00:00:00

Show Notes

Renee Small, Cybersecurity Super Recruiter, content creator, and host of the Breaking into Cybersecurity podcast, joins the Hacker Valley team to clear the misconceptions around recruiting and discuss cybersecurity’s open positions. Taking labor shortages and skills gaps into consideration, Renee explains how she’s helped others start strong in the industry and hone their skills. Additionally, Renee covers her journey into content creation and podcasting, and how that’s impacted her recruiting work. 

 

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Understanding a recruiter’s role in big and small cybersecurity orgs

[06:37] Diving into content creation with the Breaking into Cybersecurity podcast

[12:13] Challenges and rewards of helping entry level cybersecurity professionals

[16:02] Rewarding cyber recruitment stories and tech mentorship opportunities

[22:39] Advising job seekers looking for entry level positions in cybersecurity

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and Uptycs for bringing this episode to life!

The Axonius solution correlates asset data from existing solutions to provide an always up-to-date inventory, uncover gaps, and automate action — giving IT and security teams the confidence to control complexity. Learn more at axonius.com/hackervalley

With Uptycs, modern defenders can prioritize, investigate and respond to threats across the entire attack surface—all from a common solution: uptycs.com.

 

What is the role of a recruiter in cybersecurity? 

Renee knows the idea of a recruiter can be a confusing one, and the role of a recruiter can be radically different depending on the size of an organization or the type of recruitment they focus on. Overall, however, Renee believes that the role of a recruiter is to be a matchmaker for a position within a company. Cybersecurity recruiters have to understand the technical needs of a position and the cultural needs of a cybersecurity company to find the perfect practitioner fit.

“The role really is to be like a matchmaker. You’re seeing who out there is a great fit for which roles, which companies, and which culture, or which company culture, and that's what makes it, for me, a lot of fun.”

 

How has being a content creator impacted your work as a recruiter? 

Although Renee doesn’t always identify as a content creator, her work with Chris Foulon on the Breaking into Cybersecurity podcast speaks volumes about the type of creator she really is. Renee always focuses on giving back with the work she produces, whether that work involves career coaching, recruitment advice, or cybersecurity education. Becoming a podcaster and content creator has allowed Renee to answer questions and provide information that helps the entire online cyber community. 

“I experienced all the positions that were open as a recruiter, but I had no idea that there was this group of folks who were entry level, or transitioning into their first cybersecurity position, and they needed my help [in order to break into cyber].”

 

What are some of the most fulfilling moments that a recruiter can have? 

Being a recruiter gives Renee the opportunity to help cybersecurity practitioners discover their dream job and navigate the industry intelligently. Her fulfilling moments actually center around those she’s helped along the way, including a former mentee and a former helpdesk employee looking for upward mobility. Finding the perfect match isn’t just about satisfying the company needs, Renee explains, but is also about connecting someone to an opportunity for success and growth.

“I get a kick out of people getting a job, it's almost like a little high for me. Every time I'm the person who connects people and it works out and they get paid well, I have a little party in my head. It's just so rewarding. I love that matchmaking process so much.”

 

What advice do you have for professionals struggling with their job search in the cybersecurity industry? 

Cybersecurity’s labor shortage and staff burnout issues threaten even the most air-tight of security teams. Unfortunately, Renee explains that even with so many job openings, entry-level employees or professionals transitioning industries still can’t break into cyber. Her best advice for those struggling to take the first step is to connect with successful practitioners in the field already through nonprofit organizations and network events. Focus on a network that will expand your knowledge of cyber and the state of the industry.

“If you're a college student, if you are someone out there looking to understand what's happening in the field, join one of the myriad of cybersecurity nonprofit organizations and learn about what security really is.”

---------------

Links:

Keep up with Renee Small on LinkedIn 

Listen to Renee’s podcast Breaking into Cybersecurity

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Recent Episodes

November 28, 2023

Cover Your SaaS: Navigating OAuth

and SaaS Security Challenges

SaaS misconfigurations may be responsible for up to 63% of security incidents. Do your SaaS applications have risky OAuth grants and misconfigurations? Let’s not find out. We will unravel the complexities of OA...

November 21, 2023

Standing Out On LinkedIn as a

Cybersecurity Professional with ...

In this episode, host Ron Eddings speaks with Chris Hughes, President at Aquia, Cyber Innovation Fellow at CISA, and cybersecurity legend. Special guest, Chris Hughes, was initially inspired to build a personal...

November 7, 2023

Adversarial AI: Navigating the

Cybersecurity Landscape

In this episode, host Ron Eddings is joined by Sr. Director of Red Team Operations at Coalfire, Pete Deros, to discuss the hottest topic around; adversarial AI. Ron and Pete discuss how AI is used and how the a...

October 31, 2023

Protecting What You Can’t See with

HD Moore

In this episode, host Ron Eddings is joined by Metasploit creator, co-founder and CEO of runZero, HD Moore. HD changed the world with Metasploit and he’s doing it again with runZero. Attack Surface Management c...

October 24, 2023

Penetration Testing, Public

Speaking, and Content Creation w...

In this episode, Ron Eddings is joined by Penetration Tester, Instructor, International Speaker, Best Selling Author, and Podcast Host, Phillip Wylie. Phillip shares how pen testing and the need to educate peop...

October 17, 2023

Ruse and Deception: From Hollywood

to Corporate Espionage with Robe...

In this episode, Host Ron Eddings interviews Robert Kerbeck, author of Ruse: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street. Robert shares how his professional acting skills helped his career in corpora...

October 10, 2023

Hacker Culture and ADHD with Kim

Crawley

In this episode, host Ron Eddings is joined by cybersecurity researcher and writer, Kim Crawley, to deep dive into one of her greatest passions; computing! From its origins to its newest capabilities in quantum...

October 3, 2023

Starting at the Endpoint with Danny

Jenkins

In this episode, host Ron Eddings is joined by Co-Founder and CEO of ThreatLocker, Danny Jenkins, to talk about his "Hero’s Journey" from IT to launching ThreatLocker. From spam emails, bots, and ransomware to ...

September 26, 2023

Having Resilience In Your Cyber

Career with Erika Eakins

In this episode, host Chris is joined by Erika Eakins — a cybersecurity sales ninja, podcaster, and co-founder at Teach Kids Tech. Erika opens up about her challenges entering tech and cybersecurity as a woman ...

September 19, 2023

Build vs. Buy: The Classic

Technologist Conundrum

It’s a classic technologist conundrum: Should I build or buy the solution I need to solve a problem? The “Build vs. Buy” conundrum is faced by technology teams worldwide. To help approach this riddle, Chris Coc...

WORK WITH US

PODCASTS + SPEAKING + EVENTS

Are you the best kept secret in cybersecurity? Let's change that by partnering together for podcast ads, social campaigns, and your next event or keynote. Send us your details to get started.