Skills Expectations in Cybersecurity: Semantic Network Analysis of Job Advertisements

ABSTRACT

Cybersecurity jobs are in demand around the country in response to the rapidly growing number of cyberattacks on businesses and government entities. While there is some consensus on core technical skills needed to fill these positions, many hiring employers are not aware of or deemphasize the importance of soft skills in these positions. Using a semantic network analysis of job advertisements, this study sought to answer two research questions: what are the most critical soft skills cybersecurity employers seek? And how are the soft skills related to the hard skills based on industry expectations? This study reports the analysis of 17,929 cybersecurity job advertisements. Our results found that three categories of soft skills emerged: Knowledge management and systems, big data analytical skills, and teamwork and diversity are all highly sought after. In addition, our study findings reinforce a critical role information system is playing in cyber security.

KEYWORDS:

• Cybersecurity
• soft skills
• practical intelligence
• cybersecurity job skills conceptual model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).