Cybersecurity Hiring Is Broken

Send us Fan Mail A seasoned cybersecurity engineer with a federal background, an active network, and a clearance should not have to fire off 200 to 300 applications to get hired. Yet that’s exactly what happened to Spud, and the story exposes how broken tech hiring and cybersecurity recruiting have become in the post-layoff market. We walk through what it feels like to go from protecting critical systems to months of unemployment, repeated ghosting, and interview loops that never close. We talk candidly about the modern hiring process: applicant tracking systems, AI resume screening, recruiters who cannot validate specialised requirements, and the strange new normal where “entry-level cybersecurity” postings demand senior experience plus expensive certifications. If you’re trying to break into a SOC analyst role, pivot into security, or simply survive the current tech layoffs, you’ll hear why the noise is so high and why the rejections often have nothing to do with your ability. Then we zoom out to the incentives driving the chaos. We discuss AI as a tool that can help teams move faster, but also how “replace juniors with AI” thinking cuts the first rung off the ladder and creates a future senior talent cliff. We also dig into the economic ripple effects of mass layoffs, especially in high-cost regions, and why the AI bubble feels less like magic and more like expensive experimentation with uneven results. If you’re feeling stuck or doubting yourself, this conversation offers reality, context, and a path to keep going. Subscribe for more straight-talk on cybersecurity careers, share this with someone job hunting, and leave a review with the hardest hiring hurdle you’ve faced. How to connect with Spud: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesterrebonne/ Check out the Monthly Cables2Clouds News Feed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/ Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/ Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.com Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2clouds Merch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/ Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj