Cybersecurity is one of the most well-rewarding industries. Yet, employers will only hire you if you have these cybersecurity skills. 

An ISACA report reveals that 69% of organizations have understaffed security teams. Moreover, experts fear that the cybersecurity skills gap will continue to rise. That is for years to come. 

Having the necessary technical abilities is a must for any cybersecurity job. Yet, companies have a hard time finding professionals because of a lack of soft skills. These include clear communication and leadership skills. 

Furthermore, professionals that both have hard and soft skills are already employed. These professionals typically have huge salaries and benefits. These are for retaining them for the long term. 

Strongly consider the field of cybersecurity if you’ll start a career. In fact, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t. Read on to see the cybersecurity skills you must possess before entering the field. 

Solid Work Habits

Of course, this is a must-have regardless of your job. However, cybersecurity is a very busy industry to the point you won’t last if you don’t have solid work habits. For starters, you must have great attention to detail. Moreover, you must have the ability to work methodically. 

The right candidates also have the enthusiasm and a high degree of adaptability. That is because technology is constantly changing. Cybersecurity professionals must also consistently keep an updated understanding of common web vulnerabilities. 

Moreover, having strong analytical and diagnostic skills is crucial for the job. You must also have the eagerness to dig into technical questions and examine them from all sides. 

Soft Skills

Having strong presentation and communication skills is also essential in this field. Security professionals have to communicate complicated topics. That is to other non-tech savvy company members such as key stakeholders. 

Thus, you must be able to articulate complex concepts both written and verbally. But not just that. Active listening skills are also crucial, especially when communicating with customers. 

Soft skills also come in handy when identifying and explaining socially engineered attacks. No technical measures can prevent these attacks. It’s entirely up to employees’ actions on how the company prevents these attacks.

Technical Skills

Identifying the essential technical skills is quite tricky. There are many disciplines within the cybersecurity field. However, many such jobs share a mutual technical foundation.

For instance, all tech pros must understand the architecture. Also, the management of operating systems. Examples of these operating systems are Linux and Windows. Thus, you must learn how to love things like firewalls and network load balancers. 

Understanding common programming languages is also a must. Some of these languages are Java, C/C++, and scripting languages. Not having a college degree doesn’t seal off your chances. Yet, having technical certifications come on handy. 

These certifications prove your knowledge of cybersecurity. Yet, keep in mind that these are not only the reference. Some of the important certifications are:

• CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker
• OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional)
• CISA (Certified Information Security Auditor)
• GCIH (GIAC Certified Incident Handler)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)