You have conquered the CompTIA Security+, and now you are starting the job hunt. You are worried that you have no idea how to use SOC Analyst tools or what they are.

This article will cover the top tools used in the SOC and places to get hands-on experience.

Most of these will be from HackTheBox and TryHackMe because I am familiar with the platforms, and they are the leading providers for cheap online labs at the moment.

If you find any other sites with high-quality labs, please let me know. I would love to share them with the world.

When you are working on your plan to get into cyber security, you hear two distinct suggestions for cyber security jobs: help desk or SOC. You can’t study for both positions simultaneously, so what do you do?

In a world that requires certifications for any type of IT role, you must choose a path. You can’t go wrong with either one. But in my experience, one option sets you up for much faster career progression.
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This article will explain why I am a strong proponent of starting in the SOC. I will list the top reasons why I think the security operations center is the best place to begin your journey in cyber security as an entry-level candidate with no experience.

In many Reddit threads and conversations on other social media, I often hear the advice, “if you want to get into cyber security, start at the help desk.” But, in my opinion, if you want to get into cyber security, you should start in the SOC.
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This blog will highlight my five arguments for avoiding the help desk and jumping right into the fire that is the security operations center, aka “The SOC.”

Resumes have many descriptions such as annoying, time-consuming, a pain in the a**. But most of all, I think they are known for being a powerful tool for job hunting.

What if you could generate an updated resume in a matter of minutes versus hours? What if this resume was also optimized for resume sorting algorithms? Well, guess what? This is all possible using LinkedIn.
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In this blog, I will walk you through building a resume quickly using your LinkedIn Profile. 

Do you hate updating your resume all the time? Or are you confused about how HR resume parsing software works? That makes at least two of us. Or rather, it did makes two of us until my close friend told me the secret of LinkedIn.

Resumes are notorious for being confusing and a pain. Because…. well they just are. And as an occasional job hunter, it is hard to master the skill. We typically rely on professional resume writers to assist us, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense to shell out money.
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After reading this blog, you will be able to easily update your resume, quickly apply for high-quality job postings, and attract recruiters to your profile.

Have you just started your job hunt and already had issues finding a role for your junior-level skills? You are not alone. Sometimes we content creators make it seem like a sure fit to get into the industry, but it isn’t always so.
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Job hunting takes effort, luck, and determination. In this post, we will cover job listing sites, companies, and recruiters hiring for Junior SOC Analysts. With these tools, your job hunt should come to a conclusion in no time!

Are you worried that when you submit your resume, it looks like all the rest in the pile? Well, you are not alone. Even with the deficit of infosec practitioners, the competition for quality jobs is still high.

To get an offer, you still must stand out from the crowd to get noticed. This proverbial pile, I speak of, isn’t just a single stack but is actually made up of multiple interview phases that companies use to sift through candidates.
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This blog will discuss things you can do to your resume to supercharge it to land multiple interviews.

Are you gearing up for your first interview, nervous and unsure of what questions are coming your way? I feel you. During my first interview, I was a nervous wreck. And guess what? I still am anytime I interview. These are normal concerns for most people.

In this blog, you will find some of the most common questions I have seen during interviews for the Junior Soc Analyst role. Many of these I have asked myself while interviewing candidates.
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Instead of just providing an answer you can memorize, I will give you the reasons behind the questions. I encourage you to spend time researching the questions on your own. Before the interview, you should understand the topic well enough to discuss it more than surface level with the interviewer. They will be probing to see if you actually know what you are talking about. I promise 😊.

The OSCP has been the suggested “go to” certification for penetration testers since I have been in the infosec field; almost been six years as of this writing. At one time, it was the only pen tester certification around. We used to call it the “hacker high school diploma.”

To this day, I still suggest this to budding practitioners. But the question is, with so many other fish in the pen tester certification pond, is the OSCP still worth the effort or are there better options?

This post will examine the OSCP to determine if it is still the most viable entry-level certification for breaking into the ethical hacking field.
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*Fun fact, the certification was release in 2006 under the name “Offensive Security 101.” 

Penetration Testing is one of the most sought-after careers for new cyber security college graduates. I don’t know how many times I have had an intern or mentee who has said that their goal was to be a pen tester. By no means is it an easy road. It takes passion and dedication to put in the hours to gain the required knowledge to just pass an interview. I think just as often, when I discuss the journey, people decide to take a different path.

This blog will discuss my recommendations to go from an infosec college student with no industry experience to a junior pentester. In another blog, we will dive into the career itself and the day to day life.
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By no means is this the only method of achieving your dream. But this is my recommended approach based on my experiences completing the journey and mentoring others in the ethical hacker track.