The Hidden Benefits of Nontraditional Backgrounds in Security Roles

It is widely known that a skills gap has plagued the cybersecurity workforce for years, leaving security professionals in high demand. But according to Adobe’s Director of Application Security, David Lenoe, now is a good time for organizations to source from a generally untapped source of talent: nontraditional candidates, or those who may not have a computer science or security degree.

In the “Diversifying the Security Hiring Pool” episode of the ISACA^® Podcast, Lenoe describes how nontraditional security candidates often have a variety of soft skills to offer employers, which can set them up for success when it is time for technical training. “Being able to communicate priorities clearly to internal product teams is an important part of the job,” Lenoe explains. “It is important to be able to present ideas and give evidence as to why [Adobe’s] priorities are aligned with [our customers’.]”

In the podcast, Lenoe also discusses the roles of creativity in security positions. “In order to defend, you need to be creative,” Lenoe says. “You need to be able to come up with ways to protect against novel threats.” To learn more about how your enterprise can attract creative, nontraditional candidates to security roles, listen to “Diversifying the Security Hiring Pool” on the ISACA^® website, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify or Stitcher.