work experience

[MJURSCHEL]

Hello,

I'm looking for some guided advice. I currently hold a HCISPP Certification that I earned in August of 2020. My only experience is the utilization in my own healthcare office. I have owned and operated my practice with my wife for 18 years. I'm now in my 50s and looking to transition full time in Information and security tech, where I can expand my knowledge and put to use my certification.

The problem I run into is lack of experience since I have only performed Risk assessment and risk management for my own office. I need MORE exposure. 

Does anyone have advice on how I can get more experience / exposure so I am more marketable?  Or, is my age a detriment for a career change?  I also believe that achieving more certifications without some real working experience won't make me more marketable. I  appreciate your time.

Any advise will help.

Thanks, 

Michael

[PaperDad]

Hi Michael,

I'm in a somewhat similar situation.  I am a SSCP and have some other CompTIA certs along with several years of HelpDesk / User Support roles.  I'm working on my Master's Degree in Cyber Security Management right now and have no idea how to apply the principles I've learned to a security-focused role.  The company I work for now views IT security as an impediment to productivity and we outsource most of our Admin functions.  I don't know how I'll ever get the 5-10 years of InfoSec experience needed for any of the jobs that I see posted.

Hopefully someone can offer some guidance!

Jason 

[tmekelburg1]

---

@PaperDad wrote:

I don't know how I'll ever get the 5-10 years of InfoSec experience needed for any of the jobs that I see posted.

---

My advice is to ignore most of the requirements they list in job descriptions and apply anyway. They're looking for the purple unicorn that will require minimal to no job training. We're also notoriously bad at using language in the job descriptions that dissuade women and minorities from applying (but that's for another post).

@MJURSCHEL I'd suggest attaching a cover letter with your resume explaining your story and decisions for the career change when applying. Personally, I'm a curious person and really like it when candidates include it when they come from a non-traditional background. 

[rslade]

> tmekelburg1 (Contributor II) posted a new reply in Career on 04-22-2021 07:16 PM

> My advice is to ignore
> most of the requirements they list in job descriptions and apply anyway. They're
> looking for the purple unicorn that will require minimal to no job training.

Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach ... go into HR and recruiting.

There have got to be HR and recruiting people out there who know the company,
and the field, and take the time to ensure that they understand the requirements,
and clearly communicate them in job ads. However, I've never met any.

I've known recruiters who judge resumes on spelling errors. (WHEN LOOKING
FOR PROGRAMMERS!!!) I've seen situations where the supervisor and HR
person were deciding what questions to ask WHILE THE CANDIDATE WAS
SITTING JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND COULD HEAR
EVERYTHING!!! I've *been* in "group" interviews where nobody had actually
thought about what to ask, and nobody actually had thought about what the
requirements for the position were. I've been handed a set of Excel trivia
questions as "pre-qualification" for a technical management position.

It's a tragedy and it wastes billions of dollars every year by putting the wrong
people into the wrong slots--but it's a fact of life.

As Robert Heller said, the first myth of management is that it exists ...

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[RRoach]

Noticed post. Depends on the position you are looking for fill.  I would look at the resume to make sure you didn't leave anything out and with the HCISPP look to see what would be the next logical step in the career progression. Offhand I would think targeting something associated with healthcare (hospitals, pharmacies, medical practices, medical organizations/associations). Outside of volunteering, associations, college courses you most likely won't get that much experience unless you start working different jobs and working up to the level you want to get to. Another option (depending on the experience) might be to start a small business / side hustle to maybe bring some of that knowledge to small businesses who might need assistance with healthcare info/assessments.