Job Reconnaissance

Job Reconnaissance

by Josh More
Released September 2013
Publisher(s): Syngress
ISBN: 9780124166608

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Book description

There is considerably more skill in the IT and security communities than is reflected in the jobs people are able to attain. Most people's limiting factor in their ability to get better jobs is not technical skills or even the soft skills necessary to do well in a new job. It is that getting a job is a completely different skill set and one that most people only practice every few years.

Job Reconnaissance: Using Hacking Skills to Win the Job Hunt Game explains the job hunting process, why the most commonly followed models fail and how to better approach the search. It covers the entire job hunt process from when to decide to leave your current job, research new possible job opportunities, targeting your new boss, controlling the job interview process and negotiating your new compensation and the departure from your current job.

This is not a complete all-in-one job-hunting book. This book assumes that the reader is reasonably competent and has already heard most of the "standard" advice, but is having difficulty putting the advice into practice. The goal is to fill in the gaps of the other books and to help the readers use their technical skills to their advantage in a different context.

The emphasis in Job Reconnaissance is for infosec and IT job seekers to leverage the same skills they use in penetration testing and recon toward job-hunting success. These skills include targeting, reconnaissance and profiling combined with a technical look at skills other career search books commonly miss.

  • Covers the entire job hunt process from when to decide to leave your current job to the departure of your current job
  • Suggests how to research new possible job opportunities
  • Shows how to target your new boss, controlling the job interview process and negotiating your new compensation

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
    1. The Ethics of Reconnaissance and Job Searching
    2. The Cold, Hard Truth
    3. Geek Culture
    4. Protection and Avoidance
    5. How to Read This Book
  7. Chapter 1. Foundations: What You Ought to Have Done before Buying This Book
    1. Task Management
    2. Time Management
    3. Your Personal Brand
    4. Content Creation
    5. Personal Brand Management
  8. Chapter 2. Time to Leave: How to Know When You Should Move On
    1. The End of the Road
    2. Economic Cycles
    3. Identifying What You Want
  9. Chapter 3. Résumés and Cover Letters: Why the Common Approach Only Works against You
    1. Résumés Close Doors
    2. Networking Opens Doors
    3. Cover Letters Open Doors
    4. Using Résumés to Tell Stories
    5. Creating and Tuning a Master Résumé
    6. Example Résumé and Story Cards
  10. Chapter 4. Talking about Yourself: The Fine Lines around Boasting, Bragging, Belittling, and Begrudging
    1. Telling Timely Stories
    2. Socially Engineering Your Audience
    3. What to Avoid
    4. Presentations
  11. Chapter 5. Targeting: Cyclical Filtering to Choose Targets with High Likelihoods of Success
    1. Job Tasks
    2. Job Potential
    3. Location and Size
    4. Rating
    5. Technology
    6. The Short List
    7. Example Short List
  12. Chapter 6. Initial Reconnaissance: Uncovering Seeds
    1. Ethics
    2. Continual Reassessment
    3. Time Management
    4. Google
    5. Bing
    6. Alternate Search Engines
    7. Quick Reference
    8. Filling in the Lists
    9. Harvester
    10. Filling in by Title
    11. Threat Agent
    12. Recon-ng
  13. Chapter 7. Deeper Reconnaissance: Uncovering Hidden Data
    1. Company Analysis
    2. Professional Analysis
    3. Personal Analysis
    4. Hail Mary Sites
  14. Chapter 8. Metaphor Mapping: Adjusting to Your Target
    1. Discovering Existing Metaphors
    2. Guessing at Metaphors
  15. Chapter 9. Repositioning: How to Make You Stand Out
    1. Rebottling the Genie
    2. Loading Social Media
    3. Custom Résumé
    4. Custom Cover Letter
    5. Targeted Networking
  16. Chapter 10. The Phone Interview: Dial M for Meeting
    1. Prerequisites for a Good Discussion
    2. Goals for the Phone Interview
    3. The Actual Phone Interview
    4. Planning the In-Person Interview
  17. Chapter 11. The Portfolio: Items to Leave Behind
    1. The Portfolio Process
    2. Custom Documents
    3. Business Cards
    4. Notes on Design
  18. Chapter 12. Thinking about Money: Making the Most of Change
    1. Total Compensation
  19. Chapter 13. Before the Interview: Plan to Succeed
    1. Physical Investigation
    2. Question Planning
    3. Time Planning
    4. Appearance
    5. Planning the Conversations
  20. Chapter 14. Interview: Take Control
    1. The True Purpose of the Interview
    2. Social Niceties
    3. Using Your Tools
    4. Manipulating the Conversation
  21. Chapter 15. Post-Interview: The End of the Interview Is Not the End of the Interview
    1. Clarification Emails
    2. Thank-You Notes
    3. Checking In
    4. Revising Your Portfolio
    5. Subsequent Interviews
  22. Chapter 16. Salary Negotiation: Everything Can Be Flexible
    1. Working with Total Compensation
    2. Negotiating Basics
    3. Accepting or Rejecting the Offer
  23. Chapter 17. Giving Notice: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
    1. Preparing for the Worst
    2. Benefits
    3. Gotchas
    4. Formal Process
    5. Negotiating Notice
    6. Counteroffers
    7. Exit Interview
  24. Chapter 18. Conclusion
  25. Appendix A. Resources
    1. Search Resources
    2. Hiding Your Identity
    3. Managing the Process
    4. Managing Money
    5. Social Skills
    6. General Business
    7. Ethics
  26. Appendix B. Interview Questions
    1. Common Interview Questions
  27. Appendix C. Emotional Concerns
    1. Constant Progress
    2. Knowing When You’re Stuck
    3. Getting Unstuck
    4. Asking for Help

Product information

  • Title: Job Reconnaissance
  • Author(s): Josh More
  • Release date: September 2013
  • Publisher(s): Syngress
  • ISBN: 9780124166608