# The cybersecurity hiring gap https://youtu.be/uFNqXgjwVyI?si=qcRwQ0HjNJosr2hk - The candidate experience for cybersecurity jobs is very nuanced and that's why you get weird requirements, gatekeeping certifications, 3 to 5 years of experience - There isn't really a cyber security skills shortage but rather a hiring and talent gap - There's a difference in expectations between the recruiters and the applicants - Cybersecurity and companies rarely has training and mentorship baked into it. Typically if the company does have mentorship as a part of its processes, then it's going to be competitive for those entry level positions - Ben: I think the issue comes down to the nature of cybersecurity. Cyber security accounts for conflicting interests in relation to IT systems. The issue is that anything with this conflict of interest needs cybersecurity. However, cybersecurity is a cost center and therefore it's usually better to have these cybersecurity part of the related and exploited solution as a part of the normal operations of the people who manage that IT system or process or people. Going to school will teach you the landscape but it takes a lot of time to apply cybersecurity to a very specific problem in a company, it most companies cannot afford that - If you want a cybersecurity job you have to be unique, find a niche, and then aggressively pursue it and be persistent - Most jobs are now obtained through the people you know rather than applications -