Algorithms and software programs can screen for certain attributes and keywords on security professionals resume submissions. However, to get the best and most qualified candidates for a particular security position, you need a human being screening the resumes. One who can sift through the colorful and fake resumes and knows exactly who is a right fit for your company.
Today there are so many fancy titles in corporations, corporate recruiter, talent acquisition, talent scout, head hunter and many more. How many of these individuals have actually lived and worked in the security industry and how many are HR people?
How many know exactly what to look for on a resume to know whether a candidate has the relevant background or not? At what point in the screening process does the resume of a qualified security industry candidate finally hit a living and breathing person’s desk for them to review? This simple answer is, it takes forever in the security industry.
There is an ever growing trend within the security industry and other areas, it is who you know, not so much what you know. In truth, so many qualified security industry candidates get looked over by corporate recruiting departments for two reasons.
One, the algorithm or software program designed to filter out resumes does not screen for real-world experience very well and two, from my professional experience, most of the staff working in recruiting departments don’t know exactly what is what when it comes to reading a resume.
I’ve seen it time and time again, where a candidate will have a vast amount of experience, write an amazing resume, tailored specifically for the position they are applying for and still not get through. This can leave a candidate feeling defeated and lost. It’s no secret that the security industry is flooded with qualified candidates.
Since 9/11, hiring security professionals to protect your assets and corporate entities is even more paramount today than before 9/11. There are virtually thousands of individuals who are more than qualified for various levels of security positions. Many times these positions may not pay well starting out but they lead to more opportunities and chances to network. Which touches on a subject that is an never-ending trend in the security industry.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of inflated egos and people who think just because they served in a certain job function in the military or law enforcement, that they are qualified for a high level or even mid-range to low level security positions. Yes some of these individuals are more than qualified and yes, some of these individuals have the relevant backgrounds but many do not and many who do not get hired.
Lastly, so many companies sacrifice experience and quality for cheap pay, just to figure out the individual they hired didn’t work out.
As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.