As a Security Department hiring manager for a multi-billion dollar company, I got to see first hand how companies struggle to recruit and retain the best. Having worked  with many good Recruiters and HR departments, I am still amazed at how many companies still recruit new EP and other security candidates by taking a generic security job profile,  and then send it out to the masses on every site in the world. Some of the best known, and most respected organizations are literally posting jobs on Craigslist because they just don't know where to find good people.
After sending out these broad-brush calls for applications, they must then cull through hundreds (if not thousands of resumes) trying to find that one candidate that is the "perfect fit". They are bombarded by resumes from great people. Military, law enforcement, security contractors...you name it. But they are not familiar with the nuances of this line of work, nor the terminology and acronyms that typically abound...

I just completed a week-long,  24- hour surveillance detail. And I  just woke up after my first full night sleep in 5 days. I do not work these often anymore, but was called on very short notice to fill-in. I enjoy different aspects of Protection/EP Services, and it's a great opportunity to sharpen, and hone those perishable skills. Of course it's by no means glamorous work, (quite the contrary). However, surveillance is an important skill and facet of the security world, and the guys that have perfected it are awesome at it.

One reason I choose to do work like this (that's frankly out of my wheel-house), is that details like this are a great opportunity to meet new guys in the industry and expand my own network. A detail like this might put you in contact with all types of guys and gals, from the beginners (who think they know it all) to the seasoned professionals (who do pretty much know it all). Being in my mid-forties and kind of in the middle, I learn things from the...

Applying for jobs?  Get seen, and make it count when you do.....

On one of my previous blogs I shared about the inner-workings of Corporate Recruiting, and how candidates can "get noticed".  And getting noticed is definitely the first step.

However, once they notice you, make sure that you have a resumé that is memorable in the good way, NOT the wrong way.

As you know if you've read my blogs, one of my previous roles was as a security/protection hiring manager for a billion dollar company.  I've literally reviewed hundreds of resumés, and frankly, a lot of them were terrible. Which is a shame because the people they represented could have been awesome. But the document they sent in to convince me to hire them did not do them justice. And at that stage in the process (faced with a stack of resumes to review), that's all I had to go on.

Ironically, many of the resumés that landed on my desk or in my email box were referrals from people I know and...

In the end, YOU want work.....

As someone that reviews a lot of Candidate resumes, I see a glaring pattern related to "job descriptions".

As in...no one seems to read them!

If I can offer some advice here: never apply for a job or position without having thoroughly read the job description.
You may not realize this, but from the recruiter's point of view, that document, and that description are critically important. In fact, that document is the road map they will follow when screening for the role.

The job description is written by the hiring manager and reviewed/approved by the corporate recruiter who generally works under the HR Department.  This is the document that they are trying to match candidates to.

So it would make sense to ensure your resume/CV  matches the actual job description with a lot of the same "buzz words".  If the job description is clearly looking for a Security Specialist, then why would they hire a SWAT Sniper with 25 tactical schools listed at...