Plugging the Cyber Security skills gap: how Solve Transition are cultivating top candidates

To plug the skills gap in cyber security, the World Economic Forum predicts that we’ll need four million professionals. Fail to act and two-thirds of organizations will face additional risks, the same report concludes.

Even with traditional hiring methods unable to keep pace with demand, we’re seeing rising unemployment rates in some key talent networks.

Our report, ‘The Future of Work’ states that organizations will need to rewire their recruitment process to access the skills they need. But how can organizations actually tap into these overlooked talent sources?

In this blog, we explore how a partnership with Solve Transition is changing the game when it comes to sourcing cyber security skills.

The spark that started Solve Transition

Professor Neil Curtis’s drive to kickstart Solve Transition was inspired by many of his own challenges. Previously holding various roles in IT project management. Eager to redeploy his skills in risk management, he dove into the cyber security space.

It was at this stage he realized there was very little support available to those looking to reskill.

“Police and military veterans don’t always operate in high-level technology landscapes, meaning they aren’t using technologies such as phones or laptops in their day-to-day operations. When you move out of these environments, it becomes a real challenge.”

From concept to company

“We started to road-test some of the concepts that would later become the early foundations of Solve Transition during my time at DxC”.

As Chief Security Officer, Neil and his team hired multiple veterans, using various practical assessments during interviews to showcase potential, rather than relying solely on technical expertise.

The result? “We found that veterans were transitioning very well, picking up skills at an incredible pace”.

The value-add of veterans

“Both police and military veterans have an abundance of soft skills that mean they excel in the cyber security space, including resilience, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and working effectively under pressure.

“When it comes to technical skills, most have a strong foundation in the risk and cyber space, given the technological capabilities of our modern armed and police forces. Intelligence gathering is a vital part of decision making, and military forces are using various digital encryption methodologies, so we see lots of program participants with strong data intelligence and analysis capabilities.

“But so many people, civilians included, don’t know how to communicate these skills during the hiring process”.

The result of this communication gap is that many veterans subsequently end up in low-level roles that aren’t reflective of their capabilities, with 70% classed as ‘underemployed’.

Within three years of joining an organization, over a third are in senior leadership roles.

Neil states, “they get into the organization, embed themselves and lean into their responsibilities. They learn the corporate language, while retaining the key attributes that make them so critical when problems arise.”

Below, we explore just some of the steps that Solve Transition are taking to elevate the ambitions of their program participants.

Prepping people for the job search

One of the early focus points is making CVs suitable for ‘civilian careers.’

“We’ve recently worked with a sergeant, who used to serve in the RAF. He managed an entire fleet of AWACS aircraft – that’s a portfolio worth $2.5 billion! They saw their responsibility as ensuring the aircraft were battle ready at any given point, but from a hiring perspective, it shows how comfortable they are with enormous levels of responsibility, management of spend and delivering results under pressure.”

Solve Transition support their candidates in turning their mission-focused experiences into measurable outcomes.

“The right terminology is vital, especially when applying for highly technical roles. As AI supports more of the initial screening work, it’s more important than ever that these candidates can speak the language of modern organizations.”

Strengthening their digital footprint

The next stage, ‘lessons in LinkedIn’. Solve Transition helps their applicants build a stronger digital portfolio.

“Your LinkedIn profile is like a window into who you are and what you want to achieve. When a CV lands on my desk, the first thing I do is take a look at their online profile! I want to know what motivates them, what they engage with and the people they align with.

Plus, there’s a hidden art to LinkedIn. We teach people the value of storytelling, because we all want to feel a personal connection, especially with people who could be our future colleagues”.

A coffee to determine cultural fit

“One of my favourite things to do is sit down with the candidate for a coffee. It’s not always possible, but as our network grows, we’re linking up our program applicants with more senior security executives, including myself. I want to know what drives them, what they’re seeking from a team and what they’ll give in return.

“I’m really proud of the people we’ve supported in the programme and the companies they’ve gone on to join. I don’t want to see the quality drop in either the applicant or the organization, so I dedicate a lot of time to ensuring a strong cultural fit.

We aren’t here to just fill roles. Solve Transition is driven by a desire to find quality jobs for quality talent.”

Self-guided reskilling with the right support

“We aren’t a training authority, but we create training portfolios and support our cohorts every step of the way.

“It’s about collating the right skills that will enhance employability. With so much information available, we help filter the ‘noise’, ensuring the courses they undertake are tailored to their future career.”

“The length of time spent training does vary between individuals, it can be anything between a few months and a few years, depending on existing capabilities and technical needs. When you consider that some of the exams are 24 hours long, it starts to give some indication of just how much these participants need to learn.

“And of course, life happens! We’ve just had one individual pause her participation as she’s expecting twins. Her career in cyber security will be waiting for her when she’s ready to come back.”

Finding the perfect role

“And then we welcome Hays into the picture. Once our candidates are nearing the end of the funnel, we introduce them to specialist recruiters who can help them find roles with the potential to really make a difference”.

How can we support more veterans to solve the skills gap?

For Neil, it’s about recognizing the differences while also identifying the opportunities.

“You can’t run a police station and then a corporate office. They are two incredibly different environments.

“But veterans do come equipped with a whole array of transferable skills that make them indispensable to organizations. It’s not unusual for organizations to employ just one or two of our programme leavers, and just a few months later they return, searching more people they may have previously overlooked.”

Organizations partnering with Solve Transition have taken the first leap of faith. It’s a start, but long-term success requires changes to the recruitment process. Veterans are doing a lot of legwork to ‘fit into’ traditional search methods.

Having recognized the value-add of veterans, organizations must start testing the suitability of these candidates in different ways, reflecting their different backgrounds. Neil highlights the capability framework that Solve Transition developed.

“It’s a powerful tool, not just for the veteran but also for the organization. It’s an independent assessment, beyond a CV and a fairly static interview process, that indicates to what extent this individual has the ingrained capabilities needed to thrive in the cyber security space. To find value in non-traditional talent sources, we need to be open to non-traditional indicators of success.”

Building powerful partnerships

For Adam Shapley (Managing Director for Technology Solutions, Hays Australia and New Zealand), the value add is evident.

“Organizations like Solve Transition are invaluable in connecting organizations with undiscovered or overlooked talent networks. Neil is at the heart of a rapidly growing community that you simply won’t find using traditional hiring methods.

The power of the partnerships we build with organizations like Solve Transition feels immeasurable. Together, we’re plugging critical skills gaps, enabling organizations to protect their ecosystems and empowering veterans to shape rewarding careers.”

Learn more about how demand for cyber skills is changing in our report, ‘The Future of Work: How AI is impacting your workforce’.

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