Last updated at Tue, 03 Sep 2024 17:26:19 GMT

Welcome back to 7 Rapid Questions, our blog series where we ask passionate leaders at Rapid7 to give us an inside look at what it’s like to work on their team, and how they’re creating an impact every day.

In this installment, we talk to Lindsey Searle, Senior Manager, Customer Advisors on how her team helps solve customer challenges, and how candidates can stand out in the interview process.

What kind of challenges are you/your team responsible for solving for customers?

The security space is evolving every day as hackers continue to advance. Many customer teams find themselves overwhelmed and in need of more customized services to stay ahead, and that’s where we can help support.

Our team is the face of Rapid7 for Managed Services customers. We provide advisory services for clients of all shapes and sizes and at all levels of their security maturity journeys. The Customer Advisor team works closely with the Security Operations Center (SOC) to monitor customers’ in-scope environments and provide custom tailored guidance to enhance their security posture. Many of our customers consider us an extension of their in-house security team, and we strive to build close knit working relationships and trust with each and every one of them.

In addition to day to day monitoring, our Customer Advisors work with our clients to understand their security goals, make recommendations to achieve those goals, and are personally invested in seeing those initiatives through to completion.

What does your team look like (team size, types of teams etc.), what growth has there been?

The Customer Advisor organization at Rapid7 grew by 30% last year—we added 35 new people to the team in 2022, including Advisors at all levels, four new managers, and a Vice President.

Our team is composed of all levels of security professionals, from associate CAs at the start of their career to tenured Lead and Principal Advisors. We have CAs supporting all three branches of Managed Services, and our teams are blended across Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Managed Vulnerability Management (MVM), and Managed Application Security (MAS) to allow for cross functional collaboration and learning.

We are fortunately in a position where as our Managed Services business grows, our Customer Advisor team has continued to expand, as it is a standard part of the service offering.

What makes the culture at R7 different from other tech / cyber security companies?

I always find it difficult to describe the Rapid7 culture when I interview candidates because it’s something that you really have to see to understand and believe. The underlying fact is that all Rapid7 employees are passionate about security—we are here because we want to help our customers succeed, and we truly enjoy working together for that common goal.

At the same time, every single person is unapologetically unique and does not hesitate to bring their own perspective to the table. We have a great balance of external hires bringing in fresh ideas, as well as internal hires that provide a different approach to a situation when you’ve worked on the other side of the curtain.

What 3 biggest things have you learned in your time at Rapid7?

One: Take the time to thank people for helping you out! We do ‘guitar picks’ at Rapid7—it’s an internal website where you can give fellow moose a virtual kudos and recognition, whether it be for a great presentation they gave, or for filling in for you on an assignment, or for just being awesome. Everyone in the company can see it, and the recipient gets a notification that they’ve received one. Sending a pick takes minutes but can make someone’s day! Our Chief People Officer selects a guitar pick submission and sends it out to the whole company every morning. It’s a quick and meaningful way to thank those around us.

Two: Don’t be afraid to ask questions—we are all constantly learning and there is definitely someone out there who can help.

Three: There is a Slack emoji for just about every situation, and if it doesn’t exist—make one! In fact, our recent Slack migration took longer than expected due to the 10,000+ custom emojis that Rapid7 employees have created. One of our core values is ‘Bring You’ so this is just one example of how people are getting creative to express themselves in different ways and build camaraderie in a globally distributed organization.

How does Rapid7 set you up for success in your role?

I was incredibly impressed with the corporate onboarding provided by Rapid7 when I went through it myself in late 2021. You attend your onboarding sessions with all new hires starting at the company that week and already start to build a network within your first few hours here.

Rapid7 is big on encouraging Insight Coffees—an informal 30 minute meeting with another Rapid7 employee to get to know them on a personal and professional level. Those connections stick with you throughout your time here and only strengthen your ability to work together down the road.

Our company culture is built around helping each other and working together as a team, which puts you in a great spot to be successful in your role.

What can a candidate do to stand out in the interview process?

Honestly, just be yourself—Bring You is a core value at Rapid7 and something that truly sets us apart from other companies. Finding people who embrace our collaborative culture and partner well to share ideas is a major piece of the Rapid7 interview process. These soft skills weigh as heavily as prior work experience and technical competency. Your individuality will set you apart from other candidates—so let your true self shine!

What advice would you give someone thinking about coming to work here?

Bring energy and enthusiasm, and take the time to build meaningful relationships with the people you work with. It is much easier to wake up and log on for the day when you are looking forward to interacting with your team members and your customers. At Rapid7 we live by the core value of ‘Impact Together’—teamwork makes the dream work! We have a far greater chance at success when working together than we do when trying to climb the ladder individually.