AQ'S Corner

Article update on June 16, 2025 with new email for contacting NIST regarding the project.

There’s a moment in entrepreneurship that sneaks up on you, when you stop waiting for permission to solve a problem and just start writing the solution yourself. This week, I hit “Send” on an email to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the federal agency that helps set the gold standard for cybersecurity and innovation. Inside was a framework I created to help combat one of the most overlooked cybersecurity crises in America today: job scams.

• Not a blog post.
• Not a suggestion box rant.
• A real proposal. To real people. With real power.
  

Why I Did It, As a Business Owner and a Job Seeker

I’m a cybersecurity analyst and the founder of a small business focused on digital safety education. But I’m also a job seeker who has seen how vulnerable we all become when we’re searching for stability. These roles aren’t in conflict; they feed each other.

As a business owner, I’ve learned how hard it is to grow something from nothing, and how scammers target entrepreneurs, too. As a job seeker, I’ve personally received messages from fake recruiters using real company names, real logos, and stolen trust. I’ve reported them. I’ve warned others. And still, they keep coming.

So I decided I couldn’t wait for someone else to fix it. I had to be part of the solution.

What I Sent and Why It Matters

Without going into all the technicals, I’ll just say this: I proposed a cybersecurity-informed approach that would strengthen trust and accountability across the online hiring space,  job boards, registrars, recruiters, and platforms alike.

The goal is simple: make it harder to fake legitimacy and easier to protect real people.

I’m not a policymaker. I don’t work for a big-name tech company. But I do have something powerful: lived experience, cybersecurity knowledge, and the courage to start.

This Isn’t Just About Me

Job scams are not just phishing emails or shady text messages. They’re personal attacks on people who are already in vulnerable moments. They steal identities, bank accounts, hope, and time.

If we can create frameworks to secure cloud environments, we can create frameworks to secure the hiring process, especially for those on the frontlines of career transitions.

What I Hope Happens Next

• Maybe they’ll read it.
• Maybe it will start a conversation.
• Maybe it will lead to change.
  

But even if it just opens one door, one pilot program, one working group, one email back, then it’s a step forward. As a mother, a cybersecurity professional, and someone who still knows what it feels like to be job hunting, I’ll take that step every time.

💬 Want to Support the Mission?

If you believe a national framework like this is needed, you’re invited to share your thoughts directly with NIST. Let them know why Project TRUSThire or a similar standard would matter to you, your organization, or your community.

📧 Email nccoe-zta-project@list.nist.gov
📝 Use the subject line: Proposal Submission: NIST SP 800-TRUST Framework – Trusted Recruitment Standards

Together, we can help protect job seekers and demand stronger cybersecurity in the hiring process.

🔎 About NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a U.S. government agency that creates trusted frameworks, standards, and guidance to strengthen innovation and protect our digital lives. Learn more at nist.gov.