Top 5 Skills Entry-Level Cybersecurity Professionals Need

Cybersecurity professional organization ISC2 found hiring managers prize teamwork, problem-solving, and analytical thinking in early-career employees.

Investing in junior and intermediate-level employees can strengthen cybersecurity teams, nonprofit professional organization ISC2 found in its survey of cybersecurity hiring trends.

In addition, despite global economic pressures, the industry is strong: 75% of hiring managers planned to hire more cybersecurity professionals during 2025, ISC2 found. Nearly 90% of the people surveyed had open positions at their organizations. The report found early-career roles are relatively quick to fill.

ISC2 surveyed 929 hiring managers across Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, and the US in December 2024.

What skills are employers looking for?

The top five skills hiring managers prioritize for cybersecurity roles are:

• Teamwork
• Problem solving
• Analytical thinking
• Data security
• Cloud security

Certifications can also be appealing to employers. Of hiring managers, 89% said they would hire an entry- or junior-level candidate with an ...