CYBERSECURITY JOB HUNTING GUIDE
LinkedIn Recruiters
Author: Stefan Waldvogel
Editor: Mahfuz Talukder, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahfuz-talukder/
Editor: Mahfuz Talukder, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahfuz-talukder/
Working with recruiters on LinkedIn
We start with the nasty side first. LinkedIn and other platforms are full of employment fraud, identity theft, and not every recruiter is your friend. Some steal your PII and use it against you. Always, always be a smart and careful person… Real recruiters do not need a CV to see if you are qualified, they can use their LinkedIn features. If you get a recruiter message and the recruiter is not premium, that is weird. You get an email, and the ending is .gmail or something similar… huge red flag.
Are you afraid… no, just be careful. I highlight it, because you want something, which makes you vulnerable. If you know the risks, you are prepared.
On LinkedIn, there are some special Cybersecurity recruiters, examples are:
Paul is not premium, because he uses his discord channel for recruiting, LinkedIn is not his main channel: https://discord.com/invite/uMzAkv2QXH
These recruiters are examples, and I am sure there are more IT specialized recruiting companies like TEKsystems or westpointrecruitment. If you send a request to a recruiter, add a useful message. Remember, you have this single chance to stand out! Sometimes, they get 50 messages a day. If you do not get feedback or an acceptance, just write some days later.
If you are a veteran and have an active clearance, you can find specialized recruiters. Join some groups and ask.
Do you want to find your local recruiters?
Most recruiters (in the US) use “talent acquisition” (1) as their title, and you can search for it. At the moment, we have over 6 million recruiters on LinkedIn; therefore, you have to filter them.
Are you afraid… no, just be careful. I highlight it, because you want something, which makes you vulnerable. If you know the risks, you are prepared.
On LinkedIn, there are some special Cybersecurity recruiters, examples are:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/joebhudson/ (US/Canada/ sometimes UK) ← he is awesome!
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/Cybersecuritysecricki/ (Australia, more towards high end jobs)
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-charles-pentest/ (UK/US) ← easy to connect via discord
Paul is not premium, because he uses his discord channel for recruiting, LinkedIn is not his main channel: https://discord.com/invite/uMzAkv2QXH
These recruiters are examples, and I am sure there are more IT specialized recruiting companies like TEKsystems or westpointrecruitment. If you send a request to a recruiter, add a useful message. Remember, you have this single chance to stand out! Sometimes, they get 50 messages a day. If you do not get feedback or an acceptance, just write some days later.
If you are a veteran and have an active clearance, you can find specialized recruiters. Join some groups and ask.
Do you want to find your local recruiters?
Most recruiters (in the US) use “talent acquisition” (1) as their title, and you can search for it. At the moment, we have over 6 million recruiters on LinkedIn; therefore, you have to filter them.
Search for people (2), and under connections, you have two options. Suppose you have few connections; select 1st and 2nd. This way, you get more tech-related recruiters. If you have a lot of contacts, you can go down to 1st connections. If I change this setting, I reduce the number from 2700 to 71, and that is enough. The location field (4) is essential. Usually, you want to work with a local recruiter because local recruiters have a deeper inside about your area and, most likely, more jobs for you. The field “current company” is powerful if you want to work for a more prominent company. Why not try to work for Microsoft, Tesla, Google, and other big companies?
Most active recruiters use LinkedIn premium because it is part of their job. If you have a huge list, pick Premium recruiters first. They pay for all the nice LinkedIn recruiting features, so they are most likely active.
Things do to if you get a recruiting message
Most active recruiters use LinkedIn premium because it is part of their job. If you have a huge list, pick Premium recruiters first. They pay for all the nice LinkedIn recruiting features, so they are most likely active.
Things do to if you get a recruiting message
Recruiters often send vague messages. Recruiting is a business, and if you write back, ask for:
--> you have the choice. This might not work with little work experience (entry-level) but if you have some years in IT and valuable skills, you can pick, it is an employee market.
--> Many recruiters just harvest your data and they do not have a real job. They still call you because it is part of their job. Recruiting is a hard business, that is the other side.
- Job title --> you can check the salary
- Job description --> you want to know what you do
- Location --> can you move? You need the location for the salary evaluation.
- Required skills --> can you do the job?
- Salary range --> a range gives you and the recruiter space. If you do not get a salary range, move on. The same if it is too high or too low.
- Other things like remote or not. Try to get a hint for the company culture.
--> you have the choice. This might not work with little work experience (entry-level) but if you have some years in IT and valuable skills, you can pick, it is an employee market.
--> Many recruiters just harvest your data and they do not have a real job. They still call you because it is part of their job. Recruiting is a hard business, that is the other side.
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