The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Andrew Wildrix, VP of Business Development, Intrusion
The Cyber Security Recruiter PodcastShow Notes
Andrew Wildrix on Transitioning from the Army, Building Networks, and Standing Out in Cybersecurity Hiring
On the Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast, Tom interviews Andrew Wildrix, a former US Army major and current VP of Business Development at Intrusion, about his career path from military service into cybersecurity and sales/technical leadership.
Andrew describes his day-to-day work spanning emails and sales calls, product and engineering feedback loops, budgeting for a public company, and raising Intrusion’s profile as it expands from long-term US government work into commercial markets. He contrasts government vs MSP messaging, emphasizes planning before leaving the military, and advises building networks through local professional groups and optimizing LinkedIn while avoiding divisive topics.
They discuss ATS-driven hiring challenges, the value of soft skills and translating technical concepts without condescension, creative job-search tactics to “not be a number,” and interview red flags like victim mentality. Andrew recommends reading The Phoenix Project and a Star Wars “Book of the Sith” on power and leadership.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:11 Day in the Life at Intrusion 02:38 Branding vs Cold Outreach 03:20 Customer Feedback to Product 04:06 Army Background and Influence Ops 04:48 Transitioning Out of Military 06:28 ATS and Hiring Reality Check 08:14 Building a Network and LinkedIn 11:19 Staying Professional Online 13:51 Sales and Technical Career Loop 14:56 Communication and Culture Lessons 21:06 Toxicity and SMB Team Fit 22:09 Standing Out in Job Hunting 26:17 Resilience and Victim Mindset 30:58 Books That Shaped Andrew 32:57 Wrap Up and Thanks
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00:00 Welcome and introductions 00:39 Lindsay career snapshot 01:41 Threat intel at Human 02:37 New book launch 03:33 Malware needs context 04:42 Spotting real people online 08:25 AI as attack amplifier 09:45 Phishing at scale 11:50 Democratized hacking risks 15:18 Path to VP leadership 20:00 AI proof risk communication 21:53 Time boxing MIT MBA grind 23:13 Writing a book discipline 23:49 Small wins and purpose 25:15 Book writing deepens mastery 26:39 Communication skills through practice 29:15 Behind the scenes struggles 32:02 Mentors versus sponsors 34:41 Security community collaboration 35:48 Whats next and book teaser 37:46 Boat go faster mantra 39:49 Final thanks and wrap up