As more businesses are experiencing cyber threats, to neutralize risk and protect key functions from being compromised by cyber attacks, more and more business leaders are realizing the importance of cybersecurity positions within their organizations. So what are the most desired certifications, skills and positions right now that organizations are looking for?

Specops Software analysed 843 cybersecurity job listings to identify the most desired skills for cybersecurity roles in the current job market.

Cybersecurity Jobs: The Most Desired Professional Certifications  

The study found that ‘Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)’ is the most desired professional certification for cybersecurity positions with 33% of listings looking for this credential (279/843). Being CISSP certified is a strong indication that an individual can engineer and run information security programs. 

‘Information Security Manager (CISM – 21%)’ is the next most wanted cybersecurity professional certification in second place with 174 out of 843 jobs analysed listing it as a key qualification, and those employers who request it pay an average annual salary of £59,689.

In third place is ‘Information Systems Auditor (CISA – 14%)’, followed by ‘Ethical Hacker (CEH – 5%)’ in fourth place.

Cybersecurity Jobs: The Most Desired Programming Languages

In terms of most-desired programming language, the study found that Python (12%) is the most in-demand programming language for cybersecurity roles. C++ (9%) and C (6%) respectively rank second and third. PHP (3%), JavaScript (3%), Ruby (3%) and Java (3%) are the programming languages employers are less interested in for cybersecurity roles.

Cybersecurity Jobs: The Most Desired Skills

The study found that having a technical aptitude and mindset is the most coveted skill for cybersecurity roles with an astonishing 99% of job listings (831/843) looking for this necessary skill.

In second position, employers appreciate a cyber security applicant who can take responsibility for their actions, decisions and work with 663 out of 843 listings searching for a candidate with this attribute (79%). Good written communication (51%) is in third place as 427 of the listed positions analyzed, value this is an employee. Whilst a candidate with passion (37%) for cyber security ranks fourth, seemingly considered an important characteristic by a significant number of firms.

Attention to detail (188/843) and a proactive approach (172/843) are among the other skills which companies look upon favourably for cyber security positions, as 22% and 20% of job listings respectively desire these traits.

Interestingly, 14% of organizations would like prospective applicants to have knowledge of and experience with penetration testing, meaning they are able to use the same tools and techniques as cyber criminals to expose and rectify security vulnerabilities within a network or system.