This post provides detailed information on the cybersecurity job requirements to help you understand what employs or hiring managers need you to have to qualify for the role and be employed.
It covers all you need to know about the job requirements for the entry-level cybersecurity role by employs or hiring managers, including the skills, knowledge, and certifications they normally ask applicants for the position to meet to be hired.
Now, let’s get into it.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Skills Requirements
The skills requirements by employers for entry-level cybersecurity jobs can be grouped into two different categories: technical and soft skills.
Technical Skills
To be hired, employers usually require applicants for an entry-level cybersecurity job to show expertise in some important technologies and concepts, including:
- Networking and Systems Knowledge
Applicants are required to show that they have a great knowledge of networking and systems, including: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, OSI model, and Firewalls, VPNs, and proxies.
- Operating Systems
Entry-level cybersecurity professionals are also required by most employers to have strong expertise of Windows and Linux/Unix administration and command-line tools, such as PowerShell and Bash.
- Security Fundamentals
Most employers seeking to hire for an entry-level cybersecurity role would require candidates for the position to have strong skills in handling common attack vectors, including malware, phishing, and brute force, DDoS, authentication and access control, encryption and hashing, basic vulnerability management, and SIEM tools, including Splunk and IBM QRadar.
- Programming/Scripting
Some employers require applicants seeking an entry-level cybersecurity job to have programming or scripting skills, but it is not always required.
However, having strong skills in Python, Bash, or PowerShell scripting, usually used for automation, and profound understanding of HTML, JavaScript, used for web-based threats, is helpful.
Soft Skills and Abilities
Having certain soft skills by applicants is also important to employers when hiring for an entry-level cybersecurity role, just as having technical skills is.
Therefore, employers usually require the following soft skills when recruiting for a entry-level cybersecurity position:
- Analytical Thinking and Attention to Detail
Entry-level cybersecurity professionals need to possess strong analytical thinking and attention to detail skills to be able to effectively identify and analyze threats, vulnerabilities, and security incidents.
- Problem-Solving Skills
The job of a cybersecurity professional, whether an entry-level or senior role is to solve the problem of cyber attacks and ensure they don’t happen in future.
- Teamwork and Collaboration Skills
Entry-level cybersecurity professionals work in a team and collaborate with various departments, teams, and individuals to implement security measures and respond to incidents.
- Communication Skills
Having strong communication skills is important to employers when recruiting for an entry-level cybersecurity role because the professional need to be able to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, effectively explaining security threats, potential impact, and mitigation strategies to them.
- Curiosity and Passion for Learning
cybersecurity professionals need to be curious and have a passion for learning so that they can remain updated on new threats and technologies.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Knowledge Requirements
Applicants seeking an entry-level cybersecurity job are also required to possess certain knowledge to be successful on the job, including:
Knowledge of Frameworks and Standards
Candidates for entry-level cybersecurity positions with good knowledge of key frameworks and regulatory standards have an advantage of getting employed.
The following frameworks and standards are important for applicants to be familiar with:
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a voluntary framework that helps organizations manage cybersecurity risks.
- ISO/IEC 27001
SO/IEC 27001 is an international standard that allows organizations to establish, execute, maintain, and continually enhance their information security practices.
- MITRE ATT&CK
This is a publicly accessible knowledge base that provides detailed information on how cyber adversaries behave, enabling cybersecurity professionals to understand, detect, and effectively defend against attacks.
- Others
Other frameworks and standards that entry-level cybersecurity professionals should have knowledge of include GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, depending on the industry they are interested in.
Knowledge of Tools
Applicants seeking an entry-level cybersecurity role may also be required by employers or hiring managers to have good knowledge of tools and platforms commonly used in the industry, including:
- Wireshark: A powerful network protocol analyzer majorly used for analyzing network protocols, troubleshooting network issues, and ensuring network security.
- Nmap: This is used to scan and identify the devices on a network and find open ports and services. It can also detect potential vulnerabilities on the network.
- Metasploit: A very effective framework used for penetration testing and security assessments.
- Kali Linux: This is mainly used for penetration testing, security auditing, and other similar information security tasks.
- Burp Suite: A very effective tool majorly used for web application security testing and penetration testing.
- Others:
Candidates for the entry-level cybersecurity role may also be required to have a strong knowledge of Splunk, ELK Stack or AlienVault OSSIM (SIEM).
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Educational Requirements
The usually preferred educational qualification by most employers for entry-level cybersecurity employment is a Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, or Information Technology.
Applicants who have completed courses in networking, operating systems, security fundamentals, and ethical hacking are more favored with employers.
However, an Associate Degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or Network Administration may be acceptable for entry-level roles by some employers.
Also, some employers may accept candidates with relevant bootcamp training or equivalent experience.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Certification Requirements
For most employers, it is important for applicants vying for an entry-level cybersecurity job to have relevant certifications, which serve as a proof that they have the right skills and knowledge to be effective on the job even if they don’t have any work experience.
Some of the important certification requirements for the entry-level cybersecurity role include:
- CompTIA Security+
This is a very popular entry-level and globally recognized cybersecurity certification that assures an individual’s foundational knowledge and skills in cybersecurity.
- CompTIA Network+
Having the CompTIA Network+ certification proves that an applicant has acquired the necessary foundational networking knowledge and skills.
- Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)
The Certified in Cybersecurity certification is an entry-level one offered by ISC2 that provides a foundational understanding of key concepts to individuals who are new to the field of cybersecurity.
- Microsoft SC-900
Individuals who hold the Microsoft SC-900, an entry-level certification, have acquired the knowledge of core concepts in security, compliance, and identity fundamentals within the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Others Certifications
Other certifications that can be required by employers or that can give you an advantage in getting hired for an entry-level cybersecurity position include: Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate, Google Cybersecurity Certificate (via Coursera), and GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC), which is more advanced, but recognized by employers.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Work Experience Requirements
Employers do not usually require candidates to provide proof of work experience before they are employed for an entry-level cybersecurity role; instead they often seek demonstrable skills.
Therefore, to have your application stand out without a formal work experience, you can do any of the following:
- Complete cyber labs and simulations on TryHackMe, Hack The Box, or CyberSecLabs to test, analyze, and learn cybersecurity defenses.
- Participate in Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions to learn how to uncover vulnerabilities, exploit weaknesses, and defend systems.
- Create and maintain a home lab to gain practical experience, explore different tools, and develop a deeper understanding of security principles.
- Build a GitHub portfolio of tools, scripts, or security write-ups to gain real-world experience.
- Contributing to open-source security tools to gain hands-on experience, builds a portfolio, and demonstrates a passion for security.
Entry-Level Cybersecurity Legal, Ethical, and Background Requirements
For the fact that cybersecurity professionals often work with sensitive data and systems, they are usually required by employers so take a background check and sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
When applying for a job with the government or defense department, cybersecurity professionals may be required to undergo security clearance before they are hired.
Conclusion
To be competitive in your search for an entry-level cybersecurity job, you need to know what employers’ requirements are so you can better prepare for the career.
This post has provided all you need to know about the skills, knowledge, education, and certification requirements that employers will want you to meet to be hired for the entry-level cybersecurity role.
