Recruiting in cybersecurity is already challenging – a shortage of qualified professionals, rapidly evolving threats, and the pressure to secure critical infrastructure all make hiring decisions high-stakes.
One of the most common dilemmas leaders face is whether to prioritise ‘culture fit’ or technical skills. The truth? Both matter, but the way you balance them will determine not just who you hire, but whether they stay.
Why cultural fit matters
Cybersecurity is a team sport. Even the most technically gifted analyst won’t succeed if they clash with colleagues or refuse to collaborate. A hire who aligns with your organisational values and working style brings:
- Reduced friction: Teams work more smoothly when personalities and values align, cutting down on costly internal conflict.
- Better retention: Employees who feel connected to the mission and culture are less likely to be lured away by competitors.
- Stronger collaboration: In high-stress scenarios like incident response, trust and cohesion are often more valuable than technical brilliance in isolation.
However, cultural fit can be a double-edged sword. Taken too literally, it risks reinforcing sameness and limiting diversity of thought – something cybersecurity teams can’t afford to lose.
Why a skills-first approach is sometimes best
When there’s an urgent security gap (in cloud security, application security or incident response, for example), you may not have the luxury of a long cultural assimilation. For highly specialised roles, the ability to contribute technical firepower immediately is non-negotiable.
There are a couple of key reasons for this:
- Urgent gaps require depth: A Cloud Security Engineer who can secure Azure or AWS on day one may be more valuable than a cultural match who still needs training.
- Niche knowledge is rare: Forensics, malware reverse engineering and industrial control system security often demand experience that takes years to acquire.
That said, focusing only on skills can be risky. High-performing individuals who don’t align with team values may create silos, burn out colleagues or undermine security outcomes by refusing to collaborate.
The middle path: Culture-add
Modern hiring strategies move beyond ‘fit’ to ‘add’. Instead of seeking candidates who simply blend in, look for those who can enhance your team’s capabilities and perspectives while still aligning with core values.
They will offer myriad benefits, including fresh perspectives (a hire from a different industry or background might identify blind spots in your threat modelling) and the potential to drive innovation (diversity of thought often leads to more creative, resilient security solutions).
They don’t need to be a carbon copy of your team, but they must respect and work toward the same goals.
Practical hiring tips
The best hiring outcomes come from balancing technical capability with cultural alignment. Some proven approaches include:
- Structured technical assessments: Hands-on challenges, red-team exercises or scenario-based tests reveal whether a candidate can actually perform in real-world conditions.
- Behavioural interviews: Ask about past experiences handling conflict, collaborating under stress or adapting to change.
- Panel interviews: Involving multiple team members reduces bias and helps gauge how well the candidate interacts across personalities.
- Trial projects or probation periods: Where feasible, short-term engagements can show how someone works within your environment before committing long-term.
Cybersecurity leaders can’t afford to hire on autopilot – the stakes are too high and the talent market too competitive. The smartest strategy is to resist the false choice between culture and skills. Instead, aim for candidates who bring both. Seek out technical expertise where it’s business-critical, but don’t underestimate the long-term cost of neglecting cultural alignment.
If you get the balance right, you won’t just fill a role – you’ll build a team that defends, adapts and thrives.
