and rapidly evolving nature of their work. However, instead of quitting, these professionals can enhance their value by focusing on three key skills: curiosity-led critical thinking, instinctive qualities, and the ability to convert ambiguous signals into confident, risk-based decisions.
Eric Schmitt, global CISO at Sedgwick, emphasizes that certifications and years of experience alone do not guarantee success in cybersecurity. Instead, businesses seek individuals who ask critical questions, such as "Why does this agent call that service?" or "Why are we following this process?" These questions demonstrate a blend of curiosity and critical thinking that is essential in today's fast-changing threat landscape.
Curiosity alone is not enough, however. Schmitt also stresses the importance of strong critical thinking skills. While AI can generate plausible, confident outputs, it is up to humans to evaluate its accuracy and make informed decisions. Curiosity without critical rigor can lead to noise, while rigor without curiosity can result in stagnation. Professionals who strike the right balance between these skills will be highly sought after by businesses prioritizing proactive cyber risk management.
Ankur Anand, CIO at recruiter Harvey Nash, adds that the best cybersecurity professionals possess the instinct to question seemingly fine systems and ask why they are quiet when others are only watching for anomalies. Developing this instinct can be achieved through honing threat-hunting capabilities and AI oversight. Threat-hunting involves actively searching for potential threats without relying on alerts, while AI oversight ensures that these powerful tools are effectively used to investigate alerts that might otherwise go unnoticed.
By focusing on these skills, cybersecurity professionals can prove their worth and build successful careers in an ever-evolving field.
Written by urgent.news from ZDNet's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
