cybersecurity jobs

Bridging the Workplace Generation Gap

The modern workplace is more diverse than ever and with diversity comes new opportunities and challenges.  One challenge today’s workers and managers are encountering is the Workplace Generation Gap.  Workers of different ages bring inherent preferences related to work expectations, communication styles and priorities.  While treating everyone fairly is of first importance, this doesn’t mean everyone responds best to a cookie cutter approach from management, and understanding people from their point of view is critical to leading them effectively.  Whether you are a new grad seeking your first job, a senior citizen re-entering the workplace, or a manager tasked with getting the most out of your multi-generational team, understanding the unique needs and wants of your coworkers can make you more appreciated, happy and effective in your job.

Ageism and It’s Negative Connotations

While considering the implications of blending workers of various ages in the work setting, it is important to define Ageism and avoid its negative connotations.  Ageism can be defined as the recognition of stereotypes associated with individuals or groups based on age.  In a negative sense, Ageism can be applied in a discriminatory (and illegal) fashion when such stereotyping creates biases causing employers to steer individuals into (or away from) workplace opportunities based on the individual’s age.  The goal of this article is not to focus on the negative implications of age-based discrimination, but to identify strategies where people of different age groups can work well together. 

Generation What?

Various titles have been applied to different generational groups in the U.S. over the last 100 years.  Among the most common are the following: 

  1. The Silent (or “Greatest”) Generation – Born from 1928 to 1945 – This group of Americans lived through the Depression and World War II.

  2. Baby Boomers – Born from 1946 to 1964 – This generation was part of a population surge and witnessed the United States ascend as an economic and military superpower following WW2.

  3. Gen X – Born from 1965 to 1980 – Gen Xers have enjoyed increased opportunities for financial growth and entrepreneurship.

  4. Millennials – Born from 1981 to 1996 – This generation grew up during the Information Age and is highly proficient with technology.

  5. Gen Z – Born from 1997 to 2012 – Gen Z Americans have never known a world social media.

Labor Force Participation By Age

Statistics slightly vary by source, but U.S. Labor participation by age follows the bell curve model below. 

An Aging Workforce

As indicated above, the majority of U.S. workers are aged between 25 and 54. However, a new trend is increasingly apparent – the average U.S. worker is getting older.  While statistics vary from industry to industry, the median age of full-time employed U.S. workers today is over 42 years of age.  This is more than 5 years older than the median age for American workers in 1990.  This trend of older people working longer (or re-entering the workforce) while younger people are waiting longer to start working only seems to be accelerating. The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics which shows the 55 and older group moving from 36.7% employment in 2021 to 41.1% employment in 2022 (an 11.99% increase) while the 16 to 24 age group went down from 50.1% employment in 2021 to 41.5% employment in 2022 (a 17.7% decrease) during the same period.  And, this is not unique to the U.S. as many other developed countries are experienced the same trend.

Older workers are staying in the workforce longer while younger workers are waiting longer before engaging in full-time employment.

Some of the factors keeping older workers in their jobs longer are listed below.

  1. People are living longer and new work settings (and the kinds of work being done) are allowing older workers to be productive in their jobs later in life.

  2. Some older workers are choosing to work longer embracing the personal challenges and identity associated with work.

  3. Other older workers are working longer out of necessity for financial reasons or to support other family members.

Meanwhile, many young people are waiting longer to engage in traditional, full-time jobs.

  1. In a competitive labor market demanding experience they do not possess, some young people are opting to pursue advanced education or training before pursuing their careers.

  2. The extension of medical insurance eligibility under family plans to age 26 (previously 18 for non-students) has made it possible for young people to delay entry into the workforce.

  3.   Non-traditional forms of making money through social media are emerging which give young people alternative ways of supporting themselves while maintaining life balance.

Bridging the Gap

Every individual brings unique talents and preferences.  In competitive environments like our current business and labor market, the goal of good companies is to bring out the best in everyone and the good news is this isn’t an either/or question.  While stereotypical advantages and challenges can be associated with people of different age groups, there are hiring and leadership practices which foster positive work experiences regardless of your age strata.  It is possible to create a work culture appealing to one group without alienating another.  In fact, when a company makes the effort of taking care of one segment of their population, it is appreciated by other employees even when they are not directly benefited by these changes. We recommend the following strategies as best practices for attracting and retaining employees of all ages.

Positive Culture – Everyone aspires to work for a company that is both successful and caring. People are your greatest asset, and investing in them makes your company stronger. Your workplace should foster an open and inclusive culture where everyone has a place, goals are clear, and people are trusted to do their jobs.

An Environment Of Respect – The modern workplace brings challenges and stressors of many kinds – meeting deliverables, dealing with unpredictable changes, turning a profit in competitive markets, to name just a few, but within the walls of your business (even if they are virtual walls), there must be a climate of respect between co-workers regardless of hierarchy, age or any other dimension.  When this can be established and maintained, there is a sense that, whatever challenges may come from outside of the business, you can handle it TOGETHER.

Manage People How They Want To Be Managed – Regardless of a person’s age or tenure, different people expect and respond better to different management styles.  Rather than taking a cookie cutter approach to management, each manager should customize their style to each reporting employee in terms of how objectives are communicated and monitored, and the amount of support needed.

Stability – While each employee may have different expectations of what equates stability to them, people like employers with a clear vision of what they do best and plans for the future.  Articulating and reinforcing these goals builds confidence in your team and shows them their contributions matter.

Training – Most employees appreciate the opportunity to add new skills or get better at some of the things they do already.  Training is an investment that raises the bar for everyone and demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to internal development. 

Mentorship – An easy way to bridge the generation gap is to pair experienced people with those less experienced and cross train them so skills can be transferred.  Everyone has something to bring to the table, and everyone has something new they can learn.  Taking this to another level, progressive companies create job sharing situations where diverse groups leverage individual strengths to solve problems together.

Career Planning – Providing options for various career paths and customizing them to align with each employee’s personal goals demonstrates long term commitment to your people and allows them to project themselves into new and more interesting roles as defined training objectives and work achievements are realized.  

Work/Life Balance – Employees of all ages are recognizing the need to find harmony between their time devoted to work and their personal time.  While some people strongly identify the things they do at work as self-defining as to who they are, others want to compartmentalize work as a means to enable the life they want to live outside of the office.  Good companies should strive to help individuals realize the balance they are seeking within a framework that ensures company goals can also be achieved.  Remote work and flexible hours are one example of how companies are evolving to give employees more freedom to get their work done in a way that is beneficial to the individual worker and to the company.  Defining project specific work which prioritizes objectives over how or when the work is fulfilled is another way of giving your employees to have more control over their work/life balance.  

Diversity in other areas – Fostering a culture that is inclusive of people from many different groups will also be helpful in bridging the generational gaps that may exist in your company.  Demonstrating that your company encourages and is supportive of good workers regardless of their demographic differences shows your commitment to support everyone.

Moving Forward

Treating people how YOU would like to be treated has always been the standard for interpersonal relationships, but diversity in today’s workplace asks us to move to a higher standard of treating people the way THEY would like to be treated.  Nowhere is this more obvious than when we engage with people of different ages as we commonly do in the modern workplace.  As you get to know them better, you will find they probably have something they can teach you!

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Job Opportunities for Cybersecurity Professionals.

Learn about the best job opportunities on the market for Cybersecurity professionals and discover the experience Enspire Partners’ clients expect.

The job prospects for Cybersecurity professionals are strong. In fact, the number of Cybersecurity jobs is climbing fast, from 3.5 million worldwide in 2020 to 4.1 million in 2022. 

But specific roles in Cybersecurity vary, and it can take time to figure out which niche you want to target. We’re identifying the top Cybersecurity jobs for 2022, 2023, and beyond, plus what you can do to land a great position. 

NOTE:  Some clients refer to Cybersecurity as Information Security (or InfoSec) or IT Security. We will use these terms interchangeably, but the roles described below apply to each of these areas.

Top Cybersecurity Jobs for 2022 and Beyond

The following positions are organized according to entry, mid-level and advanced positions. Each section explores what’s involved with each job and projected compensation. 

Entry-Level Cybersecurity Positions: may be obtained through certification and training, although you will need strong technical aptitude and job-specific skills.

  • Information Security Administrator - Salary: $80,000+
    An Information Security Administrator has a relatively wide range of responsibilities. They’re responsible for protecting the organization from threats and helping individual users and departments maintain high Cybersecurity standards. 

    In many companies, the Information Security Administrator becomes the escalation point where users, from management to new employees, interact with the InfoSec team. Most candidates for these roles have some experience supporting networking environments and have obtained certifications and some practical training in Cybersecurity fundamentals.

    Job responsibilities for an InfoSec Administrator include:

    • Maintain Cybersecurity tools and monitor the network

    • Research the latest Cybersecurity trends

    • Identify, document, and report successful breaches

    • Help users properly implement Cybersecurity technologies and protocols

  • IT Auditor/Security Process Analyst - Salary: $75,000+
    Auditing functions exist in many IT areas, and Cybersecurity has an increasing demand for IT Audit professionals. IT Auditors are responsible for analyzing and assessing a company’s technological infrastructure, ensuring processes and systems run accurately, efficiently, securely, and in adherence to regulations. 

    IT Auditors with a Cybersecurity focus have many of the following job responsibilities:

    • Establish and ensure compliance with Information Security standards for all employees, contractors, vendors, and suppliers.

    • Documentation and mapping of business processes and supporting IT functions.

    • Applying established audit standards throughout the infrastructure.

    • Auditing and assessing all aspects of the company’s network applications, including software, programs, security, and communications.

    • Creating and maintaining reporting and metrics of audit results.

  • Penetration Tester - Salary: $80,000+
    A Penetration Tester, often referred to as a “Pen Tester,” systematically identifies weaknesses in an organization’s Cybersecurity system by designing and simulating attacks on the company’s IT systems. Penetration Testers may have developed some of their skills in social settings outside of the workplace but usually have previous Programming or Quality Assurance experience.

    For example, a Pen Tester may design an assault on:

    • Company databases containing sensitive information

    • Cloud resources, such as applications the organization uses to do business

    • Web applications the company makes available to its employees or customers

    • An organization’s website, including testing how it reacts to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, which involves overwhelming it with fraudulent requests

Mid-Level Cybersecurity Positions: In many companies, the most significant factor when determining who qualifies for advancement to higher-level positions is experience. The following positions typically require previous experience in these roles and specific certifications, such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Many of these roles also branch off into areas with a niche focus.

  • Cybersecurity Engineer - Salary: $110,000+

    Most Cybersecurity Engineers have previous experience in the Cybersecurity Administrator role outlined previously. The Cybersecurity Engineer leverages this experience to research and implement leading-edge tools to mitigate the risk of a devastating cyber attack. Deciding which technologies a company needs to use to protect its digital assets is central to the Cybersecurity Engineer’s job. 

    Typically, they will be hands-on with most or all of the following security tools:

    • Firewalls—both hardware and software

    • Intrusion detection systems

    • Identification and authentication systems

    • Antivirus software

    • Web application firewalls, which specifically safeguard web apps from attacks

    • In addition to choosing the best tools, the Cybersecurity Engineer ensures these technologies are installed, maintained, and updated correctly.

  • Vulnerability Management Specialist - Salary: $120,000+
    The Vulnerability Management Specialist leads the InfoSec Team in developing proactive measures to understand and prevent unauthorized penetration of the company’s information systems. Vulnerability Management attempts to anticipate and interdict attacks that may have never occurred previously. 

    Vulnerability Management Specialists job responsibilities may include:

    • Devising and leading White Hat vs. Black Hat scenarios to anticipate hacking attempts proactively. Because of these responsibilities, the Vulnerability Management Specialist may also manage the Penetration Testing Team.

    • Reviewing databases, servers, and devices to analyze how an attacker might penetrate the system and develop strategies to stop such attacks.

  • Incident Response Specialist- Salary: $120,000+

    The Incident Response Specialist develops contingency plans in the event of a successful systems breach and is responsible for managing the Incident Response process in the event such a breach occurs. 

    Incident Response job responsibilities may include:

    • Developing the Incident Response strategy and communicating it to stakeholders across the country.

    • Representing the InfoSec team in the event of a breach and effectively implementing IR plans and procedures.

    • Helping law enforcement officials as they investigate a cyber attack

    • Recovering data that’s been stolen or lost due to damaged hard drives

    • Manages post-attack analysis and remediation procedures.

 

Advanced/Senior Cybersecurity Positions: In addition to hands-on skills with the previous roles outlined, more senior roles typically require management and strategic leadership responsibilities.

  • Security Operations Manager - Salary: $150,000+

    The Security Operations Manager oversees the Security Operations Center (“SOC”), a centralized unit dealing with security issues on an organizational and technical level, integrating people, processes, and technology to provide an optimal security posture. 

    Position responsibilities may include:

    • Defining, recruiting, selecting, and managing various roles identified previously within the financial and business restraints available.  

    • Being a Thought Leader in innovative concepts of continuous improvement for all corporate security apparatus and processes.

  • Chief Information Security Officer - Salary: $200,000+

    In response to an awareness of the need for Cybersecurity and the growing headcount employed by clients, a new C-level Executive role called the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has been created. This is a strategic position at progressive companies with a segregation of duties distinct from the traditional CIO/IT management team and “a seat at the table” in C-level decision-making. 

    In addition to other responsibilities, the CISO is responsible for:

    • Developing the overarching Cybersecurity strategy from the company and blending various teammates in the InfoSec organization and matrixed areas of IT to ensure a safe and protected IS environment.

    • Communicating and prioritizing these initiatives to other Executives and Business Leaders

Other Cybersecurity Positions

With the dynamic growth we are experiencing in Information Security, no list of titles and responsibilities could be exhaustive as companies recognize the increased need for Cybersecurity personnel across all levels of the enterprise. Some interesting areas we are seeing companies explore include Data Scientist Security Specialist (using Data Engineering techniques to classify high-volume attacks and vulnerabilities to enable the InfoSec Team to parse between high-priority threats and things not as critical) and even implementing Cybersecurity Standards in the manufacturing setting with PLC and firmware devices. No doubt, this escalation of the war in Cyberspace will continue as companies endeavor to protect their information assets while nefarious actors around the globe are constantly developing new methods of skirting defensive measures. 

How to Get a Cybersecurity Job

The best way to land a Cybersecurity job is to leverage your current IT experience to move into a new role with a Cybersecurity focus. Training and certification are prerequisites for many openings, but there is no substitute for real-world knowledge when it comes to Infosec positions.  

One practical way you can gain this experience is to join an ethical hacking group so you can learn how systems are attacked and defended in the corporate world. You should volunteer for any Infosec-related projects at your current job or seek out non-profits in need of IT resources and offer to help staff tasked with technology responsibilities.

Enspire Partners’ Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

In response to client demand, Enspire Partners has developed a Center of Excellence associated with Cybersecurity. Our goal is to connect companies interested in growing their Cybersecurity capabilities with the best people and training resources available. Please join us for upcoming webinars on this topic and reach out to us directly if we can assist you with talent in this highly competitive space.

Learn What Companies Expect with Enspire Partners

With the deep connections in the IT industry and the agility of a high-volume staffing firm, Enspire Partners is uniquely qualified to assist you with all of your cybersecurity staffing needs. Connect with me today at tonyf@enspirepartners.com.

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