Anastasia Uglova’s Post

Looking to continue yesterday's spirit of #AmplifyHER sisterhood 👩👩👧👧!   If you read this, pay it forward to a fellow sister or brother too 💕 Nova Select recently ran a blog post on me & Sanne Maasakkers. You all know how amazing Sanne is; she doesn't need me to brag about her😏 The blog's theme is 'women in cyber' and I share my insights on inclusive recruiting. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/ekkatDin 👀 But honestly the rest of this post is going to be a shameless plug for Nova Select's owner Lisa Hagebeuk (I am rebranding you to 'CEO' right now 🧐). I first met Lisa when she interviewed me and Inge Bryan for an article, we got talking on careers, & soon after Lisa joined the Deloitte consulting team. I am so SO proud to see Lisa now following her passion & having the courage to start her own venture in cybersecurity recruitment with Nova Select. She knows what it is to work as a woman in this industry, and I believe she will do her best to make cybersecurity recruitment more inclusive. 🤝 So, since I know there's heaps of tech recruiters out there - if you're looking for new security staff, 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿. After all: ▶️ She actually knows her security game, so she can much better evaluate whether profiles are a match to your needs than your average recruiter. ▶️ She is a lovely person to work with; a smart, critical thinker that will ask you the right questions to ensure you get what you really need in your team. ▶️ She has built a really valuable network of people and organisations that love her from which she can source talent, and hence people like me are happy to write a post like this without her knowing about it. (𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘢 😅😇) Pay it forward, dear network! Your success is amplified by the people who love you. #micdrop 👋🏻 Hi there! I'm Esther, ISF Principal and former Deloitte CISO. 🔔 Hit the bell on my profile to be notified when I post. 🙌🏻 Share this post with anyone you believe may benefit from it.

People always ask me HOW. “How did you get into cyber?” So here is EXACTLY how I did it. - when I was 26, I went back to college as a single mom. I knew I wanted to go to school for something in tech, didn’t know WHAT, so I started towards a general IT degree. - couldn’t afford school so I joined the military (not a tech/cyber career field) to help me pay for college. (2018) - I finally got my A.A. In 2020 and transferred to ASU to their B.S. in IT program - started doing research into cybersecurity after talking to someone who has their own cybersecurity consulting firm. He said “bachelors in IT, masters in cyber” so that was the road map for a long time. - used the AFCOOL program to get my Sec - did Skillbridge (2023) -got a mentor -learned how to translate my skills to cybersecurity skills - networked, networked, networked some more (I LIVED on LinkedIn) - attended events in person and online - started doing research into GRC - took a GRC master class by 👉🏼 Gerald Auger, Ph.D. 🙌🏼 - narrowed down my search to 3 job titles and non-negotiables (like working remote and salary range). Set Lonkedin to send me job postings everyday for the 3 job titles. - I studied job postings and requirements to carve the path forward. -tailored my resume to EVERY SINGLE JOB I applied for. I never used the same resume, ever. Every job got a tailored resume (yes it takes a lot of time, use AI) - applied, tracked every job in a spreadsheet, got rejected, applied again. - resume not working? Try again. Different format, different “professional summary”, different metrics. - found what worked. Landed interviews. - did my research on the company, did my research on the people I interviewed with. PRACTICED interviewing, made sure I had my questions ready (and not the basic ass questions either - do research, dig deep! Want to know more about the team? Ask. Company culture? Ask!) Breathe and take your time. Don’t know the answer? Don’t bs the answer. It’s okay to take an minute to answer if you have to form your sentence right. Be yourself. - got multiple offers and got to choose where to go. It took me YEARS to figure out my way. With a lot of curves, mountains and valleys. And the journey keeps going. Stop comparing your journey to other people. Don’t get discouraged and don’t let the fire burn out. Learn, be adaptable and just keep going.

The line we take to get into cyber is rarely a straight one. The level of effort and grit Irina demonstrated here is the epitome of what one should be prepared to do to land a job in cyber security. Whether it ought to be this way, or not, is a different discussion. If you are so inclined, stop expecting it to be handed to you on a platter.

Every job has its perks. Every job has its drawbacks. There’s usually a balance to it, a Yin and Yang if you will. One of the biggest perks I have doing what I do is that there’s no shortage of interesting and entertaining conversation. To balance that there needs to be a substantial negative. And there is. I get to see and hear about a lot of crappy things that companies do, often intentionally. Last week, I heard some of the crappy, I’m only going to share the short version and NO, I will not be naming them. Although someone should. ◻The company is a manufacturer of industrial devices with access to the internet. ◻They have no security practice, no one guiding them. ◻They have left it to the engineers and “executives” to discuss amongst themselves. ◻They are sitting on a mountain of cash and claim not to be able to afford even a single person. Some may suggest this is a business opportunity for me. It’s not, they have no appetite or urgency to add the required headcount. (Even though fractional help is more than readily available.) That will change quickly, however, if they or one of their customers has a serious issue that’s traced back to one of their insecure products. By then it’s too late you can’t unring the bell. It’s going to happen; we all know that. It’s a matter of when, not if. But what REALLY gets to me isn’t the lost business opportunity. It’s knowing that WHEN that happens the ones that made the decisions won’t be the ones affected the most. ◻The ones affected the most will be the staffers in the trenches. ◻The ones who have been warning “leadership”. ◻The ones being ignored. ◻They are the ones who will be blamed and fired. ◻Sacrificed at the altar of revenue and earnings reports.   And THAT’S what I hate about what I do. Watching things happen that could have been avoided.   If you’re a leader and you’re reading this. Don’t let that be your legacy. If you need to hire people, DM me I’ll help you. I CAN see the forest, I’m not lost in the trees. #staffingsolutions #leadership #security #cyber #responsibilities #ethics #peoplefirst #selfhelp

Wow, I'm celebrating 10 years on LinkedIn today! Not sure if that really begs for a celebration, but if I recall correctly it matches the day I started also my first office job at Pedersen & Partners, so I guess yeah - it does. 🥂 10 years in between means to me shifting gears across various industries. From executive #research to #cybersecurity, with stops in IT, Telecom, Accounting, Fintech, and ML/NLP along the way. It implies adhoc adapting to new companies, titles, cultures, and yes - moving countries sometimes( 💚 🇲🇩 🇱🇹 🇦🇺). Also, tailoring couple of hundred times your #pitch to match your new audience, unfollowing annoying posts (often!😅), chasing and getting ghosted occasionally by #decisionmakers 😏 , but as well connecting with an amazing network of professionals (9990, but who's counting? ... Me 😬 ). Believe it or not - that's overwhelming! But here's the best part. Despite the ups and downs, I'm still doing what I love. So, is it really "work" if you're passionate about it? Here's to many more years of connecting, learning, and growing (on LinkedIn including). Cheers!

📌 Something worth sharing. In January, I started mentoring two beautiful and talented women working in Cybersecurity: Oluwabamise Soile and K. Omolara Animashawun thanks to Seidea CIC. At Seidea CIC, they established partnerships with industry leaders to develop impactful diversity and inclusion programs and to offer internships, bootcamps and scholarships to the ones dreaming to build a career in IT security. 💡 Why is this important to me and why it should be important to YOU: - It is 2023 and BME Women are still suffering from bias in this industry. - It is 2023 and a Women have to work twice as hard for a lower salary (-21%, last studies demonstrate), to disrupt stronger criticism, not always unconscious. - It is 2023 and Women represent only 25% of the Cybersecurity workforce, globally. Have a look at it yourself here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ek_Y24Gv But, let's go back to the good bit. Mentoring was a challenge made easy by Oluwabamise and Omolara. We talked about networking, we talked about imposter syndrome, we talked about not having to deserve some rest to take a few days for ourselves, about growth and learning mindset. We shared our vision for our future selves and our plan to become our best version, what are the steps to accomplish that and how we can measure our success in a fair way to our efforts. We talked about the RIGHT to change our minds, the RIGHT to not knowing what will come next in our careers. Thank you ladies for having me as your guide. Thank you Seidea CIC for giving me the opportunity to follow the career journey of those two brilliant minds. 🤗 There is nothing that I could have ever thought you but I am proud to have been the one to show you your power and how meaningful your effort is for everyone around you. Keep being you. Until next time! 💓 #cybersecurity #diversityandinclusion

People are hired to cyberworkforce positions (my guess, mostly security) based on their technical skills, but their social and personal features are just as much or perhaps even more important, state authors of this study. I don't know, I've never hired anyone for cybersecurity position - but perhaps you can share your experience while I share what I found to be interesting. I cannot avoid thinking that whenever we speak of cybersecurity we keep pointing out how human errors and human behavior plays a key role. Which means that ability to understand people and their behavior is of key importance. Which means that a lonely person i a black hoodie is only a good stereotype to hide behind (or maybe a fair representation of adversary), but would not make a good cyberspecialist. Authors of this study suggest paying attention to cognitive abilities (and not academic achievements, because a street smart person might have just as good analytical and knowledge integration abilities, and just a fact of having diploma will not prove anything). It is also important to distinguish which position we are focusing on - for example, cognitive abilities have very little correlation with success in police work. A good fit to company values may be especially important - cyberworkforce are often entrusted control of the critical resources of the organization. Special attention should be paid to the situations where the role of these specialists becomes critical for operations or even survival of the company. The authors suggest selecting people with systemic thinking (as in "looking at a bigger picture"), who can work as a team (which is a bigger challenge than usual - from other studies we know cybersecurity specialists are lower in agreeableness, they tend to work as a cluster in a bigger team and do not integrate into a wider team). Sense of duty, loyalty to the idea, team, company or even country might be an importantmotivational factor of personal resilience. Will and skill to continue learning might show not only flexible thinking but also ensure application of the most modern and efficient methods. Finally, an ability to interpret non technical, and even non verbal information might be very important for efficient communication that becomes critical when in a high stress situation quick and correct decisions need to be made. Is this how you see cyberworkforce people? Is this how you hire them? #spoonfulofreason #psychology #cybersecurity #personaltraits Photo: Alexandr Ivanov from Pixabay Study: https://lnkd.in/dAf3pCeK My name is Monika, I am psychologist. I help to deal with daily and difficult questions about behaviour, thinking, emotions. I write, give lectures and provide psychological counselling. Book my session here: https://lnkd.in/eCrD5Tx2

😎 Embracing the Journey One year ago, I decided to make a bold move towards a career in cybersecurity. The journey was filled with countless hours of learning, challenges, and self-doubt, but I knew that taking that first step was crucial. Today, I want to share that I recently had my very first job interview for the role of a Cybersecurity Specialist. some weeks back. While I didn't get the job, it's not a setback; it's a step in the right direction, a new milestone reached in my journey. 💪 Embracing Rejection as Progress Rejection can be tough, and it's easy to see it as a roadblock. But I'm choosing to see it differently. That interview was an opportunity to learn, grow, and understand the industry better. It's a reminder that progress often involves setbacks. 🌟 The Value of Taking That First Step I want to encourage anyone out there who's considering a career change or a leap into the unknown: don't wait until you feel "ready." You'll never truly feel 100% prepared, and that's okay. It's in those moments of uncertainty and discomfort that you grow the most. 👉 Take the Leap! If I can go from a Frontend Software Engineer to getting an interview as a Cybersecurity Specialist in just a year, you can take your first step too. Don't be discouraged by the fear of failure; be motivated by the potential for growth. 🚁 The Journey Continues My journey in cybersecurity is far from over, and I'm more determined than ever. Let's embrace the unknown, face rejections with grace, and keep pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones. There are countless opportunities waiting for us if we dare to seize them. #CareerJourney #Cybersecurity #NeverStopLearning #EmbraceTheUnknown

“After 17 years, someone finally told me these things. What you’ve mentioned, maybe I could have got there in 15 ☺️” Cybersecurity is often a small world. Via a mutual friend I met someone new in Berlin today. I love learning about people’s careers and passing on any feedback which might help them in the future. Let’s be honest, most of us don’t like to sell ourselves. In fact, we can often undersell ourselves. If you want to stand out when applying for jobs, you need to think about what difference YOU made, what problems YOU solved and how the next organisation came benefit from YOUR skills and experience. Don’t just focus on the activities you did, relate them to outcomes for the organisation.

Interested in working with cybersecurity? 👩💻👾 Grab our support members' Nordea job search tips 💜 🟣Understand the industry, not just the tech We love tech, but knowledge about the company's business (e.g., banking) is key. This helps you grasp how the technologies you'd use actually enable the business. 🟣Show us you share our values! We value applicants who research our purpose and show how they align with their applications and interviews. 🟣Mirror the job ad, not the recruiter. When applying for a job, use keywords and tone from the ad, even if the recruiter's name sounds foreign. Your application might land with someone who doesn't share the language. 🟣No experience? Highlight transferable skills! If you're new to the field, showcase hobbies and activities that demonstrate relevant skills (e.g., problem-solving, teamwork) and how they could benefit your role. It reveals who you are and what you bring. 🟣Fresh eyes mean new possibilities. New to cybersecurity? Don't be afraid to get creative! Highlight past experiences (even hobbies) and show how they transfer to the role. You might be surprised by what you find. 🟣Cybersecurity isn't just about hacking. Explore the diverse roles - technical and non-technical. Find your strengths and passions, and mirror them in a role that interests you to build your path. 🟣We celebrate diversity - introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between. Communication and collaboration between different kinds of people are key because diverse perspectives fuel great ideas. We all learn from each other! 🟣Cybersecurity detour? Start in tech! Other tech areas can be stepping stones. Gain experience and transferable skills, then look for internal transfers to cybersecurity. 🟣Don't be shy - hit apply! Even if you don't match every requirement listed in the ad, do it. Every application is a chance to learn and grow." Which of the tips was your favorite? And what tips would you give to future cyber stars aspiring to enter the industry? Share your tips in the👇 comments #women4cyberfinland #W4CFI #women4cyber #womenincybersecurity #cybersecurity #kyberturvallisuus #työllistyminen #työnhakuvinkit