By Nazy Fouladirad
With today’s diverse cybersecurity challenges, it’s important for organizations to add that same level of diversity and creativity into their security planning initiatives. However, when looking at the current recruitment landscape across multiple industries, there still exists a significant gap in the genders that represent security-focused roles. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Every year that goes by is a stark reminder of how cybersecurity should be a primary focus for all businesses. However, while many businesses are continuously on the lookout for skilled security professionals, the unfortunate reality is that there is still a persistent lack of qualified talent available for these positions.
Even as there is an incredible need for cybersecurity professionals, women are underrepresented in the sector.
Why Gender Diversity in Cybersecurity Is So Important
Creating a diverse cybersecurity team can be a real game-changer for businesses looking to improve their security posture. It can bring a wide variety of viewpoints and life perspectives to the table and allow for much more creative approaches to modern cybersecurity challenges.
Below are some of the reasons why gender diversity has become such an important element for all organizations, especially those looking to fill cybersecurity roles:
Improved Team Dynamics and Decision Making
Having a highly agile business has become essential for organizations looking to improve their cybersecurity. Having a more diverse business model helps growing companies leverage a wider range of experiences, which allows them to identify and mitigate new threats as soon as possible.
Studies have shown that having diverse teams is significantly more effective when teams need to make on-the-fly decisions and find innovative solutions to new challenges. In fact, it’s been shown that when teams are constructed more equally among different genders, backgrounds, or cultures, they’re often able to reach solutions in half the time as other team constructs.
More Creative Approaches to Cybersecurity
Today’s businesses are increasingly turning towards new technologies, especially AI-driven tools and solutions, to help improve their security defenses. Although these tools can help automate many different tasks and add an improved level of efficiency to an organization, they often struggle to replicate the value that human interactions and coordination can provide.
Gender diversity is an important element that helps to bring security teams together. It blends a variety of real-world experiences and professional skillsets, making it more efficient to solve complicated cybersecurity issues.
Practical Steps for Adding More Diversity Into Cybersecurity Recruitment Efforts
Here are some practical strategies your business can put in place to start improving your cybersecurity recruitment efforts:
Place Gender Equality as a Primary Focus
Considering that the gender gap is still apparent in cybersecurity professions, with women representing only roughly 25% of the workforce, it’s important for organizations to examine their hiring processes closer to address potential biases that could be in place.
For example, expanding hiring criteria to include a wider range of qualifications or transferable skills can really help to open the doors for additional individuals. This can be especially beneficial for women who may not have had the opportunity to follow traditional cybersecurity career paths.
Design More Opportunities for Career Growth
Another way that businesses can proactively address the cybersecurity gender gap is by investing more in their existing workforce. By providing skill development opportunities to current and new employees, it demonstrates a commitment to an employee’s career growth and gives them the ability to advance into new areas within the business.
Also, offering helpful resources such as industry certification programs, vendor risk management training, and the chance to take the lead on important company projects like compliance audits or working with penetration testing providers equips employees with more valuable skills and leadership experience.
Keep New Job Postings Approachable
Attracting a more diverse talent group often hinges on the language and tone used in your job postings. Organizations should aim for a balance between outlining the essential skills they’re looking for while still welcoming applicants who might not tick every box.
One way to do this is by emphasizing soft skills like adaptability and problem-solving skills. This helps to broaden the appeal of the cybersecurity roles you’re looking to fill. You should also carefully review your job descriptions to look for any unintentional gendered language that could potentially deter qualified candidates from applying.
By creating more inclusive and inviting job listings, you’ll be able to expand your talent pool and attract a wider range of skilled professionals.
Keeping Supporting Gender Equality in Cybersecurity
With cyber threats continuing to escalate every year, organizations need to actively work toward improving their hiring and retention practices.
When you take the time to focus on improving your organization’s gender diversity in cybersecurity, it helps to broaden the talent pool available to you while introducing many more unique perspectives and experiences into your workforce. All of this helps to strengthen the global cybersecurity efforts taking place across multiple industries.
Nazy Fouladirad
