I didn't start out in the field of cybersecurity.  And I've not always been a career coach. 

Before focusing all of my attention on Aspiring Cyber Professionals, I worked at the intersection of Higher Education and Workforce Development.  My job was to understand the Cyber Job Market and ensure that students had exactly what they needed to land interviews and break into the field.

I worked with educators, hiring managers, and students to bridge the gap between the degree and the job. That brought me a unique perspective to the job hunt...my role was to help both sides win...the hiring manager gets the best candidate AND the student lands their dream career.

And in the last 8 years, I've helped almost 2000 aspiring cyber professionals understand what hiring managers need to see in order to land the job. 

And that's what I want to show you. I want you to land a job in cybersecurity too. 

The goal is to get you interviews first. Then turn those interviews into job offers so you can finally start your dream career.

 

Don't Start with Your Resume

 

After they finish their training, most aspiring cyber professionals jump into building their resume and then start applying to everything entry-level with the word "cybersecurity" in it. 

Makes sense, right? 

I mean, that's what they trained to be, a cybersecurity professional...and of course, a resume is the expected documentation for applications. 

But it's a mistake. 

When you start there, you go nowhere fast. 

 

The Market Has Changed

 

Cyber hiring has changed dramatically over the last few years.

Getting some training, whether through a bootcamp or a college, and then a certification was often enough to get hired. 

There were thousands of cyber jobs open and available and companies couldn't hire people fast enough.

But it doesn't work that way anymore.

Why? Because the candidate pool is more competitive than ever. There are more people trying to break into the field... and these candidates are qualified. 

So now a days, if you want to get hired in cybersecurity, the truth is, you have to do more. 

Not more, like get more certifications-more, but what I call the Hidden Strategies-more. 

OLD MODEL

Training >>> Certification >>> Apply >>> Interview >>> Job Offer

NEW MODEL

Training >>> Certification >>> Hidden Strategies >>> Interview >>> Job Offer

 

If you are caught in the OLD MODEL, well, it's no wonder you aren't landing interviews!

 

What Are the Hidden Strategies?

 

The Hidden Strategies are what people breaking into the field right now are using to stand out, get noticed, get interviewed, and get hired.

They are the very things that those who are sitting on the sidelines don't use that keep them in the apply/rejection cycle month after month after month.

Basically, these strategies help you show up differently...in your resume, in your networking, in your interviews...all without applying to hundreds and hundreds of jobs... only to get ghosted. 

The VERY FIRST THING? Get clear on what you bring to the table and what you are going after.  

Most aspiring cyber professionals can't tell me what they know.  They start listing certifications and classes they may have taken...but a certification, nor a course syllabus, tell me what you can DO. 

On top of that, when asked what specific job they want to do in cybersecurity, they reply, "I don't care. I just want to get my foot in the door.  I'll take anything!" 

Sounds open-minded, but a big turn off to employers.

That's like saying, when asked what type of spouse you are looking for, "I don't care.  I just don't want to be alone anymore.  I'll take anyone!"

No one.... I repeat... No One wants to date the "I'll take anyone" guy. 

And neither does an employer want to hire the "I'll take anything" guy. 

So, you have to get clear.  Otherwise, you'll remain on the sidelines.

Then, and only then, do you need a CyberResume and LinkedIn Profile that clearly show what you bring to the table and what you are going after. Your Resume isn't first. 

You have 8 seconds to convince a hiring manager that you can do their job.  

That's not a lot of time. And if you don't have these critical pieces nailed down, again, you'll remain on the sidelines. 

There is an art to both your resume and LinkedIn Profile.  Your resume isn't a list of your work experience, and your LinkedIn profile isn't just a copy of your resume.  Both of which most people think. 

Your resume needs to be a Cyber Resume, and your LinkedIn profile needs to be a well thought out Cyber portfolio of sorts. 

When you get these right hiring managers know who you are, what you want, and what you offer that they would find valuable.  That winning combination is what spurs interview invitations...even without applying online first. 

Third, you've got to tap into the Hidden Job Market and gain attention. 

This is where people land interviews and ultimately jobs.  

They connect with the right people, in the right way, at the right time...and then watch doors open. 

I'm talking about building your network, gaining attention, and learning about open roles long before they are posted publicly. 

It's not uncommon that for every 1 job posted, hiring managers receive over 400 applications. 

Let me repeat that. 

400 applications for every 1 job posted online. 

How in the world are you going to stand out against that?

Simply, you can't. Unless your strategy gets you in front of them differently. You have to utilize the Hidden Strategies, or you simply won't be seen. 

Finally, and this is the piece that lands the job, you've got to step into those interviews more prepared than everyone else. 

When the hiring team starts interviews and you are competing against 4-5 equally qualified candidates, the person who is best prepared is the one who gets the offer. 

I don't want you to miss that.  By the time you interview you are competing against other, "equally qualified" people. 

Once you get past the technical interview and invited for additional rounds, you are no longer proving you are capable of DOING the job.  They know you can.  Now it's about making them feel like you'd be an awesome addition to their team...the best addition to their team. 

And that takes preparation... preparation most people aren't willing to do. 

The people who land jobs go above and beyond what everyone else is willing to do...and as a result, stand out head and shoulders above every other candidate. 

 

So Where Do You Start? 

 

At Step 1.  You get clear. 

If you've already written your resume and aren't landing interviews...you have to back up.

If you've applied to hundreds of jobs that read "Entry-Level Cybersecurity...." and haven't gotten any calls...you have to back up. 

If you've built a LinkedIn profile and no recruiters are checking out your profile....you have to back up.

If you are trying to network but no one is responding....you have to back up.

You have to back up...and get clear. 

Clear on what you bring to the table. Clear on what you are going for.

"Entry-level Cyber Analyst" is not clear. 

 

My #1 Question for you: ARE YOU CLEAR?

 

Do you have a solid understanding of what you bring to the table that an employer would find valuable?

Could your grandmother tell you exactly what role you are going for when you answer her question, "What kind of job are you looking for, Sweetie?"

If an 8th grader were to read your Resume or LinkedIn profile, would they know what you want and what you can do?

If the answer is no to any of these questions, you aren't clear. And frankly, you are confusing everyone else...particularly that recruiter reading your resume.

Now, don't beat yourself up.  I speak with people every day who are struggling to gain traction.  When I read their resume or LinkedIn profile, it's very obvious to me where the core issue lays...they've not gotten clear.  Their story is not compelling enough to make someone take action and reach out...which is why they don't get interviews.

This isn't your fault.  As well-meaning as your bootcamp or college has been, their job was to teach you how to DO the job.  Most of them, unfortunately fail to teach you how to GET the job. And if you've been on the job market for any length of time, you know there is a difference...between being able to DO the job vs being able to GET the job.

They simply aren't the same.

Which is why you are here. 

And I don't want this to be you anymore.

I don't want you to be the person sitting on the sidelines watching other people, maybe even less qualified than you, land the job. 

I don't want you to be the person who continues to feel like they wasted so much time, money, and energy pursuing a career you can never reach. 

I don't want you to be the person who is ready to give up, walk away, and throw all of your hard work out the door.

Instead, I want you to be the person who lands interviews.

I want you to be the next person to land the job.

I want you to be the person who makes your family proud because you figured it out, you pushed through, you finally broke into your dream career. 

And if you'll let me, I want to help.

The first step is getting clear.

If you want help getting clear, make sure you check out my CyberCompass: Build Your Strategic Foundation to Break into Cyber Digital Course. 

It's the first step in the Break into Cyber Accelerator Coaching Framework.

 

 

 What You'll Learn Inside CyberCompass

 

 1. How to assess where you really are through The MEL MAP.

You need a comprehensive MAP of the training you've gotten, the hands-on experience you have, and the transferable skills that hiring managers clamor for.  

Most people have no idea the real value they offer an employer. They know they are capable, but they don't realize that they have way more experience than they remember!

This MAP becomes your foundation for narrowing down your role, writing your resume, building your LinkedIn profile, knowing who to network with, and preparing you for the interview.

And I'll be showing you step-by-step exactly how to build this MAP. No guess work. Just clear instructions so you have everything you need to work the Hidden Strategies.

 2. Lock in the Cyber Path That Fits through the Role Radar.

I'll be showing you:

• How to utilize your MEL MAP to assess the jobs you are actually trained and ready to apply for right now. 
• How to narrow your choice to jobs that you are most likely to get hired for AND you would LOVE.
• How to identify and create a plan to fill in any skill or certification gaps ASAP so you don't waste hours and hours of precious time or resources on unnecessary training or certifications.

All of this gets you prepared to build your CyberResume, craft an attention-grabbing LinkedIn profile, focuses your networking strategies, and prepares you for the interviews - the real strategies that get people hired in this competitive market.

 

What You'll Get

 

1. Access to the Mini-Course: The MEL Map - Assess Where You Are. A comprehensive course on building your Personal Cyber Portfolio
2. Full Access to the Role Radar - Lock in the Cyber Path That Fits Mini-Course. Your step-by-step guide into narrowing down and choosing the right role in cyber for your dream career.
3. Priority Invitation to CyberBrand Hacker - Build a Resume & LinkedIn That Command Attention Digital Course. This course is Step 2 in the Break into Cyber Accelerator Coaching Framework. By completing the CyberCompass Course, you get special pricing on this critical training.

 

How Much Is It?

 

Getting clear alone can be the single shift that takes people from months of applying and no interviews, to landing multiple invitations to interview all without hitting up job boards. 

For Brittney, who was applying for two very different roles (SOC Analyst & GRC Analyst), getting clear and focusing her job search utilizing the Cyber Break-In Framework meant a new job in 5 weeks with a $15k yearly pay raise. 

For Derek, it was 7 weeks with a $10k pay raise. 

For Jolean, who was applying for anything that said, "Cyber Analyst," this was a new job in 7 weeks with a $60k a year raise.

 

I've only taught both these frameworks, The MEL Map and the Role Radar frameworks, as the foundational piece of my Break into Cyber Accelerator Coaching Program ($997) and the full Break into Cyber Accelerator Digital Course ($499). 

Knowing the results (and financial payoff) this system gets, I feel perfectly justified to charge $150 to $200 for this foundational course. 

I know this alone could change everything for you.

However, at that price, it puts it out of reach for a lot of people.

And my goal is to help three types of people.

1. People who are already working in IT or a professional field but want to transition into cyber. They could afford the $200 for this course, but that's still not what I'm going to charge.
2. People who are trained, certified, and ready but can't land an interview no matter how many jobs they've applied to (falsely believing it's simply a numbers game - apply enough and eventually you'll hit the jackpot) and how many times they've tweaked their resume.
3. People who haven't started applying yet because they are still in the middle of their training program but want to get a headstart over their peers...they don't want to end up on the job market for months and months after graduation...they can't waste that time. 

And because I want to make it accessible to all 3 of these types of people, I'm keeping it way lower than I could charge. It's just $47 to get the CyberCompass Course. Over 100 people have already gotten this training and began making a shift immediately.