Security Summer Camp (BSidesLV, Blackhat and Defcon) is the most important week in the security industry and as such you need to be prepared to network like a professional.
Here are 6 things you can do this week to get ready:
Freshen Up Your Social Media Profiles
Is your twitter profile picture 4 years old? Does your twitter bio mention a meme from 3 years ago? Do you have a blog that hasnt had a new post in 18 months?
Spend some time and do some basic upkeep on the social media channels you use and shut down the ones that you dont.
Get Some Personal Cards
It is 2016 and we should all be able to NFC our contact info securely to the person next to us in 10 seconds, but we cant.
You should invest in some personal networking cards that you can hand to someone when you want to take that conversation about that amazing project they are working on from the Rapid7 party offline so you can really understand the technical details.
These just need your name, email and social media contact information (Moo.com is where I get mine).
Plan Your Week
Seriously.
Sit down this week and decide which talks you want to see, who you want to meet and what parties you want to attend and be realistic about it. Decide what is important to you and make sure you attend those things.
Defconparties.info keeps the most up-to-date list of parties that are happening during security summer camp.
Dress The Part
Dinner at Carnevino with your favorite vendor and the pool party at bisdesLV require two totally different outfits. You don’t want to be the jerk who shows up at the best steakhouse in Vegas in flip-flops or the jerk who goes to a pool party in a blazer.
You will need everything from workout clothes to your best “meeting with the VC firm” jeans and there is no way you are getting this all in a carry on. So pack like an adult and bring more clothes than you think you need.
Let People Know You Are Going
If you want to meet with anyone at summer camp let them know this week that you are going. Schedules get crazy and if you want someone to give you an hour of time you probably need to start playing calendar tag with them this week.
Polish Your Resume
You might not be looking for your next job when you head to Vegas but you should always be open to the right job. You dont want to be scrambling around when someone wants to talk to you about the <insert dream job title> position at <insert dream company>. Also a good time to make sure your linkedin profile is up-to-date.
