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decision. If he or she makes a verbal acceptance, send an offer letter immediately
confirming the salary and benefits that were negotiated as well as the start date, working
hours and whether the position is exempt or non-exempt from overtime.

The offer letter should have a signature line for the candidate to sign. The signed offer letter
should be sent back within 24 hours.

Talent Acquisition for Cyber Defense: The Secret Weapon

What if you could find a turn-key solution that ensures a successful outcome in all stages of
the cyber tech talent acquisition process described above? That’s what an external IT
staffing firm is all about. It’s the cyber tech hiring manager’s best friend – and secret
weapon.

The sooner the decision to go with an external firm can be made after the cyber security
position opens up and the firm decides to fill it, the better. The staffing firm should be
contacted and an interview requested with an account manager experienced in cyber tech
staffing.
A good account manager is an attention-to-detail person who will not only ask the right
questions – lots of questions – to get all the information about the job requirements, but will
also be able to produce four to six candidates who have already been pre-screened and pre-
qualified and are believed to be a strong fit for the position. A top-flight staffing firm is able to
map candidates quickly to the specific requirements of any cyber tech position.

As noted earlier in this article, a key at this stage of the recruitment outsourcing process is to
provide complete and detailed information about the position and the “hard” and “soft” skills
needed for success. The more complete picture the staffing firm has, the quicker the search
and the better the results.

Because external IT staffing firms are paid to find the A players, they make it their business
to know who the top people are and how to find them.

The best staffing companies have their own proprietary applicant tracking systems using
specialized database software to harvest cream-of-the-crop talent from many different
sources. Not only that, but premier firms will offer a “try before you buy” guarantee that an
applicant who doesn’t work out within 30 days will be replaced.

Bottom Line Benefits

The reality in today’s tech talent acquisition arena is that large businesses are using staffing
firms. For small and mid-size companies, this approach can also pay dividends – literally –
because a temp-to-hire agency will carry new hires on their payroll for as long as six months.

After you’re sure that the new person has worked out, you can bring them on staff. This “test
drive” approach to cyber tech staffing frees up capital that would otherwise go to salary and
benefits. This means smaller firms often can grow faster by using a staffing firm.

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