Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Application in Human Resource Management: The Case of a Cyber Security Specialist

Abstract

Information security is of vital importance for individuals, organizations, and societies to sustain their existence in the digital age. However, information security management processes constitute a complex structure that requires the simultaneous coordination of the fundamental objectives of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. In addition, information security policies differ at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. While individuals implement their own policies to ensure their personal information security, organizations rely on cybersecurity specialists. This is because the protection of organizational assets is of great importance in terms of sustainability. As a matter of fact, an organization that fails to ensure information security may experience not only financial losses but also reputational damage. This situation poses a significant risk to the sustainability of the organization. In order to minimize these risks, organizations need to select the most suitable cybersecurity specialist. To address this problem faced by organizations, a two-stage solution is proposed in the literature. First, the criteria affecting the selection and their relative importance levels must be determined. The second stage involves the evaluation of alternatives. In this study, the first stage is addressed. The criteria affecting the recruitment process of cybersecurity specialists are identified and their importance levels are calculated. In total, 5 main criteria and 24 sub-criteria are considered in the study. The inclusion of the “inclination toward artificial intelligence” criterion reflects the innovative aspect of the study. Due to the hierarchical structure of the problem, one of the multi-criteria decision-making methods, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), is employed for evaluation. As a result of the evaluation, experience and certifications emerge as the most prominent main criteria. In addition, the inclination toward artificial intelligence also holds a significant place in the selection of cybersecurity specialists.