PWN Your Career

The Experienced Professional Job Search Model

Social engineer the job search.

Seven levers you work at the same time to create conversations, then offers. Written for cybersecurity professionals with experience to sell.

Get the free PDFSee the seven levers
Deidre DiamondFounder and CEO, CyberSN
Your jobsearchTargetApplyLinkedInNetworkRecruitersEventsFollow up

Why

Why job searching is broken

CyberSN has worked on this since 2014. In 2015 we built our cybersecurity job taxonomy to give employers and professionals one shared language.

No shared language

Titles, job descriptions and resumes are inconsistent.

See the shared language

Job descriptions often miss the real job

Do not treat every line as truth.

Applications alone are not enough

You also have to create conversations.

The system will not reliably match you to the right opportunity.

That is why you work every lever yourself.

Mindset

Think like a business development rep

Your job is not just to apply. Your job is to get in front of buyers.

What a business development rep does

  1. Identifies the market most likely to buy
  2. Builds lists of buyers and companies
  3. Creates conversations
  4. Follows up until something moves

Create the buyer persona

A buyer is anyone inside a company who would value your experience, buy your time, influence the decision, or bring you on.

You are selling your time and your brain.

Build it from the industry, the company size, and every title that would care, especially people who know the companies you come from.

The seven levers

Seven levers. Work them all at once.

This is not a sequence. You work all of them together.

4 hours a day

on outreach and follow-up, for the first month.

What it creates

Conversations, then offers.

Lever 1 of 7

Target companies proactively

No posted job required.

Industry

Your last 7 years, plus the suppliers, customers, vendors and service providers around them.

Company size

Large-company experience often travels well to smaller companies. Moving to a larger one? Be flexible on title and level.

Buyer titles

Message every person who would care about your background or recognize your company names.

Your formula

Industry + company size + every relevant buyer title

Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build the lists at scale.

Lever 2 of 7

Apply broadly

If a job looks remotely possible, apply.

  1. Apply. Do not overthink the description.The posting is imperfect. Do not screen yourself out.
  2. Use one strong resume.Make it describe the work you actually do, not only your titles. Do not rewrite it for every posting. Build your CyberSN Profile
  3. Then message the likely buyers.The person you would report to, and anyone else who would care.
After you apply, send this
“I just applied to your job posting and wanted to reach out here as well. I would love to speak if you are interested.”

Applying online is half the move. The other half is getting in front of the buyers.

Lever 3 of 7

Use LinkedIn as your operating system

Use it for visibility and for outbound business development.

Inbound: be visible

  • Turn on Open to Work. If the search can be public, let the market know.
  • Post that you are looking. Short, human, specific.
  • Tell the right story. Do not bury recognizable employers. Describe the tasks you did, not only the titles you held.

Outbound: Sales Navigator

  • Build lists. Industry, company size, geography, title.
  • Message buyers after you apply. Application plus introduction.
  • Message buyers with no posting. Create the opportunity.

Lever 4 of 7

Work your network

People who know your work are one of your strongest routes into the market.

Who belongs in it

  • Former coworkers
  • Former managers
  • Peers
  • Customers
  • Vendors
  • Friends

Do not say “let me know if you hear of anything.” Name the industries, company environments and roles you are targeting.

A referral gets you access. It does not obligate you to accept a job.

The 48-hour rule

48h

Someone offered an introduction or to pass on your resume, and it has not happened? Follow up within 48 hours.

People mean it. They are also busy.

Lever 5 of 7

Contact every relevant recruiter

Every one in your market. Do not wait for them to find you.

Make it easy to place you

  • Send your resume
  • Name your target industries
  • Name the roles and levels you will consider
  • State your location, and whether remote, hybrid or onsite works

What recruiters can and cannot do

Recruiters work the roles their clients give them. No single recruiter sees the whole market.

So contact every relevant recruiter you can find, while every other lever keeps running.

Lever 6 of 7

Go where the buyers are

Do not only network with people who do the same job you do.

Who are your buyers?

  • CIOs and CTOs
  • Legal, audit and risk leaders
  • Private equity leaders
  • Founders

Where do they gather?

  • Executive groups
  • Industry associations
  • Meetups and Eventbrite
  • Conferences
  • Local AI and founder events

The mindset

Think like a salesperson: where do my buyers spend their time?

Show up where your buyers already are.

Lever 7 of 7

Follow up relentlessly

Silence does not mean no. Timing matters.

  1. Day 1Initial outreach
  2. 48 hoursNetwork follow-up
  3. Weeks 1 to 8Direct follow-up, twice a week
  4. ConversationTiming finally aligns

If you send one message, you are requiring the timing to be perfect.

The close

PWN the process

Create enough activity to create choices.

4 hours a day

Outreach and follow-up for the first month.

Interviews and conversations come on top.

Generate conversations

Do not depend on one opportunity.

Volume gives you options and practice.

Generate offers

Offers create leverage and choices.

Offers generate offers. You do not have to accept right away.

Stop waiting for the system to work.

Social engineer the process.

Free download

Take the model with you

One page per lever, the message to send after you apply, and the follow-up timeline. 13 pages, ready to print.

Free to download.

Download the PDF

Keep going

Put the model to work

Next steps, from your profile to the full playbook.

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