In the past, networking was relegated to the realm of conferences and in-person events. If you are more on the introverted side or have social anxiety like me, none of these sound like fun. But since the dawn of social media, it has been possible (and sometimes more appealing) to do almost all your networking online in a more controlled and comfortable environment.
But how do you get started? And how do you avoid ending up on the LinkedIn Lunatics subreddit? Let’s discuss.
Do I Really Need to Network?!
Short answer: Networking isn’t for everybody, and nor should it be. If you do not really want to do it, it will come across in your efforts. If networking sounds painful and cringy to you, then I would recommend that you steer clear. However, realize that you could be missing out on potentially valuable connections. And some of these connections can be useful to lean on when you find yourself seeking new professional opportunities. Given the instability of today’s job market, it is wise to make connections that could potentially help you (and vice versa).
I graduated in 2010 during the thick of the last recession, and I remember that I struggled to find any kind of meaningful employment until early 2012 (which required me to move across the country, but I digress.) Often, people would tell me it was who I would know that would help me find work, not merely applying to roles on LinkedIn and CareerBuilder (it was a different time). The longer I am in the working world, the more that I realize that those people were honestly right.
I know several people in my network who secured new opportunities thanks to connections they made at previous jobs or local security meetup groups. One friend, in particular, shared how they were approached about new roles simply due to their active involvement in a meetup group. Interestingly, they hadn’t even joined the group with career advancement in mind—they were just looking to connect with like-minded people and improve their current skills. Yet, by being an active participant, they opened doors they hadn’t anticipated.
How Do I Start Networking?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to networking on social media. Below, I’ll review some of the most popular social media platforms that you can use to network in cybersecurity. You do not need to use all of these; in fact, if there are one or two you feel more comfortable with, then spend your time there. I am a big believer that a major factor in networking is authenticity, so do what feels right to you.
Networking on LinkedIn
The #1 network for social media networking – for any industry – is LinkedIn. There is a pretty good chance that if you are currently looking for new opportunities, you are at least somewhat active on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is meant to be a networking hotbed.
Build an Optimized Profile
If you are just getting your feet wet with it, I would recommend starting by building out a thoughtful and optimized profile. What does that look like? Creating a well-rounded LinkedIn profile is an article in itself; here is a great starter guide to going about it. The following things I would consider the most important:
Craft an “About” section where you have an elevator pitch or TLDR of who you are.
Provide an accurate headline for your profile. Even if you are unemployed, you can use this area to broadcast the types of roles you are interested in or qualified to perform.
Use a professional headshot. This photo can be taken by yourself or with a photographer’s help. Evaluate your headshot from a potential employer’s perspective, and try to present a “business casual” image. And if this is an area that gives you pause, there are many options to give yourself an AI glow-up. A simple Google search will give you several websites to play around with; have fun!
Ensure your professional experience is up to date. There is no need to list every job you have ever had, but your last several relevant roles should be included. When deciding what to include, I consider two criteria. First, is the role related to my long-term career goals, and second, is it a job I held within the last decade?. If the answer to both questions is yes, I include it. So for this reason, I keep the movie theater I worked at in 2007 off my LinkedIn.
There is a lot more you can do with LinkedIn profiles, but for this article, let’s stick to networking.
Join LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn offers LinkedIn groups, where you can connect with like-minded professionals or even just kindred hobbyists. I would encourage you to join a few of them, check out the community rules, and begin interacting! You do not want to randomly start posting to the group – and you absolutely do not want to spam the group – so read the rules of engagement before doing anything.
Connect with and Follow Other Cybersecurity Colleagues
Another amazing use for LinkedIn: Connect with other cybersecurity folks you want to get to know! You want to exercise some discretion here, but it does not hurt to connect with or at least follow other people in the space who may be a recruiter at your dream company or hold a position similar to yours. It’s a good practice to preface any connection requests with a friendly message introducing yourself (especially since some folks may be wary of accepting due to aggressive cold-calling vendors). This approach might lead you to new jobs, speaking opportunities, or possible mentors/mentees. Finally, don’t be afraid to follow a few high-profile cybersecurity personalities! There is no shortage of those on LinkedIn – including TCM’s own Heath Adams, who is pretty active there.
Post on LinkedIn
One of the easiest (and most intimidating) ways you can begin networking on LinkedIn is to post on your profile! If you have some insights you’d like to share, some personal experiences others may be able to relate to, or thoughts on a recent news item, your profile is a perfect forum. This can help you establish rapport with others, and hopefully lead to some conversations. Not every post will be successful, but you will find over time that you have a few folks regularly interacting with you. You can create a posting schedule for yourself (e.g., posting content 3 times a week at 10 AM) to help build an audience. People will come to expect your posts every so often if you adhere to a schedule; you don’t have to, but it can be helpful. And if your employer offers an employee advocacy program, I would highly recommend using it!
Networking on X (Formerly Known as Twitter)
Another social media platform would be X aka Twitter and its counterparts that arose from the Great Twitter Migration. There is still a strong presence of security professionals on X, but that number continues to dwindle almost daily. If you choose X, you will find it is fairly active and a solid way to stay on top of trending issues. You can also use X to make connections with others in the space.
Networking on Mastodon and Threads
Mastodon and Threads have emerged as X alternatives; both of these have growing communities of infosec community members. I would recommend Mastodon over Threads as the security community seems stronger there, but Threads (owned by Meta) has taken off more lately. Mastodon is divided into servers, and these servers include several active security communities, like infosec.exchange and the DEF CON server. Threads operates similarly to X, so if you are familiar with X, Threads will not be much of an adjustment.
Networking on Discord
Discord is a major part of the online cybersecurity community – especially here at TCMS, where our server has over 60,000 members (more than the population of Rapid City, South Dakota). You can join our server here. There are plenty of other cybersecurity Discord servers that exist – and unlike platforms like LinkedIn and X, Discord moves in real time – it is a constant conversation independent of any algorithm wonkiness. It’s honestly a great way to meet new people. Even if Discord offers more “anonymity” as opposed to a site like LinkedIn, the people on it tend to be very active and passionate about security. And more and more often, recruiters will use Discord to scope out potential candidates or advertise open roles.
If you find Discord overwhelming – which is understandable, I used to call it Slack on Monster – join some smaller servers and start participating incrementally. As someone who runs on the shy side, I didn’t relish joining conversations when I first got active on Discord. Take it step by step, and don’t overwhelm yourself. At a certain point you will hit a groove where you feel more comfortable. Many servers also host virtual events, which are a good opportunity to get to know the people better. If a server offers something offline, like at an industry conference, I would consider attending that as well.
Networking on Reddit
Finally, the last social media platform I’ll cover today for cybersecurity networking is Reddit. Reddit has a prickly reputation, and it’s not undeserved. At the same time, the security subreddits – like r/netsec, r/cybersecurity, and r/howtohack – tend to be active communities with top-notch resources. There are security subreddits covering almost every niche you can imagine. Here is an awesome curated list on GitHub you can comb through. You don’t even need to post much (unless you really want to); Reddit thrives off karma, which you can get by commenting on others’ posts. In some subreddits, it is mandatory to have a certain amount of karma before you can jump into the conversation. Each subreddit differs on this, so make sure you pay attention to each subreddit’s distinct rules.
When done right, Reddit is a fantastic way to learn things, discover cutting-edge security research, and swap war stories. You can also talk in Reddit chats unique to each subreddit. If you worry about people gatekeeping or being rude on Reddit – which happens pretty frequently – I would advise you to stay civil and polite, and avoid any obvious baiting. Don’t be shy about leaving subreddits either; if you don’t feel welcome in a community, there is no need to subject yourself to unneeded discomfort.
Happy Social Media Networking!
Whew! That’s your starting point – really, this is just the tip of the social media networking iceberg. Wherever you decide to focus your energy, remember that cybersecurity networking is about building genuine relationships, not simply collecting connections. So, take your time, stay true to yourself, and in time you will find your own networking style.
If you want to learn more about how to use social media in cybersecurity networking, I spoke to Phillip Wylie on The Hacker Factory podcast about how social media can help you break into the industry. Good luck out there!
About the Author: Britt Kemp
Britt Kemp has over a decade of marketing and community experience, predominantly in the cybersecurity industry. Her mainstream career has been spent mostly at two businesses before TCM Security: a digital marketing agency and an offensive cybersecurity firm. As a writer, she has had bylines in the Phoenix New Times and The Spec, and has ghostwritten for a number of publications including Forbes and the Christian Science Monitor as well as self-published a few books. She also regularly reviews resumes when time permits, including resumes for professionals in the hospitality industry, the entertainment industry, and even the funeral industry in addition to cybersecurity. Britt has been music blogging on and off since the late 2000s, including interviewing a young Taylor Swift. She has two guinea pigs, and you can find Britt lurking around the TCM Discord with this avatar.
About TCM Security
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