20 cybersecurity skills you need to land a job

Cybersecurity is a growing field, so much so that the Canadian workforce is expanding at a pace of 12.2% year over year. Still, there continues to be a talent gap of nearly 2% in Canada alone and 25% worldwide.

Part of getting more people into cybersecurity is ensuring that future experts in the field know what skills they need to develop to successfully obtain coveted positions. Learn the most in-demand technical and soft skills and how developing your capabilities can help you build the career of your dreams.

Technical skills

Cybersecurity is a vast arena that requires professionals with many different skills. Here are ten technical competencies that employers will look for when hiring.

Network security

Network security is important because it prevents costly downtime for businesses and keeps sensitive information out of the wrong hands.

Building these skills requires proficiency in network security tools (including firewalls and VPNs), experience with network troubleshooting, attack detection and prevention protocols, and lots of hands-on practice in challenging real-world environments.

Encryption

Encryption is used in cybersecurity to protect sensitive data by scrambling it into a code that only a unique digital key can unlock. You can advance your skills in this area by understanding the basics of algorithms and keys, sharpening your coding skills, and gaining proficiency with tools like OpenSSL and GnuPG.

Penetration testing

Penetration testers are ethical hackers who test systems, networks, and applications for vulnerabilities. This is critical for cybersecurity purposes because it allows organizations to be proactive about protecting their infrastructure.

For this role, you should build knowledge of computer systems and networks, become proficient in penetration testing tools like BURP Suite, Metasploit, and Nmap, understand threat modelling, and practice your technical writing skills.

Incident response

Incident response is a critical cybersecurity skill because it allows businesses and government entities to more swiftly detect and contain cyber breaches.

To do well in IR, you need to work on communication and collaboration skills first. Then, focus on investigation skills, such as malware analysis, programming, pen testing, and monitoring.

Forensics

Forensics is a necessary part of a good incident response plan. These experts use specialized software and tools to collect data from devices, analyze it, and present their findings to management and law enforcement.

Cyber forensics requires not only an understanding of the laws surrounding data extraction and access but also a familiarity with networking concepts and tools like EnCase, FTK Imager, Autopsy, and more.

Application security

Application security applies cybersecurity principles at the application level to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure that bad actors can’t hijack the data or code.

Those who wish to specialize in application security should build their skills in secure coding practices (like validation and output encoding), learn multiple programming languages, understand web application architecture and security frameworks, and work with analysis and penetration testing tools.

SIEM

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) centralizes information across the network for better monitoring, data logging, and alerting to anomalous events. It’s best to gain proficiency in data aggregation and correlation using SIEM, SOAR, and XDR tools to build skills in this area.

Threat detection engineering

Threat detection engineering helps organizations remain vigilant about cyber threats. It’s focused on designing, building, and optimizing the processes that detect those ever-evolving threats.

If you’d like to make this your specialty, it’s important to build skills around data collection tools, rule and signature development, behaviour analytics and heuristics, validation, and continuous improvement.

Jacob Kalvo, co-founder and CEO of Live Proxies indicates that threat detection and response have been the most crucial cybersecurity skills in his career.

“Working in an environment like Live Proxies, where data security is paramount and threats can come from numerous, often unpredictable sources, the ability to quickly identify and neutralize threats is vital.”

Security operations

Professionals in security operations, also known as SecOps, coordinate cybersecurity technologies and operations across an organization.

Naturally, this role demands robust communication and collaboration skills. Additionally, you’ll need to be skilled in programming, threat hunting, digital forensics, network traffic analysis, incident documentation, cloud security, and thinking like an attacker.

Cryptography

Cryptography is all about using complex mathematical algorithms to create encrypted data and ensure it’s stored properly.

If you’d like to advance in this specialized cybersecurity skill, focus on maths and computer science, and increase your programming knowledge across multiple languages first. Then, familiarise yourself with cryptographic libraries and algorithms, and learn the basics of applied cryptanalysis.

Soft skills

Technical knowledge is integral to cybersecurity, but transferable soft skills are just as important for productivity and effectiveness. Here are ten soft skills you need to build a lasting cybersecurity career. Critical thinking

Cybersecurity is a systematic discipline based on principles. You need to be able to use those principles to analyze facts and information and make logical decisions.

Critical thinking

Cybersecurity is a systematic discipline based on principles. You need to be able to use those principles to analyze facts and information and make logical decisions.

Communication

Many cybersecurity roles require the ability to articulate complex technical issues and concepts to a non-technical audience. These roles also involve actively listening to details so you can properly analyze a situation, as well as having the emotional intelligence to stay calm and communicate well during emergencies.

Penny Longman, Director of Information Security for the Fraser Health Authority, recalls a situation where she had to communicate the importance of password protection to a senior employee.

This situation highlighted how seeing the perspective of non-technical teammates and simplifying technical information so everyone can digest it helps keep the network safe.

View the full interview with Longman below:

Teamwork

Cybersecurity is a team sport. With so many different roles, you must be able to collaborate effectively with various teams. It’s also important to know when your role or expertise might require you to take the lead in a given situation and when to step back and let someone else handle it.

Time management

While teamwork is essential, so is the ability to work independently with systems and networks. Time management skills—especially during an active data breach—are important for mitigating issues and ensuring that work is completed on time.

Integrity

When it comes to cybersecurity, there’s a lot on the line, including data safety and compliance risks. Strong ethical boundaries ensure you’re committed to doing your job well, being transparent about mistakes, and building trust with your team.

Attention to detail

All cybersecurity roles deal with disparate data and lots of moving parts. You must pay close attention to the little details so you don’t miss vulnerabilities and signs of impending data.

Adaptability

Cyber threats are constantly shifting. Adaptability ensures that you don’t get too attached to one way of doing things and can pivot when new threats emerge.

Inquisitiveness

Cybersecurity concerns what happens under the surface and behind the scenes with application codes, algorithms, authentication, and more. Not only do you need to figure out what’s transpiring at any given time, but you also need to be able to dig deeper and understand why it's occurring so you can stop the issue at its source.

Dedication

Sometimes, problems can be difficult to solve. You may have to gain new knowledge, learn a new program, or seek outside help. Keeping the network safe depends on your ability to stick with it, even when the challenge seems insurmountable.

Continuous learning

The fast-paced cybersecurity landscape is always shifting, and you have to be able to evolve with it. Make it a point to keep training and upskilling on new trends, vulnerabilities, applications, and methods so you can be ready to tackle emerging threats.

Looking for an easy way to keep up with new cybersecurity trends? Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop with the latest cyber updates and community events at Lighthouse Labs.

Emerging technologies

Cybersecurity risks are changing and growing, and professionals entering the field must be committed to staying ahead of the curve. Kalvo says he believes artificial intelligence will have the biggest impact on cybersecurity skills in the next five years due to its ability to process large volumes of data.

“Cybersecurity professionals will need to become proficient in managing AI tools, understanding machine learning models, and mitigating AI-specific vulnerabilities,” he predicts.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices also present cybersecurity risks, as the use of networked devices increases the attack surface. Many of these devices lack frequent firmware updates, leaving them vulnerable to bad actors who steal private information.

Blockchain technology is another emerging area to watch. Cryptocurrencies have been used to fuel cybercrimes, and the openness of decentralized blockchain platforms makes it difficult to maintain control over them.

Getting certified

Though Kalvo states that employers are now looking for “a blend of certifications, practical experience, and continuous learning,” he concedes that additional certifications can validate your skillset and commitment. The table below details five popular certifications, their benefits and prerequisites.

Certification	Prerequisites	Certification Benefits
CompTIA Security+	No official prerequisites; Network+ certification and experience in IT/security can be helpful	Validates baseline skills Widely recognized and valued Vendor-neutral Job opportunities in government and private sectors
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)	Five years of work experience (including internships) in two or more cybersecurity domains; computer science degree counts as one year	Widely recognized and respected Increased earning potential Opens doors to leadership positions
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)	Two years of experience in information security or official EC-Council training	Greater marketability Career advancement Training offers experience with real-world threats
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)	Five years of experience in information security management; ISM graduate degree or additional certifications may count as one to two years	Global recognition Opens doors to leadership roles, including CISO ISACA membership Increased earning potential
GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)	No official prerequisites; information systems or computer networking experience can be helpful	Validation of compliance with industry standards Maximal proficiency Enhanced marketability Increased earning potential

Building real-world experience

The last piece of the cybersecurity skill-building puzzle is to gain real-world experience you can show off to employers. A few common methods of increasing your experience include:

• Internships: Temporary, unpaid positions that allow you to gain experience in cybersecurity tasks under the supervision of an experienced professional.
• Projects: Opportunities to participate in short-term, one-off assignments that prompt you to solve real-world problems collaboratively.
• Hackathons: Events in which a large number of people collaborate around the clock to solve a cybersecurity problem within a given time frame.
• Capture-the-flag events: Competitions in which individuals or teams find and exploit vulnerabilities to be the first to get to a piece of information.
• Simulation exercises: Tests that evaluate a team’s ability to effectively respond to a simulated incident.

In a recent Lighthouse Labs interview on essential skills in cybersecurity hiring, George Al-Koura, CISO at Ruby Life, recommended using highly accessible Hackbox-type platforms to complete practical exercises that mimic the situations cybersecurity professionals encounter in the field.

“You have to go from the world of theory, which is a lot of what the post-secondary programs love doing, and get more into the practical,” he says. He suggests that this practical experience builds trust with candidates and makes candidates more marketable. Watch the full interview with Al-Koura here:

A fulfilling career is waiting for you

The cybersecurity skills gap is your opportunity to enter a sector that needs competent professionals to help protect the world’s information.

Lighthouse Labs offers a comprehensive 12- and 30-week Cybersecurity Bootcamp that offers a mix of real-world experience, fundamentals training, and soft skills development covering a wide range of critical areas.

You’ll learn from experts in network security, encryption, incident response, coding, forensics, threat detection engineering, and blue team roles. Even with no prior experience, you’ll walk away with everything you need to begin a fulfilling career in cybersecurity.

Accelerate your journey into the cybersecurity industry with our program, where you'll gain both the technical and soft skills needed to excel.

FAQs

What makes a good candidate for cybersecurity?

A good cybersecurity candidate will have both technical skills like network security and encryption and soft skills like communication and teamwork, which can be developed through educational programs like Lighthouse Labs’ Cybersecurity Program.

How do you land a cybersecurity job?

You can obtain a cybersecurity job by acquiring the necessary technical and soft skills for your role, earning the right certification to validate your skills, and gaining real-world experience through internships, projects, hackathons, and other online activities.

What qualifications do I need for cybersecurity?

The qualifications you need will depend on the role you want. Many positions require specific technical knowledge of network protocols and incident response. You can often improve your resume by obtaining relevant certifications, such as CompTIA Security+ or GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC).

What skills do you need to get into cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity requires a mix of hard and soft skills, including network security, encryption, penetration testing, incident response, blue team skills, SIEM and threat detection engineering, communication, collaboration, inquisitiveness, adaptability, attention to detail, and time management.