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Cbayili
Viewer

Looking for Entry Level - Computer Network / Cybersecurity

Hello everyone! I desperately seek a Computer Networking, Cybersecurity entry-level, or Junior job. Upon completing my contract with the US Army as an Infantryman, I returned to college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology on August 4th, 2023. After graduation, I could study further in self-paced basic and boot camps. I passed AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner in October 2022, CompTIA Network+ in October 2023, GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies in February 2024, CompTIA Security+ in March 2024, and finally (ISC)2's CC in May 2024. Unfortunately, with my Bachelor's and all those certificates displaying my skills and willingness to learn, I am not getting any job offer, even the ones that asked for a High School Diploma with 0-2 years of experience in IT. I don't know the issue or if I need to do something differently. Advice, networks, leads, referrals, and mentors are all welcomed. I appreciate any help you can provide.

2 Replies
JY1
Newcomer I

@Cbayili 

 

Please do not be discouraged as the employment market has been tightening since last year due to several global layoffs by some big corps. I don't know the country that you are seeking employment, so the employment market could be different, hopefully more optimistic.

 

Here are some advice for you to consider:

 

1. Apply as Intern to companies. Many successful interns who have proven their positive attitude and professionalism usually get hired by the companies that they joined as interns due to strong internal reference given by their supervisors or mentors who they have worked closely with.

I'm not sure if you have watched the 2013 Hollywood movie called The Internship starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. You might get some inspirations from there.

 

2. Attend job fairs. Talk to people at the booths to find out what you can offer to these potential employers and the mentorships or training programmes that can offer to you, if you join them.

 

3. Talk to your university supervisor(s) who graded you for your Bachelor's degree thesis, if you have consistently impressed with excellent performance, they would remember you and might be able to link you to one of their industrial partners for suitable job(s). Many professors are usually very well connected with their industrial partners, thus the reasons for them being appointed as Chairs in certain areas. Opportunities to understudy with your lecturers and professors do not come by chance and I have collected their reference letters to land me where I had in the past and also in current position. Their reference letters are strong testimonies that demonstrate your character, your strengths and attitude as a student. Likewise do the same for every employer you work with because many HR managers or executives would contact your referees to set you apart from other candidates competing for the same job, especially in tight employment market these days. All these reference letters would be very useful, especially when you decide to pursue a PhD or Master's degree in the near future.

 

4. Talk to your classmates, who are already employed. For obvious reason, they would have the first hand info if the company is planning to hire more graduates, so you can be ready to apply for them right away.

 

5. The usual approach is to dump your resume in all available job posting sites such as Seek. These days, LinkedIn might be more connected as recruiters can readily scan your profile and match you quickly, if you are deemed a good fit for the job.

 

6. You might want to get a few good friends who are employed to proof-reading your resume and cover letter. Opinions from readers, other than yourself, might open new insights how others interpret from your written paperwork. Alternatively you might want to look at their sample resumes and cover letters as learning from others would help to improve your chance of getting yourself a suitable job.

 

Good luck with whatever you need to do to get you where you wish to get to.

emb021
Advocate I

In addition to the comments by the other individual, I would recommend 2 things:

* reach out to recruiters in your area, as well as national-wide that focus on infosec/cybersecurity.  Some of these take a particular focus on veterans.  

* network with infosec peers in your area.  Look for local chapters of ISSA, ISACA, Infragard, any local groups like CitySec or Defcon.  See if there are any Security BSides conferences coming up in your area.  Security conferences can be low cost to attend and may have tracks aimed at job seekers.  Most infosec groups allow non-members to attend a few meetings to get to know them.  Infragard is FREE to join and is public-private partnership tied to the FBI.

One site that is useful to find such meetings/gatherings is Meetup.com.  Its free to join to look for groups.

Get on Infosec related Discord channels.  The one tied to Black Hills Information Security is good.  Most infosec groups have them as well.  I am on many tied to BSides conferences I go to, and many will have channels aimed at job seekers and with job postings.

Hope this helps.

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Michael Brown, CISSP, HCISPP, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC, CDPSE, GSLC, GSTRT, GLEG, GSNA, CIST, CIGE, ISSA Fellow