Career Opportunities
Some of our current vacancies are listed on LinkedIN and more are displayed on the right hand side of our pages, should you need any further information or would like to apply please contact us.
Referrals
The security arena is a consistently developing and evolving market in which to network and at Proprius we value the relationships we have with both clients and candidates alike. Our focus and energy is spent building and developing new and existing relationships and, as a result, we obtain many referrals from within this niche industry.
CV Tips
Many candidates find it difficult to write CVs in this climate with varying advice and expectations. This may mean that you will have more than one CV if you are looking at differing roles and areas. Many candidates believe that you have to keep your CV to 2 pages – that’s fine for someone a year out of University or in a profession that has volume candidates, but we would expect most candidates in cyber security or risk to have a CV of 3-4 pages, highlighting projects and bullet pointing key skills. What we can tell you is that our clients want to see candidates define and detail their experience to the most relevant areas for the job.
Remember, cyber security is so varied and clients requirements can range from basic to complex levels with just one role title that you need to ensure your actual skills and experience detailed on the CV are relevant to the role you are applying for – if it’s not on the CV, the client WILL assume you don’t have it! It is easier to remove detail than to create it so always try to keep an updated version as your role changes from year to year.
Interview Tips
Once we have identified the right role, your own work really starts during the interview process. Here are some of do’s and don’ts!
BASIC DO’s:
ALWAYS dress smartly and turn up – on time! Companies have varied approaches to office dress and flexible working hours, but at interview smart and punctual is ALWAYS the right approach.
Research the company. Do you want this job or not? If you do then show that by learning about the company that you want to work for.
Be confident, positive & professional
Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses and NEVER try to answer a technical question that you just don’t know the answer to. Better to hold your hands up than to try and guess.
BASIC DON’T’s:
Be late!
Be negative about current or previous employers
Digress or waffle
Exaggerate your experience – most experienced interviewers will dig deep especially in technical areas
Swear!
During the interview….
“A good, direct marketing copywriter can take the text and spin it to make sure every ‘I, me, us and we’ becomes ‘you’, because the reader only cares about what’s in it for them. So when you go in saying things like ‘how much vacation time do I start with?’ and ‘what are my hours?’, it turns off the interviewer. Remove yourself from the equation and come from a place of service, and the job is yours.” TRACY REPCHUK, INNERSURF INTERNATIONAL.
“He or she who mentions money first loses. Thus goes the old adage… and it’s still true much of the time. Asking salary and benefit questions too early in the interview process is deadly. Not only does it send the message that you’re only interested in what you can get from the company, it also devalues your experience and your brand. Confident professionals negotiate from a position of mutual trust and exemplify a win-win-win approach.” – Cheryl Lynch Simpson, Executive Resume Rescue.
“Don’t offer hollow, rote responses to common interview queries. Rather, address strengths-based questions by articulating how you took action, channelled your talents and gained positive (and hopefully quantifiable) results for former employers. Be brief, yet specific, and ensure your answers illustrate how your strengths will translate to profit-generating value.” – Kim Monaghan, KBM Coaching & Consulting.
“When a candidate doesn’t have any questions about the job, company or work environment, this sends a message to the hiring manager that the candidate hasn’t invested time into researching their company. It also tells them the candidate is not assertive. A candidate who has no questions about the job is an open invitation for a recruiter to mentally check out from the interview.” – Jessica Miller-Merrell, Blogging4Jobs.
“When a candidate immediately asks about future jobs, it is a red flag that they aren’t interested in the job that is open. A good hire, for both the candidate and employer, is when there is a match between the employer’s needs, job responsibilities, culture, etc. and the candidate’s competence, work ethic, work style and desire for the job.” – Julie Kantor, JP Kantor Consulting.
“Want to see an interviewer’s eyes glaze over? Start a response and continue for a period extending over 45 to 60 seconds — without re-engaging the person — and you’ll have a bored interviewer on your hands. Most questions will not require lengthy responses and, if they do, do some mock interview work to practice re-engaging with the hiring manager periodically to keep the conversation going.” – Emily Kapit, ReFresh Your Step.
“Prospective employers are keen to hear candidate questions as they often telegraph interest and initiative. However, if the answer to your question is easily found online, it may indicate a lack of preparation or initiative — potential negatives that are easily avoided by reviewing a company’s website, social media sites and news mentions in advance of the interview.” – Carol Camerino, Camerino Consulting.
“‘Telling it’ instead of ‘selling it’ statements. Just saying that you have a skill is not interesting. Offering proof that you have a skill is interesting. Giving examples of past successes in a ‘challenge-action-result’ format is an easy way to sell the interviewer on your experience.” – Charlotte Weeks, Weeks Career Services.
