Are You Ready? Executive Protection Readiness

There are not many private sector jobs that are as dependent upon  "Being Ready" as the Close Protection/Executive Protection field.  Readiness and adaptability can be your down-fall or can become your niche asset.   It's your choice!

What do I mean by this?   The senior and active EP/CP specialists know exactly what I mean, as they have probably been there many times. The comfort of easing into a detail when you are prepared is like slipping on your favorite pair of slippers. It makes work and travel as easy as possible. Conversely, we've all had situations where we found that we were ill-prepared for the job at hand, scrambling to gather resources, and feeling behind the eight ball the entire time. Not a good feeling, for sure.

For those of you scratching your head as to what types of things I'm talking about, here's some perspective on the concept of job readiness in the EP field.

I meet industry professionals on a daily basis, and always enjoy networking and learning what others are doing.  A part of that networking is staying in touch in the hopes we can work together at some point.

There's nothing worse than developing a good relationship with someone, and then when the opportunity presents itself to actually work with them, you find that  they are NOT personally ready. After all that time talking and commiserating about the field, you may not be able to give them a job solely because they have failed to maintain a state of basic job readiness (oftentimes despite their significant experience). This is awkward and frustrating for both of us, as I can't give them or refer them work, and they have exposed themselves as being complacent.

Don't make that mistake. Even when you are in between gigs, there are things you need to address  so that you can jump on new opportunities, instead of being stuck sitting at home.

1.    Travel Credentials and Documents-    Can you work internationally without a passport?  What would you do if you get a great gig that requires a Visa for China (which means you have to send your passport in for that process, and be without it for 30 to 90 days)? Not that big of a deal. Unless of course, during the time that your passport is shipped off for processing, you also get the opportunity to provide support to a client in London. Only, you don't have a passport for the next month! What do you do?

Do you turn down the London job and say, 'oops, I can't travel or work for the next few months, so sorry'.  I mean, you can't travel without a passport, can you?  Hmmm, how much money will that cost you?  

This problem can be solved by applying and obtaining a second (4 year) passport from Dept of State (DOS).  Many seasoned travelers are not aware of this option.  But for the corporate world , this is how we get around the problem.  Of course, you have to be able to prove  to (DOS) that you travel for a living, and need 2 passports.  There is a system set up for this.  Yes, it costs some money. Yes, it takes a bit of time to apply for. But once it's done, you can be up and running for business, able to secure other travel documents, and still stay in the game.

Getting a second passport will more than pay for itself even if you only use it one time (and likely you will use it often if you do much international work).

Global Entry Card and Precheck:  If you are traveling International, then get the Global Entry Card, unless you just enjoy standing in line with the masses or while the rest of your EP team is at the hotel waiting for you arrive so they can start the advance/site survey work.  If you are traveling and supporting clients domestically in the US, at minimum be enrolled in the TSA Precheck program.  

Nothing could be worse than traveling with a client on commercial air or meeting a client at the airport;  and you are stuck in the TSA security screen line for hours, while your client is waiting for YOU.  These travel perks are GOLDEN and a necessity.

Get them!

2.    Resume/CV and Bio- Have an "EP Specific," fine-tuned resume/CV, and Bio with a professional picture that is ready to go.  In my previous blog/articles I talk about Resumes/CV's and what makes a good impression.  The Bio is just as important.  This document contains a "PROFESSIONAL" photo of you in a suit or business casual attire.  NOT a photo of you in Iraq carrying an M4.  The bio should be a paragraph or two, highlighting your overall back-ground.  So take the time and money to invest in both documents so that when the phone rings you are not scurrying around in the attempt to put these together. Develop professional-looking cv's and bio's and keep them updated. They can make or break your chance at a job, as trust me, the client will ask for these.   I maintain a library of my operators' bios that I send each time I book a detail for a client. These are your calling cards, so make them count! If you need help with these, reach out to me, as these are basic tools that we at OPStructure take pride in helping job seekers develop.

3.    Personal Finances- This one is very important, and is a pet-peeve of sorts.  Have a credit card and some cash on hand.  Remember, unless you are fortunate enough to work on a full-time EP/CP corporate detail,  (where you have a 25k limit credit card, and a travel department that books everything for you), then you need to be able to  cash flow YOURSELF, and expense it back to your Client or Vendor.

Does that mean you may end up paying for a rental car for a billionaire on your own credit card? Yes. It might.

You expense it back to your employer, no harm, no foul. I've been in this industry a long time, and have bought opera tickets for celebrities, and paid for gym equipment for philanthropists, all on my own credit card. I have never had an issue getting reimbursed. This is just the way the industry works, so get over any notion that you won't 'float' a client during a job. If you want to work, you very likely might! 

Small security vendors do the best they can to take on the overall expenses for their team, but remember if you are a 1099 contractor then you are a "Doing Business As" DBA.  Not a corporate employee.  Just be prepared if you have to bank-roll yourself on some things.   

4.    Clothes-  Think about the type of work  you are being contracted to do, and who the Clients are.   You always want to travel as light as possible, but ensure you can adapt to the client's needs.  Example:  Covering a corporate client at a Miami Dolphins NFL game on Sunday, then business casual meetings on Monday.  Transitioning on Tuesday and Wednesday to the Florida Keys with your client on holiday with his/her kids at the beach.  What sort of clothing shout you take?   Suit/Tie, Sport Coat/Slacks or Jeans and then flip-flops/shorts with a T-shirt.  Oh, and some swim trunks.

I have had guys complain when I ask them to be sure to bring a sport coat on a job, "but I don't own jacket or sport coat"! Are you kidding me? Invest in darn sport coat. Don't ever make that a reason that someone would question hiring you, as I frankly scratch my head in confusion when people say that. In this industry, you can go from jacket to flip flops in a 24hr period. Be ready.

A note on fashion/style: Just because you wear cowboy boots and western jeans in Colorado, does not means that's going to work in downtown Miami or San Francisco. Don't make the mistake of making fashion statements.  Think about where you're going, and who you will be with. You want to blend in, not stand out for your fashion choices.  I believe you get the point.

Related to clothing, your overall appearance is going to affect the types of jobs you can get as well. Piercings? Tats? Mohawk?

Your style choices are your own, but don't expect corporate clients to want their image associated with your particular look.

If you want to smoothly fit in on any detail, you need to think about what your client wants to portray. It's about what the client wants, not what you think looks cool.  I know great guys who are skilled at what they do, but who've limited how much I can use them, as they just won't conform to the appearance standards of a corporate client. That's their choice, but I would encourage the rest of you to remove anything that could limit your potential employment, and unfortunately appearance is important.

5.    Weapons:  Alright, I don't talk about weapons very much as I do believe if you talk about that all the time, then you likely have not worked on many EP details.  The fact is that the majority of International EP/CP travel and client support is done UN-armed.  Period!    Most of the required "Guns" are contracted out locally.  But if you are the guy above in Miami and the job requires you to be armed, are you ready? Of course, proper licensing is a requirement.  But, also do you think that big honking 45/1911 is the best weapon to carry on the beach in a t-shirt and swim trunks?  How about a small 38 revolver in a very low-profile posture?   Just be ready and adaptable.

There are many comprehensive articles and blogs out there, specifically addressing what to pack and travel with concerning the security world.  If you are new to the industry search for them, and see what works best for you.    

Whatever you do, just be organized and be ready. If you are not, then there are plenty of other guys and gals that are. 

Our field is becoming increasingly competitive.

I've seen some incredibly motivated folks successfully transitioning into EP work from what I would consider to be 'non-traditional' fields for the industry, mainly because they understand 'readiness' in a way that our industry just hasn't really addressed.

In other fields (think advertising or finance, or even sales), it is generally assumed that you've got an updated resume/cv always at the ready. It is generally accepted that your LinkedIn profile is current and professional. In most fields, job seekers understand that they need a professional bio, and need a good head-shot.

In our field, that has just not been the norm, and our job seekers have paid a heavy price for it.

In the Executive Protection field, you will stand out if you get your ducks in a row.

I would like to see our industry as whole do a better job  developing a state of 'readiness' in our staff and job seekers. I focus on this topic a lot, as both a business owner, and mentor to people in this industry. It benefits all of us if we can present a more professional image to our clients, and to each other. 

If you've dealt with any of these readiness issues, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And in terms of developing and maintaining workforce readiness in this industry, what can we do to improve?