Career Advice Tuesday – “Black Hat Preview – Professional Development Workshop”

July 26, 2011

For today’s Career Advice Tuesday – we wanted to share a more detailed look at our Black Hat Professional Development workshop.  The workshop will take place on Thursday afternoon – from 1:45 – 6:00PM.    Anyone in attendance can come to either any individual session or stay for the whole program.

If you are at Black Hat, please come by and introduce yourselves.

 

InfoSec 2001 – A Career Odyssey

The Professional Development workshop is a half-day program that is designed to inspire the Black Hat attendee to think about their career as an information security professional and assist them in their journey towards the achievement of their long term career goals.

The Professional Development workshop will be divided into five (5) unique information security career topics that will be linked by a common theme – Skill Development and Differentiation.

The program will consist of the following:

1)    “The Value of Information Security Certifications Survey” – Research Revealed – 1350 information security professionals responded to an independent survey on the topic – the research will be revealed

2)   “Second Place Sucks” – A presentation geared toward differentiating yourself from your peers (and your competition)

3)   The Information Security Leader of The Future” -  a presentation that will outline the skills that employers are looking for when identifying and selecting their information security leaders.

4)   “The Other Side of The Desk” – a panel that will explore the different attitudes and beliefs by job applicant and employer during the interview process

5)   “Future Predictions” and “Career Advice Tuesday- Live” – Future trends will be discussed and explored – and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about infosec related career topics

The workshop is designed as an interactive forum that should inspire some shared thought and debate between audience members and the presenters.

Attendees should understand that they can elect to either participate in the entire workshop, or to pick and choose from select sessions that have a particular interest to them.


Session Previews:

Session 1  – 1:45 – 3:00

“The Value of Information Security Certifications Survey”

Presenters – Mike Murray and Lee Kushner – Infosecleaders.com  

In February of 2011, Infosecleaders.com launched an independent survey on the value of information security certifications.   The value of InfoSec certifications is a highly debated topic in the industry, and this is the first independent survey that asks questions to information security professionals (certified or not) – their opinions on topics that include – the motivations for certifications, the impression of the certification bodies, the value of skills vs. certifications, and certifications effect on employment.  With over 1350 respondents, the results should be revealing and eye-opening.

Second Place Sucks -

Presenter – Mike Murray

So, if certifications are no longer the magic bullet to get you to your career goals, then what is.  The topic of strategic career investments and personal branding will be the focus of this presentation.  The presentation will be spent on how you can plan and execute on career investment strategies that will enable you to differentiate from your peers and successfully compete for promotions and external information security leadership opportunities.

(15 minute break)

Session 2 – 3:15 – 4:45PM

3:15 – 3:45PM

“The Information Security Leader of the Future” –

Presenter – Lee Kushner

The skills for information security leaders are changing quite rapidly.  As many companies are aligning information security with their core business and branding, information security professionals will need to evolve as well.  The presentation will break down the core skill components of what information security professional will need to acquire and demonstrate to be considered for leadership roles in the future.

 

3:45PM – 4:45PM

The Other Side of the Desk – Different Perspectives on the Interview Process

Moderator – Mike Murray

Candidate Perspective – Lee Kushner

Hiring Managers Perspective –    

Bill Phelps, Executive Director Accenture  

Justin Somaini, CISO at Yahoo!

Abstract:

There are two parties involved in every interview process, the information security professional (the applicant) and the hiring manager (the decision maker).   While in essence, both parties ultimately desire the same outcome, their motivations lie in different places.   This portion of the presentation will present to the audience the perspective of the candidate and the perspective of the hiring manager, in a way that will educate both parties and enable them to social engineer the interview process, to work to their personal advantage.

Bill Phelps:

Bill Phelps is an Executive Director in Accenture’s security practice, and has spent the past 25 years in technology services.  In the past decade, Bill has been a practice leader, company founder, board member and trusted advisor helping organizations with complex management and technology challenges in the areas of information security, data center transformation and technology strategy.     Bill currently has overall responsibility for Accenture’s security business in North America.  Bill is aggressively growing Accenture’s security team, and plans to hire over security 200 professionals in the coming year.

Justin Somaini:

Justin Somaini is the Chief Information Security Officer at Yahoo! where he’s responsible for all aspects of Yahoo!’s Information Security strategy.  With over 15 years of Information Security experience he’s seen as a leader in industry by promoting an evolution of the security and risk management models.  Through his public speaking and industry involvement he’s given extensive talks and interviews on the threat landscape, public policy, security management and risk management.  Prior to joining Yahoo!, Justin was the CISO at Symantec.  Justin has also held security leadership roles at VeriSign, Charles Schwab and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

4:45 – 6:00PM

Predictions for the Future and Career Advice Tuesday – “Live”

Presenters – Lee Kushner and Mike Murray

The employment market is dramatically changing – and the closing session will begin with information security employment predictions (based on experience and research) for the next ten years.  Once completed, this will be followed by a version of “Career Advice Tuesday” – “Live”.   All attendees can have their personal information security career questions answered in an open forum.   Topics will include skill development, compensation negotiation, career investments, career planning, and anything else you want to ask about your Information Security Career.

Posted by lee | Filed Under "The Other Side of The Desk", Advice, Behavior, Branding, Career Advice Tuesday, Compensation, Interviewing, Networking, Planning, Position Selection, Presentation, Recruiting, Resume, Security Industry, Skills, Survey, Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Career Advice Tueday – “Advice for Job Hoppers”

May 24, 2011

Dear Infosecleaders:

I have been working in a company for over two (2) years now, and for the last eighteen months I have been focused on Privacy Controls Implementation.

Plain and simple, I find this work to be boring.  I have a difficult focusing on my current job and I feel that my work is suffering due to my lack of enthusiasm and the loss of passion.

My initial goal would be to remain with my company, but my manager is not open to my request and simply told me to “keep my head down” and focus on my current project.

I would really like to begin a search for another employer, and to find an opportunity that lets me shift my focus, and let me utilize some of my other skills as an information security professional.   However, I have a history of changing positions every two years, and I have run into the obstacle of being labeled as a “job hopper”.

For the record – I have worked for six companies in my 14 year information security career.

I am not sure how to overcome this obstacle, and progress toward my career goal.   Do you have any suggestions on how I can implement a strategy to change roles and overcome the perception of my lack of commitment?

Any ideas would be welcomed.

Sincerely,

“Frog Man”

 

Dear “Froggy”:

Unfortunately, we do not have much help for you.   The best that I can offer is to utilize your experience to help others, so that they can utilize this as a learning tool for their own careers.

The fact is that history is a very good predictor of future results, and to any new employer it is logical for them to assume that you will only remain at your current position for two years (or slightly more) at a time.   The fact that this is a repeatable pattern – not just once, twice or three times – but six times – is a good indication that you will not stay with your next employer much longer.

In this day and age, hiring managers are facing greater scrutiny when hiring external resources, and if they decide to provide you with an opportunity for employment it is likely that their judgment is going to come into question by their managers.   Many hiring mangers are unwilling to take this risk, as the competition for their jobs is greater.

Therefore your dilemma, Froggy.

If any of you beginning information security professionals are reading this, this should be a lesson and a situation that you need to avoid.   You have to understand that your career and your career choices tell a story, and are a reflection of your decision making, your intangibles, and your personal make-up.   It is often very easy to pick up and leave your employer, however the decision that provides you with instant gratification, often has longer term implications.  This will limit your choices and create an obstacle that you may not be able to overcome.

Take a lesson from Froggy – and try to make sure that you exhaust all internal options prior to making a career decision.   Understand that when you decide to change jobs, try to determine if there is room for growth, and work with your manager to determine the best way to develop your skills and create opportunities for yourself that challenge you and grow.

Back to you Froggy – you are going to have to grit it out- and try your best to convince your manager to provide you with an opportunity that will renew your passion.  You need to demonstrate this by finding it within yourself to become the best Privacy Controls Implementation professional possible, and seek out opportunities that allow you to leverage this expertise into new roles with your current employer.

Give yourself an additional year to do this, and see how it turns out.    In the meantime, take the year to make some personal career investments that may align with your future goals.   When the time is right to go for another interview, you can tell a better story – about how you “stuck it out”,  “tried your best to make it work” – and rededicated yourself to your career -  that is a powerful story that any progressive hiring manager will like to hear – and can sell to their management when asked about your employment history and ”job hopping”.

Write us in a year, let us know how this turns out.

Wish we could be more immediate help,

Lee and Mike

 

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Behavior, Branding, Career Advice Tuesday, Planning, Position Selection, Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Career Advice Tuesday – “The Bird In The Bush”

April 19, 2011

Dear Infosecleaders:

Currently I am an unemployed information security professional and I have been actively interviewing for two opportunities.   Both of the opportunities are better than being unemployed but one is clearly better than the other.

The lesser of the two opportunities was brought to my attention by a fellow information security professional who endorsed me to their supervisor.  That interview process has been completed and they have told me that they want to offer me a position.

The better of the two opportunities has completed their interview process, have provided me with positive feedback, but has yet to make me an offer of employment.  This is the opportunity that I really want however it may be an additional week before I have a firm commitment.

My predicament is that I do not want to be unemployed, but I also do not want to accept the “lesser” opportunity and then go back on my word, leaving my friend who did me a favor in a bad spot.  However, although it looks promising there is no guarantee that the “greater” opportunity will come to fruition and I will be offered the job.

Is there any advice you can give me to manage this situation.

Signed,

“The Bird In The Bush”


Dear  “Tweety”:

I am a firm believer that the people that you answer too are first yourself and then the ones that love you and count on you.   So, the first thing that I can tell you is that you have to make your decision based on what you can live with.   The next thing I will tell you is that you have to have a handle on your financial and personal responsibilities, and factor that into your equation.

All of that being said, the best advice that I can give you is to speak to your friend who introduced the “lesser” opportunity to you, and let him know what you are thinking.  Honesty being the best policy, this should at least clear your conscious and at best, provide you with some advice on how to deal with this new potential manager through this process.

Simultaneously, I would contact either the hiring manager, the human resources person, or your recruiter – and make them aware of your situation and ask if it is possible to expedite their decision making process.    You should make it clear to them that the opportunity at their company is preferred and that if offered (and provided fair compensation) you would accept it.  You can also share with them that ethically you are torn, and you do not want to accept the other opportunity out of need, only to go back on your word.    This may provide them with an insight and more validation on what type of person that they are getting if they hire you.

I would appeal to their personal sense, and tell them if they are not interested, that is fine, but to please be candid with you so that you can move forward with the other opportunity.

Really, let’s hope that the “better” opportunity gets back to you soon – so that you can move forward and avoid this type of decision.

Let us know how this turns out.

Hope this helps,

Lee and Mike

 

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Career Advice Tuesday, Interviewing, Position Selection, Recruiting, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Infosecleaders at OWASP NJ/NJ – Tuesday and Wednesday

March 28, 2011

Wanted to let everyone know that I will be presenting the “CEO of You, Inc. – Your Career Is Your Business” presentation at OWASP NYNJ Metro chapters on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  On Wednesday, I will be speaking toward the beginning fo the agenda – so definitely get there early if you can.

The presentation is designed to help you, the information security professional manage your career as if it were your business, and you were the CEO.  

Here is the full abstract:

The information security profession is becoming increasingly competitive. In the employment market place of the future,certifications and education alone will not be enough to ensure achievement of your long term career goals. The increasing popularityof the profession and the competence of your competition will require that you take the reins of your career.

As companies focus more on profits and revenues, they are diverting resources away from the development of their employees. This attitude has greatly impacted the shared loyalty between employee and employer. In the future, the more effective you are in the management of your information security career, the greater the likelihood that you will achieve professional satisfaction. In essence, your career will be your business, and you will be the CEO.

The goal of this session will be to provide you with a framework for managing your information security career. By relating the different components of career management to traditional business functions, you will get a detailed understanding of how your career should be managed and how you can move past your peers by more than just luck. Subjects covered will include career planning, career investments, effective career marketing and branding, position selection and compensation negotiation.

You will leave the session with a solid foundation to enable you to better achieve your long term career goals and increase your satisfaction with both your current job and with the jobs you select in the future.

I will be happy to take questions during the meeting and after my presentations, provided that time allows.

Hope to see you all there.

Lee

Posted by lee | Filed Under Branding, Compensation, Interviewing, Planning, Presentation, Security Industry | 1 Comment 

CAT – “Convincing My Spouse I Should Accept My New Job”

March 15, 2011

Dear Infosecleaders:

It appears that my work life and my home life have officially collided.  

I am an information security professional by trade and have been working in my field for close to 8 years.   I am also happily married, we have a daughter – and have a very good relationship with my spouse, who also has a career.  I am a little further advanced in my career than my spouse is – however my spouse has more traditional education. 

My issue is this, I have been offered an external opportunity that really moves me closer to my long term career goal as a CISO, and my spouse does not want me to take the job.   The reason given is that my spouse believes that I will be required to work more hours, travel a little more (about 10%), and have more stress.   

My spouse’s lack of support is a very big setback.

I know that the opportunity is not without downside risk, but it is the job that I need to advance my career and it is with a company that I feel very good about joining.  The job does pay more money – but it does require more time and sacrifice.  I do not think that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity –but I do believe it is a real career accelerator.

Can you help me convince my spouse to support my decision?

Sincerely,

“Two Worlds Colliding”

Dear TWC:

This is the first time that we have been called on for some marriage therapy – so please understand that we do not claim to be experts in this area.   

Our initial thought is very simple; it is much easier to find a good information security opportunity, than it is to find a good life partner/spouse.

This being said, I think that your question lies in the extent of sacrifice that you are willing to take to achieve your long term career goals.  It is clear that you personally understand what is necessary to be successful in your career pursuits and are willing to go after them, however your spouse does not seem to share your willingness to sacrifice.

What you may or may not realize that in a committed relationsip, sacrifice is shared and collective.

One thing that you mentioned is that your spouse also has a career, and just like your career is valuable to you – your spouse’s career is valuable to them.  Your spouse may think that the extra commitment that you have in your role, may detract from their ability to maximize their career goals and aspirations.  It could also be that they feel that you will have additional responsibilities – and the burden of the home front will fall on their shoulders.

The problem that you are dealing with is a situation that many dual income families have to deal with, when they are balancing both of their careers and their parental and marital responsibilities.  

The best advice that we can give you is to talk things through with your spouse and appeal to them on a very personal  level and explain to them why the job is important and critical.  You may also provide your spouse with some recourse if the job does change your home life, and commit that you will find another role if this new position affects your relationship with each other and your child.  

In the end, if your spouse objects strongly, and provides you with logic that you can live with, then I would respect their opinion, and turn down the opportunity.  However, before you do, you should ask your spouse to provide you with acceptable criteria that you can apply to a future job search.

This way, you will have their buy in and support from the beginning.

 Hope this helps,

 Mike and Lee

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Behavior, Career Advice Tuesday, Personal, Planning, Position Selection, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

RSA Professional Development Seminar – “The Top Of The Pyramid – Meet The CISO’s”

February 11, 2011

We are down the home stretch now, and the Professional Development Seminaris only a weekend away.   I can tell you that both Mike and I are very much looking forward to being a part of the program, and are expecting a great turn out.  If you plan to attend, please make sure to arrive early – we have been told that there has been a great deal of interest.

The Seminar will take place as follows:

Monday, February 14th , 12:30 – 5:00PM, Moscone Center – Orange Room 305

Then final panel will follow immediately after my presentation- – which begins at 3:30 – and will conclude at 5:00Pm.

The final presentation is really the showcase for the event.  The panel discussion will feature three accomplished Information Security Leaders, who will guide the audience through the evolution of their information security career, and provide insight and guidance to the audience on how to accelerate their own careers.

The participating CISO’s represent a variety of industry’s and have some very unique career progressions.  They include the following :

Patrick Heim - CISO Kaiser Permanente, former CISO McKesson

John Kirkwood- CISO Royal Ahold, fomer CISO American Express

Stephen Scharf - Global CISO Experian , former CSO Bloomberg

The topics that we will cover will include the following :

1) Key career decisions that impacted and accelerated their careers

2) How they select talent?  What they look for in interviews?  How they determine who gets promotions and more responsibility?

3) Their own professional development – through industry involvement, certifications, and advanced education and training

4) What the future holds for them?  What they see on the horizon?

5) General Advice to aspiring Information Security Leaders

All I can say is that it is very exciting to bring this panel to the RSA audience.  The opportunity to gain insight into the careers of successful information security leaders, and in an open forum where the audience can receive unfiltered advice and guidance is a unique opportunity.

For all of the aspiring information security leaders out there, this panel is worth the price of admission alone.

Look forward to seeing you all.  Safe travels!

Lee and Mike

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Networking, Personal, Presentation, Recruiting, Security Industry, Skills, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

RSA Session Preview – “The CISO of the Future”

February 4, 2011

Session Logistics: Monday, Febrary 14th –  Time :  3:30-4:10PM  Location:  Orange Room 305

To many, the position of Chief Information Security Officer represents the pinnacle of our profession.  Achieving this title and this level of responsibility is the ultimate career destination for many security professionals.  In fact, when Infosecleaders conducted our survey of close to 1000 information security professionals, 37% responded that this was their ultimate career goal.  When any goal is viewed as this popular, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

But what does it take to get there?

Many information security professionals believe that they have acquired the skills and experiences necessary to achieve this position, but few truly understand the skill matrix that companies search for in recruiting and locating this level of information security leader.   It may be shocking to learn, that many security professionals who believe they are qualified for these CISO roles, cannot even land an interview for consideration.  After this presentation, they will learn these answers.

The presentation at the RSA Conference is designed to give the attendees a view into the skill requirements for this role – not only for today, but in the future.  During the presentation, I will go over the key components of the CISO’s Skill Matrix and introduce to the audience strategies to build their own skills and enhance their changes of achieving this milestone.   Together, I will guide the audience through the creation of an actual job description for the CISO of the future.   Upon leaving the presentation, attendees should have a better understanding of what it actually takes to compete at this level of the information security food chain.

The session will be followed by a panel of leading CISO’s  – John Kirkwood, Royal Ahold, Patrick Heim, Kaiser Permanente, and Stephen Scharf, Experian – who will reflect on their own skill matrix, challenges and strategies for professional development reaching their own levels of professional success.

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Interviewing, Planning, Presentation, Recruiting, Skills | Comments Off 

RSA Session Preview – “Making The A-List”

January 21, 2011

As a follow up in our series, you will find the preview of Jeff Combs’ RSA Presentation, “Making the A-List” -  Jeff provides a glimpse into his session that will guide the attendees to differentiate from their peers, and make themselves more attractive for internal promotions and overall career acceleration.

Session Date – February 14, 2011 (yep still Valentine’s Day)

Session Time- 2:30PM – 3:10PM

Location – Orange Room 305

Session Preview -”Making The A-List” - Written By Jeff Combs (guest blogger)

As a headhunter with over a decade of experience recruiting in Security, it’s my job to align the best candidates with the right opportunities.  It’s not an easy job, but one that can be very gratifying when you’re able to make a positive difference in people’s lives.  To be successful, a recruiter has to have a number of traits – empathy, listening skills, industry knowledge, the ability to earn trust and…the ability to think like a horse trader.

It’s a fact that companies will only pay to hire the best.  That’s why recruiters exist, to identify and attract talent that stands out from the rest of the crowd. Average doesn’t cut it.  So while I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I can’t afford to represent anyone to my clients who isn’t a cut above their peers.  The candidates that I do advocate for have to be on the “A-list”.

What gets a candidate onto the A-list? There are roughly seven qualities that I look for when interviewing prospective candidates.  Some are “hard”, relating to a candidate’s skills and experience. Others are “soft” and focus on personal qualities. Taken as a whole, these qualities should tell a compelling story that will cause heads to nod and votes of confidence to be cast.

I’ll also describe a way of looking at your career and professional accomplishments that can have a big impact on how you present yourself and how hiring managers perceive you.  I refer to it as “Personal Product Management” and while not rocket surgery, it’s a simple way of making sure you’re headed in the right direction and conveying the right message.

A word of caution, for those seeking empirical data and quantitative metrics this may not be the session for you.  However, for those interested in hearing an insider’s perspective on what makes some succeed and many other’s fail, as well as some open discussion on ways to stand out from the crowd I think it will be time well spent.

I hope to see you there.

Jeff Combs

Posted by lee | Filed Under Networking, Personal, Planning, Recruiting, Skills, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Career Advice Tuesday – “Common Traits of Future Information Security Leaders”

January 11, 2011

Dear Infosecleaders:

Firstly I’d like to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading over your blog entries, and secondly I’d like to ask for some HELP!

As the year 2011 is getting underway, I’ve decided to make the New Year one of career planning and goal achievement.   My dilemma is that I am but a young grasshopper.  I have completed a 4 year IT degree at a University, my CCNA, ITIL certification and 2 years of level 1-3 Support/administration experience. I also have greater than 8 years leadership experience.

Like most here I have great ambition and drive, however I am completely stumped as to how I should progress from here. I wish to pursue a future in IT Security which will ultimately lead to a CISO position, however I am very unsure as how to achieve this.

I guess essentially what I’m asking is if you could start over how would you plan out your career path? What certifications would you benefit most from and which the least.  Now I know there is no right or wrong answer, but from your personal experience and from the experience of those that you have recruited (Lee), what would produce the best result?

Thank you so very much for your help!

“Young Grasshopper”


Dear “Young Grasshopper”:

You ask an interesting question regarding embarking on a plan for Information Security leadership.  I (Lee) recognize that your question centers on the career path to becoming a CISO – but I will answer it a bit more broadly for the audience, since becoming a CISO is only one desired career destination.

I spent some time thinking through all of the Information Security professionals that I have helped throughout their careers – from the time that they were “Young Grasshoppers” (as I once was) – to where they are now, established security leaders (CEO’s, CISO’s, CTO’s, Partner/ Business Owners, Information Security Subject Matter Experts). 

From my reflection I can provide you with the following conclusions (they are not in any specific order – and no one had all of the traits, but most shared a significant number of them):

1)      They were passionate about their profession – and were voracious learners. 

2)      They found themselves in organizations where they were surrounded by others who had similar motivations, aspirations, and intelligence.  They found ways to learn from others whom they could professionally respect.

3)      They were not afraid to command attention and differentiate from their peer group through achievement.

4)      They understood how their company’s measured success – whether it was through customer satisfaction, new technology development, business generation, industry visibility, etc.   They were able to communicate their value.

5)      They were equally comfortable in environments where they were “little fish” in bigger ponds (where they absorbed the broader skills of more experienced professionals – information security and business people) and they enjoyed being “big fish” in little ponds – where they were able to leverage their expertise for additional exposure and career acceleration.

6)      They were not afraid of failure, and had confidence in their own abilities.   Long and short, they were not afraid of getting fired – or recognizing quickly that an opportunity (job) was not right for them.

7)      Money and title were secondary, the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop were paramount.

8)      They kept great relationships with people that they met along the way.  Many times those relationships were very helpful in contributing to their success, later in their careers.

9)      They were significantly more proud of their accomplishments than their certifications.  In fact, many cared very little about certifications or viewed  certification as validation of their talents.

10)   They understood that both their internal and external brands were equally important, and performed and acted in ways that enhanced their standing in both their company and th Information Security industry.

I am not sure if I fully answered the specifics of your question, and would welcome a follow up if you would like to speak about your career – individually (just e-mail at lee@infosecleaders.com)  

I would like to let you know that I appreciate the question and it provided me the opportunity to reflect.  In the future, I may blog about each of these items separately and elaborate on the answers.

Thank you – hope that this helps,
Lee (and Mike)

Posted by lee | Filed Under Advice, Behavior, Career Advice Tuesday, Planning, Security Industry, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Nothing Says “ I Love You” Like an Information Security Career Development Seminar – RSA -Feb 14, 2011

January 7, 2011

The RSA Conference is traditionally known as one of the marquee information security conferences in the United States.  This year, the conference organizers have decided to create a pre conference seminar that is focused exclusively on the information security professional’s career development. The seminar is included with all paid conference admissions.  Personally I was honored when the program committee asked me to co-host the event and contribute to the content of the agenda.

Different then past RSA events, the Seminar is scheduled outside of the main conference tracks, where it does not compete with the highly technical presentations or the key notes.  By doing this, they have enabled all delegates to dedicate time to focus on their careers – and to learn how to best maximize their current positions and strive to attain their long term career aspirations.  The program is designed to take the Information Security professionals through a journey that will provide them with both content and context for managing their careers.

The Seminar will take place on Monday afternoon, February 14th from 12:30 – 5:00PM.

On  the upcoming Fridays leading up to the conference, The InfoSec Leaders blog will feature an in depth abstract and preview to the content of the panels and the individual presentations.

The agenda for the seminar will be as follows:

A panel discussion, moderated by seminar co-host Mike Gentile, that will address  current state of the information security market, the skills that employers are looking for, and trends in today’s employment market.

An individual presentation from InfoSecLeaders’ Mike Murray on Career Planning.  This presentation will help guide the attendees through some basic steps to create a career plan tailored to achieving their long term information security career and life goals.

A presentation given by Jeff Combs focusing on differentiation and personal brand development.  Jeff will utilize his decade long experience as an Information Security executive recruiter to illustrate to the attendees how to make themselves more marketable and attractive – to both their current employers and future ones.

A presentation by me, Lee Kushner, that will focus on the skill requirements for the CISO of the future.  From our Infosecleaders survey we learned that 37% of the respondents aspired to become a CSO/CISO.  This presentation will outline the real skills that company’s are requiring and demanding from their Information Security Leaders of the future.

The seminar will then conclude with a panel discussion (moderated by me) of three current Information Security Leaders – Stephen Scharf, CSO Experian, Patrick Heim, CISO Kaiser Permanente, and John Kirkwood, Global CISO of Royal Ahold who will discuss their own careers paths and progressions, how they select and identify future information security leaders, what skills and attributes they search for in employees, and where they are heading next in their careers.  The panel will allow questions from the audience.

Posted by lee | Filed Under Behavior, Branding, Networking, Planning, Security Industry, Skills, Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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