Weird Situation - For Breaking into PE

I'll get straight to the point. Took a sabbatical from consulting/operations to focus on learning cybersecurity / Offensive Hacking (not going to detail out why I did this). This resulted in reducing my entire digital footprint, including deleting of social media websites - Linkedin/Facebook and becoming close to a ghost. I spent years building up a track record geared towards Private Equity (will not get into the details for this however will mention that I was constantly networking with recruiters and firms and was on track to get Associate roles). What's the best way to communicate this to PE Recruiters to re-target roles for Senior Associate - PE positions? I'm sitting for what is one of the more difficult cybersecurity exams soon, that involves hacking into 5 computers within a 24 hour span. I keep a very low presence on Linkedin. Advice is appreciated.

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^To clarify, my Linkedin account that I spent 5 years on (with hundreds of recruiter connections and around 3000-4000 other connections of people I worked with + PE/VC people) was intentionally deleted a while back by me in 2019. I don't intend to re-build my Linkedin connections because I'm still pursuing independent work in the cybersecurity domain (reducing the threat of social engineering is also important to me). My new Linkedin has a handful of connections and I mainly have it i[ just to keep a presence. Now when I DM recruiters, they visit my profile and assume it's a fake account. I'm assuming this is because the lack of connections. 

I don't intend to go work at a cybersecurity firm or in a cybersecurity role. For me, I consider it to be necessary skill and required knowledge to both defend against threats and target enemies. I still believe Private Equity offers the best compensation, more interesting work, and it matches my energy levels - so I need to figure out how to get back on the radar for PE recruiters without having to establish too significant of a digital footprint. I'm not interested in Venture Capital or Growth Equity. I'd prefer a LBO focused fund with a strong Ops team and preferably a path to transition from an Ops Team to the Investment Team (if not at the same fund then at a different fund after gaining the experience on the Ops Team at the first fund). PE compensation and the nature of the work is something I find more attractive than riskier startup endeavors. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to discuss the pivot into cybersecurity with recruiters and/or advice around how to target roles? 

 
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