Properly Vetted Candidates Equals Happy Clients and Companies

Properly Vetted Candidates Equals Happy Clients and Companies - Know who you are hiring!

I've thought a lot about the topic of work history and backgrounds, and how the topic plays such an important role in the security industry as a whole.  Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've seen the coverage of all of the school shootings in American. Naturally, one of the main topics always at the forefront, is the assailant's or person's past history, and the plethora of clues and signs that almost EVERYONE saw and knew about, (at least in hindsight).

We in the Security Industry and in Law Enforcement can beat the topic to death and "Monday Morning Quarterback" all aspects of past employment and history when it comes to potential Stalkers and Criminals (after the fact).   In the fallout of another shooting or other incident, all the industry professionals and commentators are out in full force on every news media outlet that will give them a voice.   

And of course, who could preach more on this, than the security industry? Aren't we the best ones to help guide the rest of the country to best practices that will keep people safe? 

Well...our own effectiveness in this area is actually up for debate. The security industry (my/our industry) does not consistently practice what we preach when it comes to vetting our own candidates and staff. 

I've addressed the topic of pre-employment vetting in many of my previous blog/articles, but I can't beat that drum enough. In my past experience in recruiting/headhunting for a multi billion dollar company, this was a real Achilles heel.  And I was not alone in this, as it is something that plagues most corporate EP programs at some point in their life cycle. And by 'it', I mean hiring an individual who at the end of the day, had no business being on a particular detail.

Yes, despite all the resources in the world, and the 'help' of a corporate HR department, some individuals with questionable skills and moral compasses still make it through the system, and actually get hired onto high profile teams. This is both frustrating and dangerous, and I'll say more on that piece later on.

Taking the time to look at past history, to do a thorough background prior to offering a position was consistently a very tough nut for me as a hiring manager to crack in the corporate setting. Most corporate HR departments have little to no understanding of the unique facets of an EP program, or the type of candidate that will really be successful.

The need to expediently fill vacancies, and prevent gaps in service to our principals was usually the driving force behind shortening our own process, or sticking to traditional vetting (like you'd apply to your marketing or IT team) to bring on someone 'great', and oftentimes failing to fully 'kick the tires' before bringing a new individual onto our team. In at least a couple of instance, this had disastrous consequences for everyone involved.

These were self-inflicted wounds, caused by a corporate rush to outcomes, despite the fact that the security team responsible for the hiring was trying to put the brakes on and 'do it right'. 

Culture has a way of trumping strategy.

However, I think it's time our industry held the line in the sand in a much more assertive way. If we can't ensure our own industry TRULY vet's our candidates, not just in terms of work experience, but also behaviors, works style, judgement, ability to function as a part of a team, etc. we are missing the point we are working so hard to make.

We need to educate those in HR and recruiting about the needs of our field, about the skills and personality traits that will truly succeed in the Executive Protection field. Taking the time to do this, is in fact one of the most powerful and effective things and EP Manager can do to ensure productive recruiting for his/her team.

After a recent long conversation with another senior close protection professional about the issues with past and current EP/CP operators, we both agreed that the signs are always there right in front of our eyes prior to hiring.  But inevitably, there is immense pressure to fill vacancies and to maintain your 'numbers', and hiring decisions are made based on a short-term challenge, rather than on the long-term benefit or sustainability.

It's worth a bit of extra time on the back end, to ensure a good fit, and talent on your team for the long haul. Trust me.

I've seen too many examples, where red flags are brushed aside, only to find that those red flags can turn into raging infernos once a 'bad hire' is brought on as a full-time employee. Inevitably, hind-sight inspires everyone involved to reconsider the small warning signs they had noticed (but not acted on), the odd comments, the unusual behavior, the rumors of antics or issues from previous jobs. If only we would pay more attention to these signs (which by the way, are the very things a good security program aggressively does in service of its client in the normal course of business). If only we would employ that same rigor to our hiring and vetting process (which at the end of the day, is also an important aspect of protecting our clients)!

 My experience with the corporate world has been, that once a larger HR department is involved in the performance management of a challenging or problem employee, it is incredibly challenging to manage a problem employee, let alone replace them.

In the EP world, a problem employee can literally make or break an entire team. These are individuals who may have direct contact with your principals, their families, spouses, children, etc. Their work requires them to be in close proximity to high value individuals, information and resources. If you are trying to manage 'red flags' and performance issues, you simply can't expose your principal to the sort of risk that some individuals may cause. And oftentimes, corporate HR department's are not set up to deal with this sort of employee functioning in this intimate setting with the company's principals. Where in other work scenarios, you might have the luxury of 'managing someone out', of letting them hang themselves out to dry while you document their bad behavior. In the EP world, when your team has direct, often daily interactions with your principal, and you are dealing with an individual that you fundamentally don't trust...this presents a risk and threat that is just not tolerable.

I've been in this situation, and it is painful. Largely in terms of the HR systems in place that will hog-tie you from really managing your problem. As a manager, my options were to 'manage' by managing the schedule and keeping these individuals on the periphery of our team's work. Which meant putting more pressure on my strong performers...and you can imagine how they all felt about that. Not a good scenario. 

Better to never have hired an individual with shady behaviors and history. And yes, there is ALWAYS history. In each and every instance I have encountered (whether my own experience, or others in the industry), when there is any sort of 'after action' done in the wake of dealing with a problem employee, there was always ample history to be found, if only it had been sought out. Talk about a self-induced problem!

So why do so many corporate security programs NOT dig into past employment history?

Well from personal experience, I would say the number one factor is FEAR!   Most HR departments are incredibly risk-averse, and take a very conservative approach to interpreting the various labor laws that apply to recruiting and vetting candidates.

I'm not an employment attorney, so I am not dishing out legal advice here, but a lot of the trepidation around poking around someone's background comes from the misinformation on what is actually allowable for employers to know about prior to hire or just when vetting a pool of candidates.  Urban legends abound in terms of what people think they can and cannot ask for when vetting candidates. Most of it is just wrong.

You have the right to fully vet your candidates, and I'm going to push you to do exactly that. Yes, there are parameters, and you should work with your legal and HR teams to make sure you are clear on those and abide by the appropriate policies. But do as MUCH as you can do within the bounds of those parameters. Don't use policy and procedure as an excuse to cut corners, and become complacent in your vetting.

And I would challenge all EP Managers, Program Directors and recruiters to take this one step further. Before you announce a position or a vacancy on your team, you need to invest in cultivating a pool of great prospects waiting in the wings. Yes, you have to be proactive and engage with job-seekers BEFORE they have formally become candidates wherever possible. Converse with them on LinkedIn, Google them, use whatever tools you have at the ready to find out more about the folks you are interacting with, so that you already know something about the pool of potential candidates before they enter the formal system.

It's amazing what we can find out about people just by taking the initiative, and just asking people about someone.  I'm not talking about contacting former employers here, I'm talking about 'networking' in the truest sense of the word.  There's nothing to stop you from engaging with colleagues across our industry and learning more about them along the way. I'm encouraging those of you who have to engage in recruiting to more actively do this, and to prioritize maintaining a solid pool of folks you have personally/informally vetted in this way.

The whole "I know a guy" method of referencing candidates is on the way out the door. Yes, it's still great to refer personally known individuals to positions, but do yourself a favor and learn more about those 'guys and gals' before you start actively recruiting. 

Let me pose a question to you. If it is so difficult to find out someone's past history or background problems, why is it so easy for EVERYONE to find out after the fact?

My point is to say that we must do a better job at looking at past history as an indicator for what in likely to come, and neglecting to do so leaves your doors wide open to future issues.  Spend the time to educate your HR department so that they can be a better business partner to you. Do you own homework and cultivate a pool of potential candidates. And take full advantage of your ability to do a thorough background on your prospects. Trust me, you won't regret it.

  

 

 

 

 

   

 

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