TY - GEN
T1 - Understanding the personality characteristics of cybersecurity competition participants to improve the effectiveness of competitions as recruitment tools
AU - Wee, Colin
AU - Bashir, Masooda
N1 - Researchers in this study were given the unique opportunity to study cybersecurity competition participants from one of the largest and most well-established competitions in the world to investigate if there are ways to improve these competitions effectiveness at recruiting people into careers in cybersecurity. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, this is the first study to attempt to develop psychological profiles for the target population of cybersecurity competition participants. By understanding which individual differences among cybersecurity competition participants are correlated with their decision-making and entrance into cybersecurity careers, future cybersecurity competitions can leverage these characteristics to increase recruitment rates.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This paper reports on the results of a survey designed to study the psychological characteristics of a sample of cybersecurity competition participants from Cybersecurity Awareness Week (one of the largest cybersecurity competitions in the USA). By comparing the personality, vocational interests, culture, decision-making style and attachment style between participants who reported their intention to enter cybersecurity careers post-competition and those who did not, we evaluated the effectiveness of cybersecurity competitions as a recruitment tool. Overall, most cybersecurity competition participants tended to be high in openness, rational decision-making style, and investigative interests. Conversely, participants scored lower on neuroticism, intuitive decision-making style, and realistic interests. Individuals’ scores on investigative interests, openness to experience, rational decision-making, and self-efficacy were good predictors of their intention to enter cybersecurity careers post-competition. To increase the influx of people into cybersecurity careers, cybersecurity competitions can be designed to attract more people with these characteristics.
AB - This paper reports on the results of a survey designed to study the psychological characteristics of a sample of cybersecurity competition participants from Cybersecurity Awareness Week (one of the largest cybersecurity competitions in the USA). By comparing the personality, vocational interests, culture, decision-making style and attachment style between participants who reported their intention to enter cybersecurity careers post-competition and those who did not, we evaluated the effectiveness of cybersecurity competitions as a recruitment tool. Overall, most cybersecurity competition participants tended to be high in openness, rational decision-making style, and investigative interests. Conversely, participants scored lower on neuroticism, intuitive decision-making style, and realistic interests. Individuals’ scores on investigative interests, openness to experience, rational decision-making, and self-efficacy were good predictors of their intention to enter cybersecurity careers post-competition. To increase the influx of people into cybersecurity careers, cybersecurity competitions can be designed to attract more people with these characteristics.
KW - Career choice
KW - Cybersecurity
KW - Cybersecurity competitions
KW - Human factors
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84986267322
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84986267322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-41932-9_10
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-41932-9_10
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84986267322
SN - 9783319419312
T3 - Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
SP - 111
EP - 121
BT - Advances in Human Factors in Cybersecurity - Proceedings of the AHFE International Conference on Human Factors in Cybersecurity, 2016
A2 - Nicholson, Denise
PB - Springer
T2 - International Conference on Human Factors in Cybersecurity, 2016
Y2 - 27 July 2016 through 31 July 2016
ER -