50% of Incident Response Pros Want Better Work-Life Balance

Half of cybersecurity incident response professionals desire a better work-life balance from their role, according to recruitment firm Stott and May.

The survey of 100 incident response professionals in the UK and US sought to determine the key factors that personnel in this area look for in a prospective employer.

It found that close to a third (29%) of respondents saw the quality and calibre of potential new team members as the number one factor that makes an organization stand out. In terms of the hiring process, consistent communication and feedback was cited as the most important element in keeping candidates engaged in the hiring process.

When deciding whether to accept a job offer, the respondents highlighted salary (37%) and potential for career growth (27%) as the most important considerations.

The study also showed that challenge of the day-to-day role and responsibilities are the most important factors for incident response professionals to stay in their job (17%). This was followed by team chemistry (14%).

Technical skills, adaptability and a strong focus on personal development were the most essential qualities required to succeed in this role, according to those surveyed.

Andrew Gee, chief revenue officer at Stott and May, commented: “The incident response talent market is a highly competitive one. That is evident with 66% of the candidate sample getting approached at least once a week regarding a new role. Companies are therefore in a constant battle to ensure their employee value proposition stands out, whilst consistently optimizing their hiring process to maintain candidate engagement.

“Work-life balance is also key when it comes to retaining the best incident response talent, putting the onus on employers to manage against employee burnout in the backdrop of ever-increasing demands on the function.”

The three most attractive employers in the incident response space were ranked as Crowdstrike, Crypsis and FireEye, according to the survey.