Speaker: Rebecca Long, Lead DevOps Engineer at RiskLens, Founder of Future ADA
Background: 15 years in tech, Master's thesis on social engineering and phishing, nonprofit founder supporting women and non-binaries in STEAM
Key Focus: Applying social engineering principles ethically to advance careers, especially for minorities and introverts
Why This Talk Matters
Rebecca Long presents a practical framework for using social engineering skills to advance careers, particularly focusing on how these techniques can help overcome barriers faced by minorities and introverts in tech.
Core Philosophy: "Social engineering skills can be helpful to minorities as people may know minorities do have some extra hurdles to tackle through tech careers. It's also helpful for introverts who have different types of career and networking challenges."
Universal Application:
- Skills applicable to any industry, not just social engineering roles
- Useful for tech and non-tech careers alike
- Benefits everyone regardless of background or position
- Focus on ethical application for positive impact
"You don't actually have to limit using those skills in a social engineering role. You can use them in any tech role, you can use them outside of tech, you can use it regardless of who you are what you do."
Career Phases: Social Engineering Applications
Phase 1: Job Hunting
Reconnaissance and preparation before applying
Phase 2: Interviewing
Building rapport and making connections during interviews
Phase 3: Career Advancement
Networking and positioning for promotions
Phase 4: Daily Success
Team integration and office navigation
Phase 1: Job Hunting - The Reconnaissance Stage
Company Investigation:
Values & Mission Analysis
Research company values, mission statements, and public positioning to understand cultural fit
Team Recon
Identify hiring managers, team members, and understand team dynamics before applying
Reference Checking
Leverage network to get insider perspectives on company culture and reputation
Company Blacklisting: "I have a list of companies that I wouldn't work for. If you're looking at a company you don't know anything about, check with people who might know, see if they're on anyone's blacklist."
Key Recon Questions:
- What are the company's stated values and mission?
- Who is on the hiring team and what do they care about?
- Do you know anyone who works there or knows the hiring manager?
- What is the company's reputation in the industry?
- Would people you trust recommend working there?
Phase 2: Interviewing - Building Connection
Pre-Interview Preparation:
Dress Code Intelligence
Research company culture to dress appropriately - avoid showing up in a suit if everyone wears flip-flops
Question Development
Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate research and genuine interest
Message Crafting
Understand what personal brand and message you want to convey through appearance and communication
During the Interview:
Environmental Reading
Pay attention to office environment, decor, and subtle clues about company culture
Rapport Building
Connect with every interviewer, find common interests, and build personal connections
Adaptive Communication
Read room reactions and adjust answers based on interviewer engagement and interest
Interview Philosophy: "When you're in the interview, you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you. Think of it like that and that might help spawn some questions."
Gratitude Practice: "Thank everyone for their time. People are taking time away from their projects to talk to you, and they might not hire you. Thank them when you show up, when you leave, and in a follow-up note."
Phase 3: Career Advancement & Networking
Strategic Networking:
Internal Networking
Build relationships with decision-makers, executives, and influential people within your company
External Networking
Maintain professional relationships outside your company for career safety and opportunity awareness
Elevator Pitch Mastery
Develop and practice a 30-60 second personal introduction that highlights your value proposition
Career Safety Net: "I'm a big believer in having a safety net. I don't trust any one particular company to last forever. Having a network outside of your company knowing where other opportunities might be is really important."
Networking Principles:
- Build rapport before you need something
- Understand what key people care about and how you can help
- Identify organizational gaps you can fill
- Maintain authenticity in all interactions
- Be genuine and build real relationships
Phase 4: Daily Success & Team Integration
Conveying Confidence:
Power Poses
Use Wonder Woman pose and other power poses before important meetings
Space Occupation
Take up physical space (men do this naturally, women often need to learn this)
Strong Presence
Good eye contact, firm handshake, strong posture
Fake It Till You Make It
Pretend confidence even when experiencing imposter syndrome
Imposter Syndrome Strategy: "Have some confidence that you know what you're doing and people around you believe in you. Lean on that. It helps me battle imposter syndrome regularly."
Team Integration Strategies:
Personal Connection Building
Get to know team members as people - learn about families, hobbies, and personal interests
Trust Development
Build trust through competence, confidentiality, and consistent follow-through
Empathy Practice
Recognize that everyone has bad days and personal challenges affecting work performance
Office Politics & Meeting Mastery
Navigating Office Politics:
Relationship-First Approach
Focus on building strong interpersonal relationships as foundation for navigating politics
Direct Information Gathering
Get information directly from sources rather than through rumor mills
Ethical Advocacy
Use charm and persuasion to fight for projects and resources you believe in
Effective Meeting Strategies:
- Structure for Impact: Maximize efficiency with clear agendas and time limits
- Read the Room: Pay attention to engagement levels and adjust accordingly
- Decision-Maker Presence: Ensure key decision-makers are in important meetings
- Transparency: Address trust issues if there are many post-meeting side discussions
- Action Orientation: Ensure meetings result in clear decisions and action items
Meeting Red Flag: "If there's a lot of post-meetings or closed-door meetings after your meeting, what that is implying is that there's trust issues on the team. People don't feel comfortable and safe to share openly in the official meeting."
Leadership & Emotional Intelligence
Leadership vs Management: "A leader is not necessarily a manager. Managers and leaders are different roles. You can be a leader at any level of the company at any role that you might be playing."
Emotional Intelligence Impact
"Higher emotional quotients have greater sensitivity and empathy, are rated as more effective, receive higher performance ratings, develop high-performing effective teams, and create a healthier culture."
Stress Buffer Theory
Daniel Goleman: "Quality of relationships is what, as well as their sheer numbers, seems key and buffering stress." Strong relationships help teams weather stressful periods.
Whole Self Inclusion
Create environments where people can bring their full selves to work. People are more productive when they don't have to hide parts of themselves.
Empathetic Leadership Practices:
- Recognize major life events and their emotional impact on team members
- Remember and acknowledge birthdays and personal milestones
- Value every team member equally regardless of position
- Create positive feedback loops and safe spaces for constructive criticism
- Lead by example in giving and receiving feedback
Key Takeaways & Final Wisdom
Essential Career Hacking Principles:
- Social engineering is fundamentally about understanding and connecting with people
- Use reconnaissance and preparation at every career stage
- Build genuine relationships before you need them
- Convey confidence through presence and preparation
- Navigate office politics through strong interpersonal relationships
- Apply emotional intelligence in leadership at every level
Core Message: "Social engineering and your career - all of this is really about people. Social engineering is using people skills. Cybersecurity is about people - the whole point of it is to secure people and their data."
"We're stronger when we all care about each other. You can use all these skills to positively impact your career and your life. Use our powers for good."
Recommended Resources:
- Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on power poses and presence
- Daniel Goleman's work on emotional intelligence
- Future ADA (Rebecca's nonprofit) for diversity in STEAM
- Practice and refinement of elevator pitches
- Continuous development of networking and relationship-building skills