As each year passes, the threat of modern cyberattacks continues to make cybersecurity a high priority for organizations across multiple industries. As businesses continue to expedite their security initiatives in response to these issues, the demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals has grown exponentially.

Unfortunately, many organizations still struggle to find the required talent to fill critical gaps in their cybersecurity planning and execution. In digging into the numbers, a persistent gender divide exists, with 75% of all roles belonging to men. 

Should businesses be concerned? How can those looking for a diversified employee population address their needs? Why More Balance in Gender Diversity is Important in Cybersecurity

Diverse teams within organizations can also provide a wide range of benefits for businesses, especially when creative problem-solving is required. Below are some of the benefits to a well-rounded team composition.

Improved Decision-Making in Team Settings

Research has shown over the years the importance of building and maintaining more diverse teams. This includes ensuring the right balance when hiring different genders and incorporating individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.

When organizations actively work to enhance their teams with fresh perspectives and life experiences, it often creates a more productive internal environment that can more effectively address new challenges. It can also increase collaboration in initiatives when working with outside partners like penetration testing services or cybersecurity audit teams. It allows for more out-of-the-box thinking and unique approaches, which is vital in cybersecurity, considering how quickly new threats are emerging and evolving.

Expanded Talent Pools and Better Retention

With the cybersecurity industry still facing a significant talent shortage, businesses need to play a role in reshaping the narrative in typical hiring practices. By taking a more active stance in recruiting and supporting more women in cybersecurity roles, businesses can tap into a much wider talent pool while providing them with more role definition options. Organizations with more diverse groups of employees typically see better overall employee satisfaction and a strong improvement in their ability to retain talent long-term. 

Effective Recruitment Approaches to Improve More Diverse Hiring

To increase diversity among employee groups, many organizations utilize proven diversity-focused recruitment strategies while focusing more on keeping current employees more engaged and committed to their work.

In order to achieve this, there are some effective approaches businesses may take:

Recalibrate The Organization’s View On Gender Biases

Often, gender gaps in the workforce may suggest that businesses, even if they don’t realize it, could be unintentionally holding onto requirements that disqualify certain groups of applicants. 

Considering how long the gender disparity has existed in security-focused industries, organizations shouldn’t be surprised that there may be discrepancies when comparing professional years of experience between men and women. However, this is not always a direct reflection of how any individual can fulfill the responsibilities of a role, especially when the candidate has experiences in other industries or role. In fact, because cybersecurity frameworks and tools change so frequently, decades of direct experience may not be as big of a benefit as other types of management or leadership experience.

By prioritizing soft skills and professional qualifications for cybersecurity roles, companies can better encourage a more diverse range of talent in their organizations.

Provide More Career Development Opportunities

The cybersecurity profession comprises a wide scope of intersecting career paths. It’s vital for employees to feel empowered to explore these different avenues of professional growth while gaining the experience they need to improve their overall skills.

By placing a high level of importance on individual career development and offering paths to explore cybersecurity training and certifications to a diverse pool of employees, organizations can help build talent to fill existing gaps. Businesses thereby can support the goals and objectives of their employees by providing them with ample opportunities for advancement in their roles and giving access to training programs and mentorship initiatives. 

Create Less Intimidating Job Descriptions

Organizations should also carefully consider the language they use when creating job descriptions to attract a wider and more diverse pool of candidates. The overall tone and content used to describe roles in cybersecurity should be designed so that they don’t inadvertently discourage certain individuals from applying if there is a partial fit.

Rather than focusing on particular qualifications, businesses should highlight the importance of possessing a broader list of skills and encouraging individuals to apply even if they only possess a portion of the recommended experience. For example, the ability to learn quickly, adapt and pay attention to detail may not be an industry-specific skill. Still, it can certainly be valuable when used to manage compliance stands like SOC, HITRUST, or other security frameworks.

Focus on Establishing a Positive Company Culture

Building a positive company culture is another important way organizations can encourage a more diverse range of cybersecurity talent. Creating a business environment where individuals feel consistently valued, helps attract and retain individuals willing to develop further in the industry, regardless of gender or background.

Organizations should consider the frequency of their communication and collaboration efforts with employees while creating new opportunities for departments to work together on shared projects. This not only adds more purpose to each individual’s role in the organization, but it also helps to unlock more innovative forms of problem-solving and increased participation from everyone. 

Develop a Cybersecurity Team You Can Be Proud Of

Considering how fast modern-day cyber threats are escalating, today’s organizations must put in place effective hiring practices for their organizations. By following the guidelines discussed, businesses can play an active role in helping to address the gender gap in cybersecurity while giving their businesses access to a broader talent pool to help them create a more flexible and resilient cybersecurity workforce.

Author Bio Information

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Author Bio:

Nazy Fouladirad is President and COO of Tevora, a global leading cybersecurity consultancy. She has dedicated her career to creating a more secure business and online environment for organizations across the country and world. She is passionate about serving her community and acts as a board member for a local nonprofit organization.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazy-fouladirad-67a66821

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