Earn Cybersecurity Certifications

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Identify industry recognized certification bodies.
Discover effective exam preparation strategies.
Use job announcements to help plan your development.

We’ve just reviewed the benefits of cybersecurity certificates and where they can help you in your cybersecurity career journey. Before we discuss strategies to be successful with certification exams, let’s complete a quick refresher on some key points from the previous unit.

Knowledge Check

Ready to review what you’ve learned? The following knowledge check isn’t scored—it’s just an easy way to quiz yourself. To get started let’s review what you’ve learned by matching each person’s statement from Column A to the best cybersecurity entry point in Column B. When you finish matching all the items, click Submit to check your work. If you’d like to start over, click Reset.

Industry-Recognized Certifications

In the dynamic field of cybersecurity, acquiring a certification is a big step for professionals aiming to advance in their careers. Certifications not only validate knowledge and skills but can also align with the specific workforce needs of organizations seeking to fortify their digital infrastructure. With a wide variety of certifications available, it’s crucial to understand how to effectively prepare in order to pass certifications exams.

Industry-recognized cybersecurity certifications are vendor-neutral credentials that validate a professional's knowledge and skills in a specific cybersecurity domain. These certifications are developed and administered by independent bodies/associations and are globally recognized by stakeholders across multiple industries. This includes professionals working in the field, employers, other professional organizations, and often regulatory or governmental bodies. Here are four typical key characteristics of some industry-recognized certifications:

Vendor-neutral: Validate competency in general cybersecurity skills vs focusing on a specific vendor’s technologies and tools.
Globally accepted: Recognized by a broad range of stakeholders in the cybersecurity field.
Validation of core competencies: Focus on core security principles, procedures, and best practices.
Multiple levels: Often come in multiple levels (for example, beginner, intermediate, advanced) catering to diverse levels of candidate experience.

Examples of vendor-neutral certifications include:

(ISC)² CISSP: The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)² Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a globally recognized benchmark for experienced cybersecurity professionals, demonstrating mastery in security architecture, incident response, and risk management.
CompTIA Security+: The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Security+ is a foundational certification validating core cybersecurity knowledge and skill essential for entry-level positions, covering areas like secure networks, system administration, and cryptography.
ISACA CISA: The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is valued by professionals in auditing, compliance, and governance roles within cybersecurity, focusing on information systems auditing, control activities, and IT governance.
OSCP: The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) offered by Offensive Security, a leading provider of hands-on cybersecurity training, validates a security professional’s practical skills in penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and exploit development.

Choosing the Right Certification

While certifications can boost your cybersecurity career, selecting the right ones requires careful consideration. Here’s how you can narrow down your options and make the best choice for your specific goals.

Consider Your Interests: Cybersecurity is broad. Do you envision yourself specializing in incident response, penetration testing, network security, teaching, cloud security, sales, or auditing? Consider acquiring certifications that demonstrate proficiency in your area of interest.
Self-Assessment: Before diving into available certifications, take an inventory of your current skills and knowledge. Websites like CareerOneStop offer skill assessments and career exploration tools to help you identify areas where you have a strong foundation and those requiring further development.
Job Market Research: Browse job boards for the types of roles you aspire to. Pay close attention to the certifications frequently listed as “required” or “preferred” in job descriptions. This gives you a concrete understanding of the skills and credentials that employers in your target area are actively seeking.
Seek Guidance: Mentors and seasoned cybersecurity professionals can provide invaluable insights. Discuss your career aspirations, current skill set, and learning style with a mentor or someone you trust within the field. Their perspective can help you shortlist certifications that best align with your goals and strengths.

Ultimately, the best certification path is tailored to your individual journey. By conducting research, assessing your skills, aligning your choices with job requirements, and seeking guidance, you can make informed decisions that maximize the impact of certifications on your career progression.

Practice Effective Test Taking Strategies

Once you’ve decided on the right certification, success on cybersecurity certification exams often hinges on a well-structured preparation plan before the exam, and strategic test-taking approaches during the exam. Here are some tips.

Understand the exam format: Familiarize yourself with the exam's structure. Is it multiple-choice, scenario-based, or a mixture? What topics are covered and how are they weighted? How much time is allocated to complete the exam? How many questions are on the exam? This information is usually available on the certification body's website.
Study plan and mental preparation: Create a realistic study plan that incorporates both learning and practice.
Utilize practice tests: Practice tests emulate the exam experience and help identify areas requiring further study. Many certification bodies or training providers offer free practice questions and paid official practice exams.
Manage your time: On exam day, stay calm, manage stress, and trust in your preparation. Allocate time accordingly per question or section, building in a buffer for review.
Identify easy wins: Start with questions you’re confident about and don't dwell on challenging questions. Utilize techniques like marking the question for review and process of elimination to improve your odds of selecting the correct answer.

As you can see, success on cybersecurity certification exams isn’t just about knowledge or skill. By understanding the exam format, using practice tests strategically, and employing effective test-taking techniques, you maximize your chances of passing the first time!

Going Beyond Certifications

Obtaining a cybersecurity certification is a fantastic achievement, demonstrating your dedication to professional development in cybersecurity. However, in a competitive job market, hiring managers often look for additional evidence of your skills and experience. By strategically analyzing job descriptions and company information, you can uncover information to better position yourself for the job. Use this insight to tailor your learning path and highlight the specific skills the company values.

Let’s explore the strategies that can help you translate job requirements into a targeted plan for your professional development.

Job description: Visit a job board (such as Indeed) and select your ideal position. Pay close attention to the specific wording. Are they emphasizing technical expertise, problem-solving, or incident response? Keywords and phrases offer clues about the company’s priorities and challenges.
Company research: Explore the company website, social media, news releases, and case studies. These resources may reveal their current initiatives, technology stack, or recent cybersecurity incidents. Tailor your application to demonstrate relevant skills.
LinkedIn and networks: Analyze the profiles of people holding your target role within the company or similar businesses. Identify commonly held certifications, skills, and career trajectories to uncover industry trends.

Decoding the Job Description

Let’s delve deeper into the job description strategy. Download the cybersecurity analyst job description as a resource and follow these tips to help you translate a job description into strategic choices for your learning path.

Job description for a cybersecurity analyst role annotated with circles and arrows pointing to key phrases with notes in the margins emphasizing important aspects of the job.

Required vs. desired skills: Differentiate between must-have certifications/skills and those that would give you a competitive edge.
Specific tools and technologies: Does the ad mention specific tools like Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) platforms, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms or vulnerability scanners? Prioritize training in those areas.
Compliance focus: Note any regulations/frameworks mentioned, and research others relevant to their industry. Seek certifications that demonstrate your compliance knowledge.
Business alignment: How does security support their specific business goals or protect their assets? Look for training that bridges technical skills with business impact. For example, if the business goal is to protect data privacy, look for courses and practical experience that teaches you how to assess risks in terms of potential fines, reputation damage, and loss of patient trust (all business impacts).
Business skills: Pay attention to keywords like communication, collaboration, problem solving, and other business skills. These signal the need for strong people skills alongside technical and nontechnical proficiency. Consider courses, workshops or a mentor to help develop these areas.

Remember, job descriptions can be very informative and help you identify your own development areas and skills. Strategically analyzing the job description empowers you to align your development choices with employer needs, making you a strong candidate.

Developing cybersecurity credentials is an ongoing journey of asking questions, acquiring core knowledge, engaging in hands-on practice, feedback and continuous learning.

In this unit we discussed industry-recognized credentials and strategically selecting the right one for your career goals. We also explored how critically analyzing job descriptions can inform targeted learning and strengthen your qualifications. By using these strategies, you can confidently navigate your cybersecurity career path and through a continuous learning mindset, establish yourself as a truly valuable cybersecurity professional.

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