On June 22, 2022, Hacktales launched Nigeria’s first cybersecurity career village at the Cyber Secure Nigeria Conference 2022 in partnership with the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN). The just concluded career village was loaded with vital information on how entry-level individuals can break into the cybersecurity industry and bridge the worldwide talent gap.

Over 200 attendees had the privilege of getting career advice from industry professionals and tips on how to ace interviews. Six individuals also got a 100% scholarship into Hacktales Cybersecurity Foundation Program.

If you missed the event, do not worry, we have put together a quick summary for you.

The event started with a “Careers in cybersecurity” training by Hacktales co-founders, Chikodili Udeh and Olajide Adebayo. In this session, participants learned about 7 key steps required to land a job in Cybersecurity. Using resources like the NIST NICE framework which contains several career categories, specializations, work roles, and a list of tasks, knowledge, skills, and abilities, entry-level participants were able to grasp a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities that exist within the cybersecurity industry.

They also buttressed the need to build a personal KPI to keep you accountable for your goals and what you seek to achieve in your new career. In addition to this, upskill by taking courses to gain foundational knowledge on cybersecurity know-how, acquiring certifications to boost your resume, seeking internships, taking up volunteer jobs, joining communities like @cyberexpertsng @shesecures, @CyberGirls, socializing with likeminded enthusiasts and professionals on the internet and attending events like the Career Village was highly recommended for an easy transition into the cybersecurity industry.

After this session, five breakout rooms were created for participants to speak directly with industry professionals across five career paths:

• Governance, Risk & Compliance
• Penetration Testing
• Threat Intelligence
• Cloud Security
• Security Operations

In each of the rooms, industry professionals spoke extensively about the following:

• Are there specializations in this cybersecurity role? Give us a detailed breakdown.
• What are the different responsibilities that are expected in this cybersecurity role?
• In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of an entry-level CV?
• What are the non-negotiable soft and hard skills that demonstrate you can work in this cybersecurity role?
• How can entry-level participants build work experience in this cybersecurity role.
• What are free certifications recommended for this role and where can one get them?
• What associations and communities can entry-level enthusiasts join to connect with professionals and find jobs in this cybersecurity role.

Of course, there were lots of questions to which the speakers did justice to.

To close off the event, two individuals participated in a mock interview session with a recruitment panel. This session was an eye-opener as participants got tips on how to engage in conversations during a live interview.

Special thanks to the Elizabeth Kolade, Chairperson Conference Organizing Committee. The speakers of the day – Oluwasolape Akinde, Omotolani Olowosule, Munir Yahaya, Olajumoke Oloyede, and Hamzah Lateef for sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields, and Moyosola Olalekan Outsourcing Services for the mock interview session.

Our thanks are also extended to all the participants for taking the time to attend the event. We can not wait to see you smash those goals and flourish in the cybersecurity industry.

See you at the next one in 2023!