Dream Jobs Are Hard to Find

It takes perseverance, a willingness to compromise and some sleuthing to find companies that want the leadership and business skills you have to offer.

By Scott Berinato

June 01, 2006 — CSO —

Some time ago, when he was looking for an executive-level opportunity in security, Ken Stephens started to notice certain job postings that never seemed to go away. Some CSO and CISO positions continually showed up on the job boards, requesting a pretty standard skill set and level of experience. Stephens made a habit of printing them off and stashing them away in a folder.

There were at least a couple of dozen that you just started to notice never got filled, says Stephens, now the CISO of Fair Isaac. One job, for an insurer, was listed for about three years. How does a company that defines it has a need for a CSO or CISO decide theyll look and not fill it for three years?

An entire magazine issue about dream jobs might insinuate that such jobs are waiting to be had. But are they so plentiful? Stephens folder of long-vacant positions suggests that some companies are looking for the wrong people, or asking for the wrong things.

In fact, Stephens isnt so sure that the unique skills that CSOs offer are understood by HR departments. And hes not alone. Jon Wunderlich, who just landed a job as CISO of McKesson, was actively looking for opportunities recently. He says, What surprises me is that everybody keeps saying there are all these opportunities for leadership in this space, but the jobs werent really there. Meanwhile, Kenneth Newman moved from New York to Hawaii to take an executive-level security position, after finding other positions he examined werent as high-level or strategic as advertised. As Newman notes of his job in Hawaii, It was one of the few opportunities I found which put me in a place of influence.

Job seekers interviewed for this story acknowledge that all job searches include some lemons, and that it can take sacrifice, be it the location of the work or the lower-than-desired starting level of responsibility. But while they acknowledge these points, the larger point remains valid: The job market, as represented by the descriptions that hiring companies typically post, is not seeking out security professionals who are capable business strategists. When it comes to CSOs and CISOs, many businesses may try to get them, but few still get what they can do.

Here, with Stephens, Wunderlich and Newmanthree C-level security executives who recently landed great new jobswe explore three of the disconnects that they say keep more jobs from being dream jobs, and what it will take for companies to create opportunities that maximize the contribution of CSOs and CISOs.

• Print