Chapter 9 of 12 · Weeks 1–8
Asking for help
- How long should I struggle before asking?
- Will asking questions make me look incompetent?
- How do I ask a good question?
New people often wait too long to ask for help, because they worry it shows they do not belong. In security, waiting can make things worse. An alert you sit on, unsure, could be the start of a real incident.
A simple rule
Try on your own for a set time, then ask. Fifteen to thirty minutes is a common rule of thumb for ordinary problems. For anything that might be a live security incident, ask straight away. Your team would much rather check a false alarm than miss a real one.
How to ask a good question
- Say what you are trying to do.
- Say what you already tried and what happened.
- Share the exact error, alert or log line.
- Say what you think is going on, even if you are unsure.
- Ask a specific question.
A question in this shape takes less time to answer and shows that you did the work first. People who ask this way are rarely seen as needy, whatever their experience.
The question you might not ask out loud
What if I ask the same question twice?
It happens, especially in the first months. Write down answers when you get them, so it happens less. If you do need to ask again, say so: I think you explained this before, but I have lost the detail. People respect that.
Escalating an alert
- Say what you saw and when.
- Say why it worries you.
- Say what you have checked and what you have not.
- Ask what they want you to do next.
Rule of thumb:Escalating something that turns out to be harmless is part of the job. Nobody gets in trouble for raising an alert in good faith. Hiding one is a different matter.
Find a mentor if you can, formally or not: someone a little ahead of you who does not manage you. They can answer the questions you would rather not ask your manager, and help you see when you are doing better than you feel.
Pay attention to how your team prefers to be asked. Some like a chat message, some a ticket, some a quick call. Some prefer questions batched at a set time each day. Matching their habits makes it easier for them to say yes, and it shows that you are paying attention to how the team works.