Client Case Study
Promoting Transferable Skills Creates a More Inclusive Cyber Security Recruitment Process
At i-confidential, we use transferable skills to showcase new talent and help candidates sell themselves differently. In our experience, this opens up a greater number of opportunities for them.
Background
Offering complimentary chats to LinkedIn followers allows us to provide valuable insights
While we cannot guarantee securing candidates their ideal positions, we can help unlock certain opportunities and provide guidance on highlighting their expertise. It is crucial to identify transferable skills and recognise when the skill sets mentioned in job postings may not be mandatory.
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The behavioural and cultural aspects of a role are essential, as it is important to grasp which qualities besides specific skills are crucial for success. Quite often our clients need a little encouragement in this space.
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Our talent acquisition team are happy to spend time with potential candidates, sharing market insights, reviewing CVs, enhancing LinkedIn profiles, or providing interview coaching. Such information is crucial for candidates to understand the perspectives and practices of recruiters and clients during the recruitment process. We regularly remind our LinkedIn followers to have a chat with us.
A connection becomes a successful placement after we promote her transferable skills
A mutual connection saw our LinkedIn chat offer and asked to discuss finding a way into cyber security. This area interested her, but she was unsure of access routes based on her experience. That chat led to her being successfully placed in a client.
Connection’s Career Aspirations
“After 15 years as a consultant in the regulatory space, I felt the time was right to take my career in a different direction. From a personal perspective I was already interested in cyber, so my journey started with how I would position myself.
I did not feel ready for the technical route of obtaining qualifications and certificates – I would have to go back to ground zero and build from there.
However, with the help of mentors I began to understand how my background could feed into cyber security through governance, risk, and compliance without the need for additional qualifications.”
From connection to candidate – using relationships to promote talent
At the time, we only had a few relevant opportunities – the desire from our clients for cyber-specific experience can be strong. However, we felt one role could feed into the candidate’s skill set well. The talent team branded her CV and sent it to the client, highlighting her experience. After following up we were informed the candidate did not secure an interview.
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Given our strong relationship with the client, who viewed us as a trusted partner, we were able to convey the qualities that would make her an asset to them and recommended they interview her. The client trusted our view and agreed.
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It came as no surprise to us that, after the interview, the client expressed an immediate desire to offer the role and enquired about our other potential candidates. The client valued our innovative thinking and, more importantly, our ability to identify the skills and experience that are pertinent to them and the cyber security industry.
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This transition has been incredibly successful, adding to our track record of achievements. We are delighted that this particular candidate has now seamlessly transitioned to another client project of ours and continues to deliver exceptional results.
Connection’s Testimonial
“My mentors were foot soldiers on the ground for me. They gave me valuable information on cyber security and helped me carve the path I would take, but I still felt there was something missing!
Through the power of networking, I spotted a post on LinkedIn from Nicola at i-confidential offering a chat to anyone interested in getting into cyber. I had learnt from another mentor that there was no harm in requesting a virtual coffee with people, so I reached out to Nicola.
The conversation with her was so beneficial. I was now seeing things from a different perspective. She didn’t want to eliminate my experience – she wanted to use it to enhance and grow my knowledge in cyber. She really made me understand transferable skills and bridged a gap in my knowledge of what employers were actually looking for. Her understanding of the current market and client requirements helped me see what was really out there and where the needs were.
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i-confidential did end up placing me in a role. Nicola, however, had me looking at my experience and CV through a different lens, so I am confident that I would have been successful in achieving employment within cyber even if they had not placed me.”
Can we help you move into cyber security? Or find a new role in the field?
Over the years, we have achieved immense success in providing support to individuals transitioning into the cyber security field. However, a significant portion of our efforts is dedicated to educating our clients about their actual requirements.
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Our approach typically starts with a client’s desired outcome, and then we work backwards to help them understand their true needs. In most cases, we ensure that it is not merely a rigid set of skills and qualifications they are looking for.
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The cornerstone of our client relationships is trust, which is established over time. When clients can collaborate with us, it becomes a mutually beneficial situation. We go above and beyond to save them time, and in return, they value our feedback and take it into consideration.
We can help you understand how recruiters recruit, what tools they use, how that can affect a candidate, and how consultancies like i-confidential can assist in the overall process.
During and after our first conversation we can advise on:
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Evaluating your CV.
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Providing recommendations on changing your LinkedIn profile to enhance visibility in recruiter searches.
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The significance of using relevant keywords.
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The importance of maintaining an active profile, networking, and using connections to seek help.
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Making relationships with consultancies and recruiters who have market knowledge and client trust.
