It's Not You, Job Searching is Broken - Deidre Diamond and Erik Ligda

It’s Not You; Job Searching is Broken Abstract: After spending 15 years in security at a mid-sized DoD contractor and starting a job search as a security architect, I thought finding a new job would be easy. After all, we are told that there are “more than 1M vacant cybersecurity jobs in the U.S.” My journey was far from easy; resume edits, pitfalls, miscommunication, and unclear job descriptions resulted in failed job search after failed job search. The job searching process forced me into communication with recruiters who didn’t speak security and resulted in interviews for any and all security positions, thus wasting everyone's time. The compilation of job searches created an abundance of self-doubt and not the shiny new opportunity for which I had been seeking. Fast forward to today where I am the Cyber Security Architect for CyberSN, a cyber staffing firm. My confidence has been restored, and I have gained valuable insight into how the staffing process has been systemically broken for a long time. During our presentation, Deidre Diamond (CyberSN Founder and CEO) and I will share my story and provide first-hand examples of obstacles that led to a miserable job search experience, a common theme among my peers in the security industry. We will offer insight as to how this breakdown occurred and how it could have been avoided. We will provide key information, tactics, and advice to self-market, evaluate recruiters, ace the interview, and successfully negotiate salary. Bio: Erik Ligda is a Security Architect at CyberSN, a national cyber security research and staffing organization. At CyberSN, Erik’s responsibilities include the protection of the company’s intellectual property and brand image. Additionally, Erik leads CyberSN’s contracting division, acting as a trusted resource for education, training, and career development. Prior to joining CyberSN, Erik worked at Concurrent Technologies Corporation where he spent 15 years growing and leading the cyber security and incident response teams. Erik holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification and additional certifications as a GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst, GIAC Certified Information Handler and GIAC Reverse Engineer. Bio: Deidre Diamond is the CEO and Founder of CyberSN.com, a cyber security research and staffing company, and the Founder of brainbabe.org, a cyber security not-for-profit organization. Deidre’s vision and leadership has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the frustration, time and cost associated with job searching and hiring for cyber security professionals. Prior to CyberSN, Deidre was the CEO of Percussion Software, the first VP of Sales at Rapid7 (NYSE:RPD) and the VP of Staffing and Recruiting for the national technical staffing company Motion Recruitment. Deidre leads with a strong commitment to transparency, equality, training, support, high-productivity and love in the workforce.