Security Management Recruitment
by David Childs

Trigon Consultancy is staffed by security professionals with UK and international recruiting experience. We offer innovative recruitment solutions to organisations seeking security management personnel. Trigon is a member of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA).

The New Era
 
Recent tragic global events have focussed attention on security as an issue. There is now an increasing need for corporations to protect their assets and to develop contingency plans.  This is a new era, where anything goes. The attack on the HSBC bank in Istanbul in 2003 shows that terrorism is a real threat to UK organisations.

Developments in technology have opened up new opportunities for crime. This has all contributed to a paradigm shift within the security sector and, in turn, this has led to the need for a more sophisticated level of security executive. However, some organisations have been slow to ‘ramp-up’ their corporate security and have failed to hire the right quality of security management personnel. There needs to be an enduring security investment to counter these threats.

A recent study of 5000 UK companies (House of Commons Defence Committee 2002) found that only 45% had business continuity plans in place. Organisations need to re-think the way that they hire security managers. They must ensure that existing security managers can;

Motivate and lead, rather than drive

Develop new tools to combat new security threats i.e. cyber attacks, terrorism-CBRN (Chemical, Bio, Radiological & Nuclear) and sabotage

Produce a viable business continuity plan

Produce and implement Crisis Management and Contingency Planning

Maintain an in-depth knowledge of industry news and legislation

However, on the commercial side they also need to;

Be focussed on Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Take responsibility for P & L and margins

Identify business opportunities and develop them

Show highly developed inter-personal skills

Show that they have knowledge and experience of business processes

Demonstrate integrity

Recruitment Process

The way that you manage your recruitment for all staff is the first thing that potential employees see. Often companies underestimate the importance of creating a favourable impression to candidates at this time. How many of you have had a bad experience whilst trying to find a new job? The vast majority of candidates who enter your recruitment cycle are not hired; but we still need to ensure that they are dealt with in a professional manner.

The recruitment consultancy that you choose to partner with is also key. Does it reflect your organisation in a professional manner? You need to create a slick recruitment process to ensure that candidates progress smoothly from one stage to another. Companies have often failed to hire the best candidates because those candidates withdrew, as they were dissatisfied with the recruitment process.

Top candidates will be in demand and you need to recognise that you may have to go the extra mile to secure a hire. Some companies grumble about paying a little extra but fail to recognise that a security executive could be managing multi-million pound contracts and be in charge of Contingency and Business Continuity plans.

Vetting
 
Vetting slows down the recruitment process. Companies are spending as much as 40% longer to check the credentials of prospective staff, forcing candidates to wait for lengthy periods before hearing whether they have got the job. You may lose out.
 
What is your company’s policy for verifying the identity and background of potential staff? Is it adequate today when there is so much identity fraud and theft? Should you consider outsourcing your vetting to reputable specialists?
 
Do you use psychometric tests to spot possible personality/stress flaws in your candidates? Will your candidate be able to handle the stress frequently found in today’s uncertain and at times, very dangerous world?

Are you aware of current techniques of screening on ethical dimensions?

Staff Retention

One of the greatest challenges today is recruiting and retaining talented security professionals. Some companies do not appear to have spotted that there is an ever-increasing demand for these top executive and it is vital for them to ensure that their overall compensation package is such that these professionals will be attracted to them and more importantly, be retained by them.

In most circumstances, it is preferable to retain existing staff rather than having to keep replacing them. It has been suggested “a single percentage point reduction in turnover of staff can save larger companies £1 million on the bottom line”   (C.I.P.D. Recruitment 2004). It goes without saying that this will deliver a sustainable edge in business performance. Retention can also be considerably improved by providing career development, secondments to other departments to broaden skills and knowledge and, strangely enough, opportunities for promotion outside the security area.

Conclusion

Overall, companies and organisations need to recognise the absolute value to them of recruiting the right security management team. There needs to be an enduring security investment. Where appropriate, they should partner or have an agreement with an agile, professional company that can rapidly understand their needs and quickly help them to meet them.
 
Trigon Consultancy’s global network of security management candidates and international security recruitment partners, allows us to meet companies needs speedily and effectively.  

By David Childs, MSc, ASIS
Director
Trigon Consultancy
April 2004

Trigon Consultancy is a member of the BSIA

Trigon Consultancy Ltd
12-50 Kingsgate Road
Kingston-Upon-Thames
Greater London
KT2 5AA
UK

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Website: www.trigon-consultancy.com