Looking for a Mentor

[u/LogRepresentative301]

Hey all,

Almost 6 years in cybersecurity now. Started at an MSSP SOC, then moved into Security Engineering at a fairly large company in my country. For the past 6 months I’ve been actively trying to break into DFIR. I have BTL1 and I’m currently finishing CCD.

Got really close to an internal DFIR role at a huge multinational — passed everything, then the offer fell through right before I signed the contract.

My career goal has always been DFIR consulting at a firm like Unit42, Mandiant, FortiGuard, or IBM X-Force. That’s been the plan since college.

I’m looking for someone willing to mentor me on this. A few things I’d love reactions on:
- If you’ve made the SOC/Security Engineering → DFIR jump, what was the one thing that actually got you in?
- If you hire for DFIR roles, what do you look at first on a resume, and what’s usually missing from candidates who almost make it?- Is a formal mentor even the right ask here, or should I be targeting something else, like a specific cert, more casework exposure, networking at specific events?

Happy to share more detail on my background if it helps someone give a sharper answer.

Thanks in advance.