[Thread] Want to get that next great job in infosec? Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly using Google to discover, vet, AND weed out candidates. So I have some advice here:
1. Build a body of work that they can easily find. 1/n
1. Build a body of work that they can easily find. 1/n
This body of work shouldn't be shoddy quality, but the existence of work is more important than the type and/or quality. In other words, even if I'm hiring for an exploit developer, I'd rather find a blog about compliance than nothing. Don't let perfect prevent "good enough" 2/n
2. Don't be an idiot on social media. I can't over emphasize this enough. Many of us enjoy a drink every now and then. But posting "OMG, so hung over. Calling in sick!" on your Facebook page does not inspire confidence that you will in fact come to work... 3/n
3. Don't talk about fight club. No really - if you're out there bashing your bosses on social media, potential employers have every reason to believe you'll do it to them next. So don't do it at all. Treat work like fight club - don't talk about it (unless you're in marketing) 4/
4. Don't talk politics or religion on social media. I know I'm touching the third rail with this since many people have strong convictions they want to share with the world. But you may be turning people off who don't share your views - that's bad if it's a hiring authority. 5/n
Note: I am very much aware that I don't always follow my own advice here with #4. But you should know that before I send a tweet that may turn people off, I carefully consider the repercussions and often seek counsel (thanks @13M4C and @SwiftOnSecurity for your sage wisdom) 6/n
5. If possible get something out there on YouTube. Make a guest appearance on a podcast, do a conference presentation, or if all else fails record yourself talking about an infosec happening. Even if nobody but your mom watches it initially, it will be there for recruiters 7/n
Writing a blog is important too (see #1, re: body of work), but video tells me a lot about how you communicate and how you handle yourself. It also helps hedge your bets in case you have a bad day at an interview. The hiring manager has seen you perform and can consider that. 8/n
Almost everyone who has ever had a bad interview with me has made an excuse "I don't know what happened, I'm usually not nervous like that." I usually think "yeah, right." But if I have evidence to the contrary (e.g. YouTube) then yeah, I'm prone to reconsider. 9/n
6. Be nice to people you meet at conferences/social events. I know quite a few people who are unknown in the industry but wield an incredible amount of hiring influence. Just like networking can get you a job, negative networking can cost you an opportunity. Don't be a d*ck. 10/n
7. Finally, treat all public interactions on social media like your mom was watching. Unless your mom is like mine, in which case treat it like Mother Teresa was watching. Companies don't want to hire a liability. Don't make them think you're one... 11/11
