In Depth

Bob Moore Knows How to Get Hired

CSOs will find few security job openings and a wealth of candidates for them. Here's practical advice on landing the right position.

By Daintry Duffy

Be the Ball

It's pretty tough to demonstrate your commanding leadership skills and unsullied ethical merit in an interview without coming off as arrogant and stilted. But the less tangible skills that CSOs must bring to the table are also important. Companies are exercising more discretion and scrutiny in filling their top security positions. Their selections, after all, are highly indicative of the kind of organizations that they run. Sure, there are some qualities that people either have or don't have, but they are highly sought after in security functions, and it's worth keeping that in mind as you present yourself to potential employers.

To project such qualities in an interview, don't try to hit the ball; be the ball.

Be the ball with leadership too, says Lenzner. "The CSO is analogous to a commander or a general. Unexpected things happen, and they have to have the expertise and leadership qualities to minimize the damages. When we talk about CSOs, we're really talking about the best of the best." Specific to the CSO job, leadership is expressed in any number of ways. It's thinking strategically and creating, defining and executing an enterprise strategy. It's also about making that strategy real to its various stakeholders and lobbying and cajoling for their support until you get it. "Companies are looking for much more leadership than five or so years ago," says Siegel. "You need someone with a larger perspective who can engage all the right people. The [top security person] used to be much more a technician. Now we need more of a forward-thinker, a solutions designer and an analyzer."

Thanks to Enron, Andersen and the other accounting scandals of the past few years, ethics has been getting a lot of play as a fundamental corporate value. But its importance is felt most keenly in the security organization, where access to sensitive information and responsibility for internal investigations create the need for a higher standard. That means that CSO candidates in particular need to exemplify those values. Rsum fudging and other ethical breaches are taken much more seriously when the candidate is applying for a security position. More security organizations are doing background checks and conducting polygraphs, especially in cases where the company does business with the government. Lohrmann recalls an incident where a member of his staff was hired away for a lot more money to another security position. The new company later found that a couple lines on his rsum were untrue, and it withdrew the offer. "Character always matters," says Lohrmann, "but especially in security where you have to be seen as above reproach."

CSO candidates who pledge to uphold ethics throughout their organizations will be attractive prospects. "Security professionals hold the keys to the kingdom," says Moore. "We see from the mail room to the boardroom, and we have to be viewed as absolutely transparent."

Stay Flexible

One of the few constants that CSOs can count on in their jobs is change. Cooperation from line-of-business executives and the executive committee will wax and wane, and the willingness to write, scrap and rewrite plans on an ongoing basis will serve a CSO well. Flexibility also means that the skills and experience that get you the job will need constant refreshing to stay current with the rapidly changing scope of CSO responsibilities. When Moore left Amoco for his new position at Merck, his basic security skills

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