Team Work Flashcards
Teamwork is a crucial skill to have when working in the cybersecurity arena. Security is all about people working together, so you can expect to be a part of a team the majority of the time. Whether you’re a Security Analyst working in a security operations center, or a Vulnerability Analyst trying to get systems patched, you’ll be working with other people, and need to be able to communicate with them and cooperate to get the job done. Connecting and maintaining professional relationships with stakeholders will help in the future when you need to work with them to complete certain tasks.
Teamwork can be hard to achieve, as people have different views, beliefs, and approaches to situations. It is important to respect every member within a team and listen to their suggestions, working together to achieve the desired outcome.
Networking is a huge part of cybersecurity and can help you throughout your career. Attending conferences, connecting with people on LinkedIn, and taking part in company-led events can lead to additional professional and personal relationships, helping you to learn new things, improve your soft skills, and learn how other companies operate which could allow you to bring valuable information back to your organization. Some popular information security conferences include:
Defcon
InfoSec Europe
BlackHat
An updated list of cybersecurity conferences
Skill Development
There are some simple ways to improve your teamwork skills, helping you to work with others more effectively. We’ve included some suggestions below.
Capture The Flag events (CTFs) are a great way to improve team, communication, and security skills all in one go! Find a public CTF that allows teams, find some friends (or even some fellow students on our Discord server), and sign up together! Dedicate some time and work alongside each other to solve security challenges, engage in text or voice chat and see how high you can climb the leaderboard (even if you don’t place high, you’re still learning new things and developing your knowledge).
Teambuilding exercises are commonly used by team leaders within organizations to develop soft skills that are crucial for collaboration. During incident response tabletop exercises (covered in the Incident Response domain) you will be working to address a mock security incident with your peers, management, and employees from other departments - this is a great way to get stuck in, improve your incident response skills as well as soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and analysis. Other examples include playing paintball with friends or work colleagues, and online gaming, which are great ways to develop communication and teamwork skills.
Spending time with your colleagues is arguably the easiest way to develop both personal and professional relationships. Examples include going out for lunch together, or meeting up after work for some drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic!). Developing bonds with people you’ll be working day-to-day with has a number of benefits, such as making it easier to ask for help, work together, and have a laugh to keep spirits and motivation high.
