How to Reskill for a Security Clearance Job

Looking ahead into the year of 2020, the top skills in demand for the Intelligence Community are focused around cybersecurity, big data, analytics, cloud computing and development operations (devops).

The Government Accountability Office’s “High-Risk List” of federal programs says that federal agencies and other organizations need to take urgent actions to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, perform effective oversight, secure federal systems, and protect cyber critical infrastructure, privacy, and sensitive data.

Despite the growing number of cybersecurity vacancies in the cleared space, they can be difficult to land if you don’t have the correct credentials. One of the best ways to reskill for a security clearance job in the digital age is building out on your skillset or obtaining new certifications. We’ll cover 5 certifications to reskill, and what jobs they’re appropriate for.

GIAC Certified Incident Handler: This certification is best for those looking to detect, respond, and fix security incidents. Think Information Assurance.

Certified Ethical Hacker: This is the ideal certification for a white hat hacker, penetration tester, cyber threat analyst or cyber security SME.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): This is an advanced certification for security managers and policy managers.  Security professionals with this certification earn the big bucks and are in high demand across every industry.

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP): This cert is recognized as an IAT Level III DoD approved baseline certification and is the newest of the CompTIA saga. Government and contractors will accept this for virtually any level of security or IT professional.

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM): This certification is significant for those in managerial positions in industry jobs such as a CIO. It’s unique in that it is management-focused and promotes international security practices necessary to the Intelligence Community.

Start with an entry-level exam and move on to one of these 5 certifications to boost your resume and show that you are interested in furthering your learning. These certifications, along with your clearance, will set you up for success in the IC.