As I was interviewing a candidate for a Information Security job, and helping a friend prepare for an interview at another company, I kept thinking of what attributes makes the best, and worst, security professionals. There are probably a lot of studies out there with different statistics to prove one key attribute over another, but I am just writing from my gut.
When I interview folks, I am usually looking for intangibles over current skillset. I caveat that with I normally am interviewing people for more senior positions so they have a background in Information Security or a related field. The intangibles I usually probe for are teamwork, a growth mindset and curiosity.
I think of curiosity as the desire to learn, an inquisitive mind, and a joy for discovery. Individuals who think they know everything, don’t want to learn and who aren’t passionate, are not going to last long in this ever changing field. I know that the best folks I have ever worked with had a natural curiosity around technology, and knowledge in general, and will go down the rabbit hole to find answers.
![](https://blog.hacktheplanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Unknown-2.jpg)
So, if you ask me what it takes to be successful in Information Security I may answer, “Are you curious enough to be a hacker?”