3 top tips to attract the best cloud security talent

Ensuring robust cloud security has become essential for businesses of all sizes, but finding and attracting top-tier talent in this field can be challenging. In this blog post, we’ll explore three tips for attracting stand-out candidates. Skip ahead to:

• Positioning your role, team, and business.
• Maintaining momentum throughout the interview process.
• Showcasing the quality of your team and their career journey.
• More insights across the cyber security landscape to keep you informed.

#1. Go the extra mile when positioning your role, team, and business.

First impressions count. If you’re looking to cut through the noise and attract the best talent, you need to position your role, team, and company in an engaging way:

1. Start by clearly articulating the position's impact on the company's mission and objectives. Emphasize how the role contributes to the organization's overall security posture to provide candidates with a sense of purpose and underscore the significance of their potential contribution.
2. Showcase the unique aspects of your team and company culture. Highlight any innovative projects or cutting-edge tech, share testimonials from existing employees - and any initiatives that set your organization apart.
3. Present all of the above in a way that truly stands out. We see higher application and engagement rates when using candidate briefing packs. From that very first touchpoint, the candidate can see everything they need to know - all in one place, on brand, and designed to make them move.

Talented, in-demand candidates aren’t just looking for a new job. This is your chance to show the full scope of the opportunity and position yourself as the employer of choice. 

#2. Outline the interview process and maintain momentum at all times

1. Efficient screening: Assess qualifications and alignment with the role with an initial screening. Use targeted questions/assessments for a quick evaluation.
2. Focused technical assessments: To evaluate candidates' skills effectively, choose a concise and focused task tailored to the role's requirements.
3. Purposeful panel interviews: When bringing key stakeholders into the interview process, clearly define each person's role to help keep discussions focused. Avoid prolonged deliberations or repetitive questions.
4. Timely feedback: Share prompt and constructive feedback after each stage to keep candidates informed, engaged, and excited about the opportunity.

A thorough, efficient interview process is crucial to keeping that momentum high and ensuring you close on high-quality talent. Engaging with a trusted cyber security recruitment partner can streamline the process for your business and candidates, leveraging their expertise and network to identify top talent and ensure a seamless experience that delivers results.

Praetorian, for example, needed to create a scalable security recruitment process through high-quality, time-sensitive talent acquisition. Partnering with Stott and May increased their candidate conversion rate through high-impact hires and outstanding retention.

The result? 30+ successful hires across security leadership, product security, application security, cloud security, and incident response. You can read the full story here.

#3. Showcase the quality of your team and their career stories

Along with the appeal of the role itself, potential candidates are also interested in working with talented people who are passionate about their work. Here are just a few ways you can promote the stories of your team members:

1. Employee spotlights: Highlight your teams' achievements with employee spotlights or testimonials on your company website, blog, or social media channels. Share their career trajectories and contributions to the business to emphasize their growth and development within the company.
2. Case studies: Share real-world examples of your team's success stories in tackling complex cloud security challenges for clients or within your organization. Case studies are a great way to provide tangible evidence of your team's capabilities, problem-solving skills, and results.
3. Training and development: Highlight how your business invests in keeping the team's skills sharp and up-to-date. Showcase the training programs or learning opportunities available to employees.

Promoting a strong employer brand that's rooted in your team's achievements and expertise will help set you apart as an employer of choice in the cloud security space.

In summary

Building effective, successful security teams often involves nuanced challenges specific to your business. But with the right strategies, you can attract top cloud security talent and position your security function for long-term success.

More on cyber security

• Download our UK Cyber Security Salary Benchmarking guide for the latest compensation data and gain a competitive edge in the market. Access your free copy here.
• It's our job to help you accelerate cyber security recruitment. Learn more about our cyber security recruitment practice here.
• If you're looking for more insight, expertise, and candidate connections in the cyber security space, contact our team of security recruitment specialists today.