The Cyber Security Recruiter Podcast

Thomas Richard

The mission is simple: To enhance your career growth within the Cybersecurity community & bring interesting and knowledgable guests onto the Podcast so that you can benefit from their experience.

  1. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Dale Hoak, Chief Information Security Officer, RegScale

    1d ago

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Dale Hoak, Chief Information Security Officer, RegScale

    In this Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast episode, Thomas chats with Dale Hoak, a former US Navy veteran who transitioned to the commercial sector and progressed from to senior director and now Chief Security Officer/CISO at RedScale. Dale explains that leaving the military is difficult because individuals must take ownership of healthcare, career planning, compensation negotiation, and resume-building, recommending an exit strategy starting two years before separation and seeking early help (including AI tools) while understanding one’s individual value. He credits his advancement to strong networks and mentors, hard work, and learning to understand business value and communicate cyber risk in non-technical terms to leaders and boards, using approaches like threat modeling and risk scoring. He discusses AI as a helpful but fallible tool requiring fact-checking, emphasizes continuous learning. Dale recommends as a starting point "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and then progressing on to 2 series of books by Gary Hayslip. He listens to lots of podcasts including New CISO and CISO Tradecraft. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:36 Dale’s Career Snapshot 02:08 Life as a CSO 03:06 Leaving the Military 05:00 Certs Resumes and Value 07:31 First Civilian Break 08:51 Networking as a Superpower 10:05 How Promotions Happen 13:20 Building Business Awareness 17:03 Speaking Board Level Risk 17:40 Books and Daily Routines 18:26 AI Needs Human Communication 19:51 Phone Calls and Real Talk 21:18 Using AI Responsibly 22:15 AI Resumes and Hiring Reality 23:29 Culture Fit and Honesty 25:06 Never Stop Learning 27:11 Learning Resources and Creativity 30:26 AI Accelerates Skill Gaps 32:22 Leadership Lessons and Quotes 33:21 Books Podcasts and Wrap Up

    36 min
  2. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Shante Perrin, Director, Global Security Operations

    3d ago

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Shante Perrin, Director, Global Security Operations

    Shante Perrin on SOC Leadership, Communicating Risk, and Curiosity-Driven Career Growth Thomas chats with cybersecurity leader Shante Perrin, who progressed from web developer and help desk roles to SOC leadership and Director of Global Security Operations. Shante describes SOC and MSSP work focused on preventing repeat incidents through policies, procedures, customer advisement, and deploying new services and tools that improve analyst efficiency and investigation quality. They discuss the challenge of convincing customers to prioritize security before a breach, emphasizing tailored communication, active listening, documenting risk, and framing guidance around business impact and reputation. Shante highlights interview and hiring themes such as curiosity, understanding why tools are used (not just clicking), teamwork, and cultural fit, plus using brown-bag sessions to share investigative thinking. Career advice centers on taking leaps into unfamiliar work, seeking support, and accountability. Shante recommends David Goggins’ book "Can’t Hurt Me" and mentions journaling and self-care for sustainable performance. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:09 Shante's Security Ops Role 02:58 Convincing Customers to Act 04:50 Communication in the SOC 07:04 Incident Calls and Risk 09:39 Security as Business Partner 14:24 Career Growth Through Curiosity 20:01 Interviewing Beyond Tools 21:51 Curiosity Stands Out 22:45 Hiring For Likability 24:56 Humor Under Pressure 25:49 Help Desk Foundations 28:54 Learning Styles That Stick 29:56 Audio Diet And Mindset 31:38 Confidence And Speaking Up 34:16 Setbacks And Self Care 36:30 Book Pick David Goggins 38:28 Journaling And Control 39:38 Sustainable Work Rhythms 41:20 Final Thanks And Wrap

    42 min
  3. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Thomas Donnelly, CTO & President, Co-Founder, Amplifier Security

    May 28

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Thomas Donnelly, CTO & President, Co-Founder, Amplifier Security

    From Security Executive to Startup Founder: Sales, Focus, and Raising a Pre-Seed Round On the Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast, Tom chats with Tommy Donnelly, CTO, President, and co-founder of Amplifier Security. Tommy describes founder life as high-ambiguity work requiring constant energy, disciplined routines, and learning new skills - especially sales - framing it as “finding” the right customers with urgency and budget rather than persuading everyone. He explains the value of narrowing product scope, defining an ICP, and iterating cheaply to reach product-market fit before scaling. Donnelly shares hiring traits he prioritizes (ambiguity tolerance, vision alignment, data-driven iteration), discusses leadership progression from technical roles to cross-functional and external influence, outlines how Amplifer raised a $3.3M pre-seed using design partners, networked VC outreach, and standardized SAFE notes (e.g., via Clerky), recommends TK Kader founder training, and cites Patrick Lencioni’s book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” 00:00 Welcome and Banter 01:06 Entrepreneurship Reality Check 01:56 Energy and Founder Routines 03:20 Tommy’s Career Intro 04:02 Founder Life and Learning Sales 05:18 Listening and Networking Wins 09:21 Executive Communication Shift 12:33 Finding the Right Customers 17:46 Hiring for Ambiguity 21:44 From Startup to Scale Lessons 24:04 Structure vs Chaos 24:23 Climbing to VP Reality 25:54 Leaving Bullhorn for BetterCloud 27:14 Going All In as Founder 28:30 Staying Focused and Niche 30:50 How the Pre Seed Happened 36:28 Money Is a Commodity 40:44 Founder Sales Qualification 44:28 Best Founder Training Resource 45:49 Teamwork and Hard Conversations 48:16 Wrap Up and Thanks

    49 min
  4. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Casey Murphy, Director of Revenue Marketing, Phosphorus Cybersecurity

    May 26

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Casey Murphy, Director of Revenue Marketing, Phosphorus Cybersecurity

    Casey Murphy on Boundaries, Deep Work, and Learning Fast in Startup Revenue Marketing Had a great chat with Casey Murphy, who shares his career path from the US Navy submarine/nuclear program to Accenture, an MBA internship at Secure AI Labs, Microsoft, and his current role at Phosphorus Cybersecurity as Director of Revenue Marketing. Casey describes his identity as a Christian and frames his “Forrest Gump” career as a series of making the next right decision rather than following a grand plan, viewing successes and failures through faith and resilience. They discuss prioritizing family, creating boundaries to avoid burnout, and the importance of deep work, especially in remote settings, using examples like an Admiral’s early-morning focus block and a CFO’s handwritten index card of top priorities. They also discuss using AI as a learning aid while still doing painful, hands-on practice, and how printing, handwriting, and journaling improve thinking and retention. 00:00 Welcome and Catch Up 01:15 Casey Career Intro 01:52 Identity and Navy Lessons 05:35 Resilience and Priorities 07:49 Work Boundaries and Burnout 10:34 Remote Work Deep Focus 15:18 Simple To Do Systems 18:06 Learning and Upskilling 19:25 Using AI Wisely 23:38 Analog Thinking and Strategy 27:05 Wrap Up and Next Time

    28 min
  5. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Andrew Kirch, Director of Technical Operations, Stoic Cybersecurity

    May 22

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Andrew Kirch, Director of Technical Operations, Stoic Cybersecurity

    Andrew Kirch on Hacker Mindset, Insider Threats, and AI’s Impact on Cybersecurity In this Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast episode, Thomas chats with Andrew Kirch, Director of Technical Operations at Stoic Cybersecurity, who describes his wide-ranging background across IT, red and blue team work, tabletop exercises, and early experience running a major DNS blacklist that helped him understand how attackers think. Andrew argues hacker mindset is learnable through experience, stresses reputational and insider threats, and explains prioritizing vulnerabilities based on real exploitability. He shares stories involving Anonymous, Occupy Wall Street amplification, and law-enforcement work culminating in Operation Cyber Slam. The discussion covers increasing criminal organization, AI-driven risks (voice cloning, fake candidates, faster exploit development, and corporate secrets leaking via public AI), the need for continuous learning, and sources he follows such as YouTube, Ground News, CISA updates, and The Register. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:55 Andrew’s Background 04:55 Hacker Mindset Tips 06:51 Prioritizing Real Threats 08:56 Anonymous Storytime 12:00 Operation Cyber Slam 15:24 Cybercrime As Business 17:25 How To Level Up 21:01 AI And IP Risks 24:04 Generalist Security Skills 24:41 AI Voice Fraud Threat 26:17 Fake Candidates Remote Hiring 27:39 AI Widens Attack Surface 29:28 Breach Costs and Insurance 31:01 Writing Reports With AI 34:10 Tone and Social Engineering 36:10 Cyber News Sources 39:22 Geopolitics and Ransomware 41:18 Utilities and SCADA Risks 42:53 Zero Trust and Passkeys 45:32 AI for SOC Defense 47:25 Wrap Up and Farewell

    49 min
  6. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Wylie Bayes, Director of Defensive Cyber, Dark Wolf

    May 18

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Wylie Bayes, Director of Defensive Cyber, Dark Wolf

    Wiley Bayes on Red Teaming, Networking Fundamentals, and Breaking into Cybersecurity Thomas hosts Wiley Bayes on the Cybersecurity Recruiter Podcast to discuss Wiley’s career path from early Linux curiosity and the US Navy into networking, systems/cloud engineering, penetration testing, and his current role as Senior Principal Red Team Operator at Dark Wolf Solutions. Wiley explains day-to-day red teaming on DoD contracts, emphasizing long preparation cycles, payload testing against major security tools, patience, and tailoring phishing to the audience. He advises career changers to keep learning, focus on fundamentals (especially networking), troubleshooting, and scripting/programming, and to break into IT first rather than fixating on a dream cybersecurity role unless you’re exceptionally advanced. They discuss Dark Wolf’s custom CTF-based hiring, communication skills gained from executive briefings, concerns about shortcuts and AI, and Wiley recommends OpenBSD and Peter N.M. Hansteen’s book “The Book of PF,” plus home lab tinkering. 00:00 Welcome and Golf Talk 01:27 Career Journey Intro 02:26 Early Curiosity and Navy Roots 03:17 Why Networking Matters 04:04 Red Team Day to Day 06:35 Phishing and Security Hygiene 08:09 Transitioning to Civilian Life 09:50 Hiring with Custom CTFs 11:31 Breaking In Is Harder Now 14:45 Finding Your Path in Security 17:55 Staying Relevant and Next Steps 20:39 Pentest To Architect Shift 21:25 Communication Under Pressure 23:17 Fundamentals And Hiring Quality 25:43 Stop Chasing Dream Roles 27:57 Learning Resources And Practice 28:57 Troubleshooting War Story 32:31 AI Shortcuts Vs Real Skills 34:36 Code And Scripting Matters 36:04 Books And Home Labbing 38:37 Wrap Up And Thanks

    39 min
  7. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Barak Engel, Founder and Chief Geek, Eammune

    May 11

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Barak Engel, Founder and Chief Geek, Eammune

    Barak Engel on Fractional CISO Life, Resilience, and Relationship-Driven Security Consulting Thomas chats with Barak Engel, founder/CEO of EAmmune and an advisor/board member across several security organizations, about his 23-year consulting journey, including creating the virtual/fractional CISO concept in 2003 and the realities of “feast or famine” work. Barak discusses rapid context switching (and hitting his limit while serving six CISOs at once), resilience through setbacks such as the 2008 crash and Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and how reputation and long-term relationships drive EAmmune’s referral-only growth through “concentric circles” as clients change jobs. He emphasizes transparency, accountability, avoiding short-term exploitation, delegating to strengths (including hiring a people manager), and focusing on minimizing damage rather than preventing all mistakes. Book recommendations include Anthony de Mello’s "Awareness," Malcolm Gladwell’s "Blink," and "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy," plus Barak’s book "The Crack in the Crystal" 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:31 Origin of EAmmune Name 02:39 Resilience and Career Overview 04:51 Fractional CISO and Context Switching 06:38 Jessica Burnout Story 08:39 Lightning Angel Name Meaning 09:10 Relationships Over Everything 11:58 Bankruptcy and Customer Lifeline 15:15 Bootstrapping and Early Hustle 17:38 Strengths Focus and Delegation 19:33 Leaving Corporate and Forced Independence 22:34 Referral Growth Philosophy 23:58 Radical Transparency 24:59 Accidental Career Path 25:56 Reputation Compounds 28:12 Resilience Over Perfection 30:53 Trust Beats Skill 32:43 Owning Mistakes 34:39 Pretty Little Princess 36:04 Practice Context Switching 39:11 Humility and Humanity 43:00 Books and Farewell

    45 min
  8. The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Alise Barron, Senior Customer Success Manager, ReversingLabs

    Apr 28

    The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Alise Barron, Senior Customer Success Manager, ReversingLabs

    From Bartending to COO: Hospitality Skills, Remote Work, and Critical Thinking in Cybersecurity The host welcomes Alise Barron to the Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast and introduces her career path from hospitality and internet marketing into recruiting leadership roles at Experis Finance, Cylance, and Blackberry, and then multiple promotions at Cyvatar to COO. Elise describes a typical remote-work day balancing family routines, early email catch-up due to time zones, constant meetings, and handling unexpected escalations in cybersecurity operations. They discuss why hospitality backgrounds can drive rapid advancement: strong work ethic, quick critical thinking, customer and stakeholder management, resilience, and learning to set boundaries without adopting a victim mindset. Elise connects these skills to project management, noting she later recognized she had been applying PMP-style practices. They also discuss productivity tradeoffs between remote and office work, the value of networking, and how incident response requires structure, patience, and calm communication. 00:00 Welcome and Catch Up 00:42 Small World in Security 01:47 Elise Career Intro 02:59 COO Daily Routine 04:58 Remote Work Realities 08:44 From Bartender to COO 13:39 Hospitality Skills in Corporate 18:02 Boundaries and Ownership 19:24 Project Management Mindset 25:12 Hiring Through Networking 26:59 AI and Recruiting Filters 29:20 Closing Thoughts and Wrap

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The mission is simple: To enhance your career growth within the Cybersecurity community & bring interesting and knowledgable guests onto the Podcast so that you can benefit from their experience.

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