How to navigate job role and compensation in transitioning to niche role in IT?

Question

I am an intern in cybersecurity. I have been doing an internship at a medium company (~70 people) for the last 4 months. I think that I have done an OK job so far and my colleagues and manager don't seem to think otherwise. Beside, every time my future was mentioned in a conversation, HR or my manager told me they wish I would stay at the company. The internship will end in august.

I have a meeting with my manager and HR in a few days. This meeting is taking place to determine my future at the company. I have been hired as an intern, to do a task, that will - I hope- be completed at the end of my internship. So the meeting will also be a way to determine what job I will have in the department I am currently working in. My question is:

1. How should I navigate assignments for my job role when transitioning to potential employee in a niche IT role?

2. What should I consider when discussing salary in transitioning to a permanent specialized role in IT from an internship?

Answer 1

Should I bring up the salary question? And if yes do you have tips on how to do it ?

Yes, you definitely should bring up the salary discussion. You should be comfortable you are being compensated according to you market worth and what specific skills you bring to the employment table.

As to how, given you are in cybersecurity, you should focus on the particular niche skills you have and how you contributed value during your internship.

Cybersecurity is a very specialized field within IT, and there are many differing roles depending on your skillset. I currently work in Security Operations and Incident Response in a SOC, but have members in my professional network specializing in GRC, AppSec, IAM, and event ethical hacking / penetration testing.

Cybersecurity is experiencing a shortage of professionals with the right skills which means that compensation will need to increase and remain competitive to attract new talents. Companies are having a difficult time finding talent and many professionals leave due to better pay elsewhere. My experience in a my senior role interviewing candidates support these research results.

While competitive salary is important aspect of a job offer, I find compensation to be especially important from my experience working in cybersecurity for approximately 5 years. Hence my advice is to focus on what your bring to the table in terms of technical ability. You should not worry too much assuming you have no red flags in your background.