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Comment by 3pt14159 | Hacker News Reader

Apply for everything. Let other people say no for you. If people find out about your past be 100% straight with them, but you don't need to be the one to bring it up. Work your hardest to provide value, ask for feedback and correct where necessary. You'll be fine. There's a lot of work in cybersecurity these days.

Also, you should list the country you're in. Who knows, someone on HN could reach out with an opportunity.

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> Let other people say no for you.

Wow. Upvoting because this is such a succinct and powerful way to say this, and I’ve never heard it before. i. e. It’s not our job, domain, or in our interest to reject ourselves from a job we’re interested in before applying

I recently told my SO this exact thing. They were doubting whether to apply for a higher position because they might be rejected. I told them that not applying would definitely mean they wouldn't get the job, so at least applying means there's a chance.

Yes! I recently told this to a friend of mine. She kept saying "I won't apply for that job because I'm sure there are more qualified people applying" and I kept telling her "let them reject you, don't reject yourself".

Finding a job and finding a romantic partner turn out to be really similar processes -- it's a numbers game and you can't sit around waiting for the perfect opportunity.

>you don't need to be the one to bring it up

Yes, you do. I don't know about other countries, but everywhere in the US runs a background check. You will get a reasonable "no" rate, but telling people your situation is very much better than looking like you were hiding it when they eventually find out.

OP probably would have the most success with a pen-testing firm or similar.

Nope. The only background checks I've ever had working for Americans was law enforcement / intelligence agency software (I was working for a Canadian company and they sold to them) and a contract for the Nasdaq.

Other than that, it's just been straight skills and reputation. Even if it did come up he could always say that he assumed they would ask for a background check if they cared about this type of thing. Just let the man get some work and move on with his life.

I've seen background checks at most of the mid-to-large sized tech companies I've worked at.

I believe you, but I haven't. Though I haven't done much large sized tech company work other than the Nasdaq gig I mentioned, which was background checked.

I think the overall point doesn't really change. Apply. Let other people dismiss.

I think it might be fair to point out that just because they ran a BGC on you, doesn't mean your current employer told you they did. Background checks are incredibly common and the low-stakes kind are pretty cheap to just run ad-hoc.

Doesn't an employer need your consent to run a background check on you?

Ish? https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/background-checks-fa...

There seem to be some kinds of background check where maybe it is fine and others where it isn’t?

It looks like written permission is required, but, they can remove your candidacy for not accepting…so, it is not fully protected.

Every job that requires SOC-2 compliance, which is most SaaS services, must require background checks for new employees.

https://secureframe.com/blog/soc-2-background-checks

100% this.

Everything you described about yourself would make you an excellent employee to have on hand at many cybersecurity firms. Create your resume and have a few people review it.

Also, review your appearance and language skills. Make sure you are presentable in an enterprise or conference room setting. If a cybersecurity firm hires you, don’t make them regret it if you can’t hold yourself in a professional environment.

This seems very appropriate and relevant:

“By the time I was fourteen the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/848294-by-the-time-i-was-fo...

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