Complex AV Systems have become essential to corporations, government, education institutions, transportation, and consumer outlets. Industrywide growth is steady and each year we are seeing the demand deepen. According to NSCA's State of the Industry Report, the majority of market sectors were projecting growth between 15-55% growth for 2016. These trends are borne out in our own practice here at J.Patrick, where we are seeing high demand for talent in all AV roles. See all our jobs listed here.

One of the positions we see some of the heaviest demand is for AV Techs. And while candidates entering at this level might not need much prior experience in the field or certifications, the search for talent can still be tough. It's important to keep an open mind when vetting candidates, and considering those who come from parallel industries.

Let's explore a few such parallel industries we've found to be good sources of talent.

Music

The music industry is a natural place to search for AV talent as many of the skills and abilities are easily transferable to AV/IT. That the music industry can be a difficult place to make a living and/or to get ahead, makes it an obvious place to recruit for talent.

While many people enter the music sector for the passion and the love of music, they also realize they need an industry that can offer them career growth. AV/IT is a natural fit in that regard. We've found that the fact that techs can expect to work in a variety of settings (such as commercial locations, schools, corporations, etc) with technology that is always changing and improving, is very appealing to these kinds of candidates.

It's worth noting too that video production is also a good source for talent.

Security Video

Once upon a time security companies simply offered alarm, call, surveillance, and sprinkler systems - the tent poles of basic home/office/institution security. But those days are long gone, and we've seen many traditional security companies expanding their offerings into areas that closely parallel AV/IT.

And as a result technicians from this field are well prepared to move into AV/IT. They come with a knowledge of cabling, installation, and the kind of troubleshooting that is required of AV techs. They're well accustomed to working on-site, crawling through walls and under tables in settings that can be sensitive, cramped or in use at the time of installation.

They also have a firm understanding of how to work efficiently all while being the face of the company with customers.

Just as with other in-demand roles, when it comes to the search for AV Technicians, being willing to set aside your checklist can result in finding the best talent.

To say that your time at a conference or industry trade show is at a premium is a gross understatement, to say the least. Your days are packed with pitching your products and ideas, to network, to check in on the competition, and to foster business development opportunities. What you're not there to do is collect resumes and conduct an endless stream of interviews.

But just because you don't have the bandwidth to devote to interviewing doesn't mean that you shouldn't take advantage of being under the same roof as the very best professionals in your field. In fact, a conference is prime real estate for connecting with and nurturing relationships with some of the top talent out there. After all, the professionals who get sent to represent their companies at conferences are the brightest that business has to offer, and they also happen to be the same folk you're looking to recruit.

Here are 4 ways you can make the most of your time at a show to meet and connect with top talent.

1. The "How Do You Do"

Whether you spend most of your time at your booth or roving the floor, you're going to be meeting lots of people. The mood is more convivial, people tend to have their guard lowered even the dress is more casual. So, you'll have plenty of opportunities to chat and feel people out. And this is why you want to have a pitch prepared, a friendly "script" if you will when meeting people who intrigue you.

This isn't a hard sell as much as an overture, and because time is short you don't want to have to make it up on the spot. Just as you have an elevator pitch for your company, have a succinct, yet enticing, a preview of what you do and what you're looking for in employees.

Do keep in mind, not everyone you'll meet and is excited by is looking for a new opportunity, but savvy professionals know that their next great job could come out of the blue. Both they and you have to prepare to make the most of the moment. If you're only focused on clients and prospects you might just miss connecting with your next top performer.

After you're back in the office the following week be certain to follow up and make personal contact (above and beyond connecting on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook). Even if you're not ready to pursue them any further at the moment, take advantage of that face-t0-face interaction to lay the groundwork.

2. Go Where The Talent Goes

Surely you've got your own busy schedule to keep up with: panels to attend, break out sessions to participate in, and keynote speeches to catch.

But in addition to going to track sessions that speak to your needs or pain points, take some time to attend tracks that the talent you are looking for might attend. In addition to seeing how people conduct themselves in a forum, you also may learn something new about the concerns of people in this position are having, and you'll certainly gain insight into what they're looking at to do their jobs well.

Again, this is not actively recruiting as much as name gathering and relationship building -- a golden opportunity to meet and cultivate future relationships. After all, you're far more likely to form a clearer impression of someone you've met and had contact with than just by reading a resume. You'll also have a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses long before you sit down for your first interview with them.

Conferences are a prime real estate to practice the central tenet of: always be recruiting.

3. The Coffee/Lunch/Dinner Date

While carving out time off the floor and away from clients and prospects to hold an interview is not a good use of your time, meals offer the perfect opportunity to meet with a candidate that you're already engaged with.

Let's say you've already had the phone interviews, a video call and now you're looking to have a face-to-face. Assuming the candidate is also attending the show or is willing to fly in to meet you, meal breaks are a great time to meet. As they say, everyone's got to eat, right?

You stand to gain an unexpected bonus if your candidate is also working at the show as you very well might have the opportunity to see them in action. Not that you'd be spying on them or risking compromising their present position, but you can certainly get a real-life glimpse into how they comport themselves and if they are at ease outside of the cubicle.

4. The Final Round

Although it's not a regular occurrence, we certainly have had our clients meet candidates at shows that they've already made an offer to, or are in negotiations with. Not only is it a perfect setting for hammering out final details over a meal in a convivial atmosphere, but it's also an opportunity for other members of your team who might not be part of the vetting process to meet the soon-to-be new hire.

And assuming you are close enough to a closed deal, if it suits you, you'll also have the opportunity to begin introducing them to vendors, customers, and other industry contacts. It might just provide the perfect early training ground for you and your new hire.

What do you think? Do you have any room in your day or your head for thinking about recruiting or interviews while you're at a show? We want to hear from you, share your thoughts in the comments.

It might be tempting to think that on-boarding new employees are all about insurance forms, office tours, and parking passes. Or, you might think it's synonymous with training. But the truth is, knowing how to do onboarding right is so much more than the sum of its parts, and it's also the key to ensuring you have an engaged, inspired workforce.

Here is a timeline to ensure That you do onboarding properly

It Begins Before The Offer

On-boarding begins long before a new employee signs their deal. In fact, it begins before they arrive for their first interview. By taking the necessary steps to ensure that your interviewing and hiring processes are fluid, responsive and timely you're sending a clear message that you care about your employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy and engaging work experience for them.

And then it goes further into how you handle the negotiation of terms. Once again being responsive is key - no one wants to be left hanging or put on an extended hold, especially when their career is on the line. Transparent negotiation tactics and clarity send the clear message that you are invested in the candidates’ future and their long-term success.

Once the offer is made, the deal closed and the start date set is when the active phase begins. Now it's time for the manager to reach out to your new hire with a friendly welcome and a letter clearly specifying the job objectives, expectations, and strategies. They could also include a package of suggested reading, a run-down of equipment used or even a big-picture view of how the team operates.

What's important is to open the channels of communication so that the new hire feels part of the team before they arrive for day one.

Day One

Regardless of the business at hand on day one (paperwork, insurance cards, key card, id photo session, etc...) your responsibility is to be prepared and ready for your new employee's arrival.

Secure the proper building passes, alert the receptionist, make sure that the direct manager is in the office early, have all the necessary paperwork ready, and above all have a work station/office prepared, cleaned and ready to be occupied.

There's no worse feeling than arriving for your first day of work, a stranger in a strange land, and having no place to sit, no one to guide you and nothing to do!

Many companies utilize a mentor system for the first days and weeks, and we think it's a wise tactic. Even senior-level executives need someone to touch base with regarding protocol and methods - appointing someone who is in either a parallel or senior role to be a touchstone not only smooths the way for your new hire, but it also helps to reinforce training, foster relationships, and cooperation.

When someone leaves the office at the end of their first day at a new job and is asked "How'd it go?" the only answer you want them to tender is "Great!"

Your job is to make certain you've done all you can to ensure that's the answer they give.

Week One

The first week is a time for your new hire to adjust to all the social and performance aspects of their job. Necessary training on everything from software to how to operate the espresso machine is taking place. But above all that they should be finding their feet socially now.

If you've fostered a company culture in which employees of all levels, from C-level to the support staff feel like they are part of the team, then they will be extending a warm welcome to the new player. A warm handshake, an invitation to lunch, even just a friendly introduction are key to helping the new hire "buy-in" to your company.

It's also during the first week that HR or the manager needs to make the review process known. By offering frequent check-ins and a schedule of formalized reviews (30 days, 60 days and 90 days), you are sending the clear message that you are invested in the individual’s success.

Remember: Investment builds retention, not compensation!

Month One

While the new employee will likely have begun to find their feet at this point, it's important to keep some of the welcoming structures in place.

The Mentor relationships works best when it's ongoing and ever-evolving. At this point, it’s not only serving to foster relationships and job clarity, but it also increases productivity and innovation.

The First 90 Days

The 90 review is an important tool for both employee and employer. Conducted one-on-one with direct supervisor, and/or team leaders this is the time to see what is working, and what's not.

Not only are you reviewing their performance, but you must be open to hearing from them what's working for them, and what could have gone better. If the channels of communication have been open and available, there shouldn't be any surprises during this meeting, and if there are, then it's time to go back and review your process.

Taking care to handle onboarding properly and thoughtfully, you are sending a clear message that you are invested in your employees’ happiness. And as we know, happy employees are more innovative, more loyal and perform better than workers who are just in it for the paycheck.

We might not know what the new year will hold for us, but there's one thing you can count on: there will be more and more cyber attacks on businesses and individuals. DDoS attacks, Ransomware and hijacking of IoT devices are bound to double or triple in the coming months, and are projected to cost business upwards of $2 trillion by 2019. In order to defend your company and customers from (or better yet stave off) attacks, you need an agile team with a diverse set of skills and abilities. Not only does such a team allow for greater reach and a wider range of expertise, it also all but insures better employee satisfaction and retention.  

To say that InfoSec is a growth industry is to grossly understate the facts. There were over 1 million openings in the Cyber security sector in 2016. More over, demand for well- qualified InfoSec professionals is set to exceed 6 million globally by 2019. What was a $75 billion industry in 2015 is set to rise to over $170 billion in 2020. There is no other sector in IT, or perhaps any other industry, that shows similar growth potential.

And still, women who comprise 51% of the US population only make up 11% of info sec workers. And the statistics for minorities are even more daunting. According the US Department of Labor only 5.2% of security analysts are hispanic, 3.2% are Asian-American, and 3% are Black/African-American.

If we expect to to meet the ever-increasing security demands, industry has to do far better. And better means not only encouraging more women to enter the field, but to stay there. (For more on attracting and retaining women in tech, read here)

Begin At The Beginning

Certainly the best place to start making meaningful changes in the make-up of the IT sector is in early education. And there have been some hopeful signs of progress in recent years. (For more innovative STEM programs, read here.)

But what if industry got more actively involved? What if businesses took an active role in educating, training and recruiting more women and monorities?

Well some have.

One such example of businesses getting involved in and supporting education programs is the Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security (SWSIS) sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. The program, which supports women studying the theory and practice of security, is offered by more than 60 accredited universities.

Another great example of industry offering support to girls early in their education is Dell Computer's partnership with GirlStart. This volunteer run organization is devoted to implementing innovative, high-quality STEM education to inspire girls to transform our world.

Lead From The Front

One of the most important things companies can do to encourage women and minorities to move into security is to foster a business culture where diversity is celebrated. Highlight the achievements of your entire team, and allow individuals to shine. Women and minorities need to see people like them succeeding in order to feel that they too can step in.

Hiring managers need to look past direct experience when vetting candidates and look for the dynamic range of skills that make for a good security professional. A focus on collaboration and teamwork creates an environment where more women can thrive. And where you have thriving workers, you have increased productivity, creativity and better protection for your data.

Support Networks

There are a number of professional organizations and educational institutions all geared toward fostering and supporting women in InfoSec. These networks play an important role in fostering support, encouragement and training, and business would be wise to support them.

A participant at the 2016 Women in Cybersecurity Conference said it best when she was quoted on the website as saying: “ As an information security officer for a global company, there are very few women in my peer set. It is exciting to see so many young women passionate about the field, and I believe everyone benefits when women are encouraged to pursue stem fields as, otherwise, we limit ourselves from an entire pool of potentially successful candidates and peers, simply because, as girls, we are not encouraged to pursue technical careers. ” Business can do its part by supporting these organizations and letting them know they are interested in widening

Additional resources include:

The SANS Cybertalent Immersion Academy for Women launched by SANS Cyber-talent Immersion Academy in 2015 offers an accelerated training and certification program geared toward getting more women into roles in Cybersecurity.

Women's Society of Cyberjutsu is a not-for-profit organization devoted to providing training and support to women in InfoSec. Their focus is on everyone from the seasoned professional to the recent grad interested in learning more about the field.

Women in Cybersecurity brings together women (students/faculty/researchers/professionals) in cybersecurity from academia, research and industry for sharing of knowledge/experience, networking and mentoring. They are hosting organization for the Women in Cybersecurity Conference as well.

The Society for InfoManagement launched SIM Women after Kristen Lameroux, the groups founder, attended the 2006 Tri-State CIO Event and discovered that there was great need for a way to promote communication, mentorship, leadership and career development amongst the female members of SIM.

Jane Frankland is a CISO advisor who has built her own global penetrating testing firm. She writes and speaks frequently about women in cyber security, and is currently writing a book on women in InfoSec due out in 2017.

Business cannot just sit by and allow all this available talent to languish on the sidelines. Companies, recruiters, educational institutions even certifying bodies need to get involved and help create a more inclusive, collaborative industry not only for the sake of on-line security, or their bottom line, but for the health of society at large.

Related Blog:

4 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ATTRACT & RETAIN WOMEN IN TECH

Once upon a time networking was a new idea.

Well, maybe not the idea but the label certainly was. Sure, people have been forming bonds and making connections in the marketplace for as long as there have been marketplaces. But attending a networking event and ‘selling’ yourself has only become part and parcel of our vernacular in the last 20 years or so. And now that it's taken hold it's vital to our career success.

The last thing you want is to make any networking mistakes.

Why We Network

Okay, so when we ‘network’ what we are really saying is that we have an underlying agenda where we are after something. Usually, we want the people we meet to help us in some way; A promotion, A new job, Insight into an industry or company, Inspiration on what to do next. 

Basically... we would like the people we meet to help us in our careers and lives. 

1. Don't Sell

This is fair enough - however, going to a networking event and spending all of your time trying to ‘sell’ yourself or whatever your company offers isn’t particularly useful. After all, how many people are there to ‘buy’? 

None right?

So don’t sell! 

Go there to get to know the people around you. Don’t shove your life story or current major problem or need in their faces. They don’t know you yet so they aren’t going to help you if you just ‘sell sell sell’. No-one likes a salesperson – so don’t be one.

2. Valuing Quantity Over Quality

Networking is not about the number of contacts you have.  Do you have 5000 facebook contacts? 6000 LinkedIn connections? Maybe a couple million business cards and a few zillion email contacts? 

Is that good networking?

Nope!

Networking is not about collecting the largest number of names you can get unless these are people who are going to help you when you drop them a line. When push comes to shove and you ask them for help – what will happen?  Will they remember you? Will they care? Or are you just another number in their database?  

Networking well and building up useful connections is all about having real-world connections with people. People only want to help you if they know you, trust you, respect you. If you are just a number – you mean nothing. If they are just a number – what’s the point?

3. Gaming The Game

How many times have you had people try to connect with you simply to ‘network’. How many invitations on LinkedIn or Facebook do you get from people wanting to ‘widen their network’? And if you join their network – then what? Will you become good mates and help each other out? Do they know you and do you count as anything more than a number to them?

Now, of course in some cases, there is something genuine there – but we have to use our judgment to think before we click. 

What about meeting and greeting people IRL (In Real Life)? Well if you’re being genuinely interested in getting to know the people around you then you are more likely to build a useful connection and grow your network effectively. If you are simply building a network superficially so that you can call on them when you want something and you don’t really care about them as individual, unique, talented people, they’ll suss that out and not really like you for it. 

4. Dismissing The Network You Already Have

Even before you set out to grow your network, you've got one - a large one. Chances are you already know many interesting and talented people - people you met at school, university, through friends, family, extended family, friends of friends, work - in that job at the local pizza place. Many of these connections have likely gone on to lead diverse and interesting lives -- their experiences and interests varied and vast. It can be very easy not to realize just how many people we really know or just how valuable our network actually is. 

Maybe you know or have come across many people but you do not really ‘know’ them. Why not spend some time getting to know them. Dig deeper. Find out what makes them tick – what experiences they have had, what they have done in their careers, who they hang out with, who their mates, family, friends are. You are closer to getting what you want and meeting whoever you need than you think.  

Your friend's brother, dad, second cousin, next-door neighbor could be just the person who could help you. So do not dismiss or forget about the people you already know. Get closer to the network you already have, form deeper relationships with them - you never know who you may come across.

5. Forgetting That It's Not All About You

People want to help those who help others.

And people want to help those who help them! 

So if you just take, take, take you won’t continue getting for long! Don’t make the mistake of just calling people up when you need something. Also, don’t make the mistake of expecting those you ‘network’ with to give you whatever you want, when you want. It’s not all about you! 

If all you do when speaking with others is talk about what’s on your mind -- what you need, what you’re after, how they can help you, what you care about – it’s a one-sided story!

Summary

Networking is a transaction that takes place in the marketplace - in order to get something you have to give. So next time you are meeting someone new or reconnecting with an old acquaintance, stop and listen for their pain points.  Offer to help wherever you can. You might not think you have much to offer, but if you really stop to listen, you very well might realize you have a useful contact to offer or recommend a product you find indispensable.

Engage, Connect and above all Listen!

One of the cornerstones of an effective cybersecurity strategy is agility and the ability to think ahead of the curve. In order to defend against, or better yet stave off attacks you need a team with a diverse set of skills and abilities. Research conducted by Catalyst found that diversity is key to an organizations ability to inspire higher levels of performance, productivity and creativity, which in turn lead to better employee satisfaction and retention.

To say that InfoSec is a growth industry is to grossly understate the facts. There were over 1 million openings in the Cyber security sector in 2016. More over, demand for well- qualified InfoSec professionals is set to exceed 6 million globally by 2019. What was a $75 billion industry in 2015 is set to rise to over $170 billion in 2020. There is no other sector in IT, or perhaps any other industry, that shows similar growth potential.

And still, women who comprise 51% of the population only make up 11% of info sec workers. And the statistics for minorities are even more daunting. According the US Department of Labor only 5.2% of security analysts are hispanic, 3.2% are Asian-American, and 3% are Black/African-American.

If we expect to to meet the demands for ever increasing security in our ever-more connected world, the industry has to do far better. And better means not only encouraging more women to enter the field, but to stay there. (For more on attracting and retaining women in tech, read here)

Begin At The Beginning

Certainly the best place to start making meaningful changes in the make-up of the IT sector is in early education. And there have been some hopeful signs of progress in recent years. (For more innovative STEM programs, read here.)

But what if industry got more involved?

One such example of businesses getting involved in and supporting education programs is the Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security (SWSIS) sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. The program, which supports women studying the theory and practice of security, is offered by more than 60 accredited universities.

Another great example of industry offering support to girls early in their education is Dell Computer's partnership with GirlStart. This volunteer run organization is devoted to implementing innovative, high-quality STEM education to inspire girls to transform our world.

Lead From The Front

One of the most important things companies can do to encourage women and minorities to move into security is to foster a business culture where diversity is celebrated. Highlight the achievements of your entire team, and allow individuals to shine. Women and minorities need to see people like them succeeding in order to feel that they too can step in.

Hiring managers need to look past direct experience when vetting candidates and look for the dynamic range of skills that make for a good security professional. A focus on collaboration and teamwork creates an environment where more women can thrive. And where you have thriving workers, you have increased productivity, creativity and better protection for your data.

Support Networks

There are a number of professional organizations and educational institutions all geared toward fostering and supporting women in InfoSec. These networks play an important role in fostering support, encouragement and training, and business would be wise to support them.

A participant at the 2016 Women in Cybersecurity Conference said it best when she was quoted on the website as saying: “ As an information security officer for a global company, there are very few women in my peer set. It is exciting to see so many young women passionate about the field, and I believe everyone benefits when women are encouraged to pursue stem fields as, otherwise, we limit ourselves from an entire pool of potentially successful candidates and peers, simply because, as girls, we are not encouraged to pursue technical careers. ” Business can do its part by supporting these organizations and letting them know they are interested in widening

Additional resources include:

The SANS Cybertalent Immersion Academy for Women launched by SANS Cyber-talent Immersion Academy in 2015 offers an accelerated training and certification program geared toward getting more women into roles in Cybersecurity.

Women's Society of Cyberjutsu is a not-for-profit organization devoted to providing training and support to women in InfoSec. Their focus is on everyone from the seasoned professional to the recent grad interested in learning more about the field.

Women in Cybersecurity brings together women (students/faculty/researchers/professionals) in cybersecurity from academia, research and industry for sharing of knowledge/experience, networking and mentoring. They are hosting organization for the Women in Cybersecurity Conference as well.

The Society for InfoManagement launched SIM Women after Kristen Lameroux, the groups founder, attended the 2006 Tri-State CIO Event and discovered that there was great need for a way to promote communication, mentorship, leadership and career development amongst the female members of SIM.

Jane Frankland is a CISO advisor who has built her own global penetrating testing firm. She writes and speaks frequently about women in cyber security, and is currently writing a book on women in InfoSec due out in 2017.

Business cannot just sit by and allow all this available talent to languish on the sidelines. Companies, recruiters, educational institutions even certifying bodies need to get involved and help create a more inclusive, collaborative industry for the health not only of their bottom line, but for the sake of on-line security.

Related Blog:

4 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ATTRACT & RETAIN WOMEN IN TECH

All too often, hiring managers get caught up on their checklists, looking only for direct experience or a set number of years in the field. However, with over 1 million available jobs in the cyber security industry, it’s safe to say it’s time to think outside of the box when it comes to filling these positions.Cyber security professionals need a dynamic range of skills, so even though your job description may not stipulate certain certifications, when you come across a candidate with certs (even unrelated to your space or sector) you need to sit up and take notice as there is an important set of skills those certs are pointing to.

Here are 4 key qualities that cybersecurity certifications can tell you about a candidate.

Motivation to Succeed

There is no greater motivator than the drive to succeed. Often people will need some sort of trigger to get them inspired and motivated. However, if a person has motivated themselves to go out, study, and complete the exam, then you know you’re looking at someone who is both driven and creative. You can be assured that this individual is someone who, when they’ve set their eye on a target, will do everything they can to accomplish their goals.

Life Long Learner

In a time when technology is constantly advancing, an individual who is dedicated to always enhancing their knowledge and education is the type of person you want on your team. You need your employees to always play at the top of their game whether it be configuring new security software or managing a security breach. When you are working in a market that is constantly changing, you need people who make it their business to stay current. Pursuing certifications is a strong indicator that a candidate has both the drive and the ability to stay informed.

Agility

Most certifications exams are difficult to pass with minimal job experience. After all, the greatest learning tool is getting out and getting your hands dirty.  A study conducted by CEB Communications showed that agile employees outperform hard workers. When developing your team, you want quick learners who are swift on their feet. Agile employees are the one’s who nail down a skill and are able to pass on their newly acquired knowledge to their coworkers. They can think around corners and have the facility to think ahead to the next move. These type of individuals are ready for the unexpected and know how to work their way through difficult situations.

110%

The people that are successful are the individuals who give their all. Some of the certification exams require hundreds of hours to prepare for- and they are not the easiest of tests to pass. The type of person who will learn and provide their maximum effort is the same person you want out in the field with your team. If they have a problem, they will find a solution, and if they don't understand something, they won't let it go until they do. Former Yankee Manager and 6x World Series Champion, Don Zimmer, once said, “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110 percent all the time.”

There will be candidates that don't meet all of your expectations, but may come equipped with certain skills or credentials that make up for the absent ones. Instead of restraining yourself and having the job description be your checklist, use it as a simple guideline. When you look beyond the norm, and look into a candidate’s skill set, you are not only opening up the range of possible hires, but you are strengthening your team in the long run.

Related Blog: 

5 CYBER SECURITY CERTIFICATIONS YOU NEED TO GET AHEAD

If you’re a hiring manager with a fully staffed team, you might assume there’s no need to keep seeing candidates. After all, you’re busy and need to keep your focus on rewarding your top performers, continually training the guys in the middle and pushing the team members who are lagging behind. Why waste time interviewing candidates for a position that doesn’t exist?

here are 3 important reasons why you should always be recruiting

1. Gather Intel

Regardless of what business you’re in, you need to constantly be gleaning intelligence about your brand’s position in the marketplace. By always being willing to interview candidates with in-demand skills you are creating an awareness of your brand and stoking interest for openings down the road.

It's also an invaluable way to get all kinds of information about your place in the marketplace.

• How are you perceived by your user base?
• How does your brand stand up in the marketplace?
• What’s your reputation out in the job market?

Additionally, it allows you to stay current on your competition. If you want to learn how other companies in your sector operate, you have to keep speaking to people on the inside. And who better to learn from than someone who is looking to move on.  

• Where does your company stand against your competition in terms of pay structure, quotas, the tools they use?
• How is the morale of your competitors?
• Are they hiring?
• Are they losing people?
• Do they have a high level of management churn?

Building a fluid picture of your place in the industry is key to staying competitive.

2. Feed Your Pipeline

Even if you have your dream team in place and can’t foresee it changing anytime soon, you have to remember that life happens. People leave, they get promoted or maybe they’re unexpectedly moved to fill a hole in another group. And let’s be honest, not every hire delivers on their potential.

If you don’t have a pipeline of top quality candidates to draw from, then you’re stuck either with a mediocre performer or worse, with an empty desk. And if you’re in sales, you know that a vacancy is costing you not only productivity but is draining your own quota. This is a high price to pay for not planning ahead.

3. Pop Your Filter Bubble To Stay Competitive.

When you look out over the same vista day after day, it’s easy to lose perspective. Just as you might talk to your mentors, attend conferences and keep up with your peers in order to gain new insights into your sector, interviewing candidates allows you to see what’s possible.

It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that the team you have is the team you’ll always have. But if you are meeting candidates on an ongoing basis, you’ll see that you have options. You don’t have to tough it out with the salesperson who’s struggling to keep up, nor do you have to put up with the cancer in the locker room.

What it really comes down to is the difference between simply filling vacancies as they occur, and engaging in workforce planning. The first model leaves your team exposed and under pressure to cover the workload left behind by a vacancy. But if you always take the time to meet qualified candidates you'll be far more nimble and ready to act when you find yourself with an empty desk.

With the recent cyber attacks against the DNS service provider Dyn, information security experts are doubling down their effort to develop the next generation of prevention and solution methods. In other words, the demand for online security has never been greater.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is a digital attack that attempts to disable any online service by sending an overwhelming amount of traffic from multiple sources, also known as ‘Botnets’. Though these attacks do harm, they are not intended to expose or steal any personal information, but rather overpower a hosting server, making it unavailable to users. Over 2000 DDoS attacks are observed daily with one-third of all online downtime complications resulting from DDoS bombardment.

The process of recovering from an attack can take from hours to days to weeks; all depending on the depth and breadth of the strike. All businesses should take the precaution of purchasing an anti-DDoS service to insure your IT safety.

Volumetric

In a volume-based attack (ICMP), the network/service bandwidth becomes congested with a mass amount of traffic resulting in a flood of access requests. Due to this attack all applications and services are rendered useless.

Protocol

Protocol attacks are aimed at saturating networks resources by sending open requests (Pings of Death). These attacks manipulate IP protocol by sending large IP fragments, resulting in reboot or crash.

Application

An application violation (Slowloris) targets the expected behavior of protocols (TCP. HTTP.) by tying up computational resources and preventing the user from accessing their requests. These types of attacks are very difficult to identify and defeat.

Here are our top 5 DDoS Protection Cybersecurity Providers:

There is just too much on the line when it comes to protecting your online assets. Always keep in mind that it only takes one single attack to compromise your business and your customers' online safety. Beat the botnets to the punch, and take immediate action by purchasing a protective service.

Better to be safe than... you know the rest.

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IS YOUR CYBERSECURITY AS SOLID AS YOUR BUILDING SECURITY?

Job descriptions tend to fall into one of a few categories. There’s the standard which can be a very dry, rote recital of responsibilities and data points. There’s the candy-gram style which was very popular with tech start-ups. Big bright, bold and poppy, filled with the countless perks you might find at the company, these job specs were long on style but short on substance. And then there’s the third, most common type that we see, which we’ll call the Purple Unicorn: hiring managers who have drilled down so specifically that they run the very real risk of missing out on some quality candidates.

We think the gold standard lies somewhere in the middle.

So, what should the ideal job description look like?

Inform

First and foremost your job descriptions need to effectively communicate with candidates the parameters of the open position you’re trying to fill.

And hopefully, they are written with a lot more energy, personality, and life than the sentence I just wrote above.

You need to strike a balance between listing the essential skills and qualities you’re looking for with language that is representative of your company culture. And know that in order to reach the right people, you have to research keywords, convey what the future looks like for your organization, and leave the jargon out.

Inspire

Top candidates have options, lots of them, but what most of them are looking for is, a position where they feel challenged, valued and that taps into their creativity. They also want to work somewhere that shares the same values they do. If you have a big green initiative, that needs to be part and parcel of your job descriptions. If your company does a good deal of charity or volunteer work, that needs to be made evident from the get-go. Be certain to inject enough personality into the description so that candidates can clearly see what makes you unique.

Remember: the goal of any candidate search is to find people who will stick with you for many years to come - let them know who you are, what you can offer, and what you stand for from the very first interaction. (For more tips on recruiting top talent, read here)

Focus on Success

First, include the nitty-gritty

• Title/Position
• Department
• The reporting structure (both up and down)
• Essential Duties
• Salary range
• Essential skills and work experience
• Degree and certification requirements
• Qualities and attributes required to fulfill the position

Second, infuse the description with meaningful details

• If it’s a complex function, break it down into component parts
• Paint a picture of what day-to-day looks like
• Talk projects and problems
• Use original headlines. Ex: If You Are: instead of, Duties & Responsibilities:
• Describe what success looks like.
• And, how will they be measured?
• Think about not only what’s required now, but what are the possibilities down the road.

The description needs to emphasize how your organization can benefit employees’ lives, in both the immediate and long term. Studies have shown that ads that emphasize what a business provides to meet candidates’ needs get 3x more submissions. Those are the kind of numbers you want to attract.

Rely on Your Network

In addition to releasing a job description through your usual channels: HR, your contracted Recruiters, Job Boards, remember to encourage your staff to share it through their professional social networks. Provide social networking links on the description and make it easy for the job to be shared around. And remember, your reputation is your best recruiting tool. Happy and engaged employees are your best brand ambassadors.

The Endgame

A well-written job description is a tool that enables your HR department and/or trusted recruiter to go out and find you the best, most qualified candidates. It needs to tell the story of what it’s like to work at your organization and what long term success means. And finally, it has to leave enough room for your recruiter to bring you candidates that otherwise might not have gotten your attention. You’re looking to attract not only the active candidates but also the passive ones as well.

Job descriptions are an advertisement, remember not to sell them short.