Articles by Alta

Career Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning

Joyce Brocaglia and Jeffrey Combs
Joyce@altaassociates.com

Everyone needs to have a basic Career Disaster Recovery and Continuity Plan. In the last two years, the InfoSec job market has shifted from 'the sky is the limit' to 'the sky is falling'. Corporate earnings are down and as a result, budgets have been slashed. Projects and initiatives are on hold until earnings improve and security professionals are required to do more with less. Consulting firms and product vendors are often the hardest hit and first to feel the pain. As a result, many good people are job hunting or preparing for the worst.

There is no question about it; the job market has been rough this year. Given the state of the economy, it may be some time before we see a noticeable improvement.

Whether forced to find another job or perfectly happy in your present position, you always should be prepared for the unexpected. These basic steps are designed to help you prepare for the worst while enabling you to maintain career continuity:

You need cash to maintain operations. Financial planners generally recommend that an emergency fund cover living expenses for between three to six months. In the current job market, in which lengthy job searches are common, it is probably better to err on the side of caution. Although stimulating the economy might seem like your patriotic duty, don't buy that Porsche just yet.

Although it seems elementary, it is extremely important to regularly update your resume. At the very least, keep notes on new responsibilities, accomplishments, and skills so that when crunch time comes you will be ready to quickly update your old resume. If you have updated your resume and have a relationship with an executive recruiter, give that person the new version and let him or her know where your interests lie.

Resumes are as individual as their authors. However, we've found it is important that several elements be present. First, the format needs to be legible, clearly organized, and easy on the eye. Unique fonts, crowded text and unusual layouts do not help your cause. The content describing your responsibilities and accomplishments should be thorough, factual, and understandable. Do not assume that a reader will be able to read between the lines of generalized statements. Don't fictionalize activities to look better on paper. You can be sure that later you will be held accountable for the content of your resume. Try to keep it between two and four pages long. Also, make sure the content is digestible to a potential reader. The more arcane and obscure the content, the smaller the audience who can understand it. Remember that the goal of every good resume is to stimulate a dialogue between the candidate and hiring authority.

Word of mouth and personal references are extremely valuable and can lead to new opportunities. The InfoSec community is still fairly small despite recent growth. A personal network of professional contacts is one of the best tools available for job seekers. It is very important to create a database of professional contacts and maintain it throughout your career. This database should include: co-workers, vendor representatives, consultants, and contractors, as well as people you have interviewed or interviewed with, met at conferences, executive recruiters, members of professional organizations, and especially fellow members from your local ISSA chapter.

Job hunting is a contact sport, the more people you network with the better your chances of knowing what is available. Further, you will also learn of situations to be avoided.

Although many companies are downsizing, the recent tragic events have also brought to light the importance of security. I believe that InfoSec professionals possess a skill that will be in high demand as the economy recovers and infrastructures need to be built and secured. Think positive, stay focused and be prepared.

Joyce Brocaglia is the founder of Alta Associates, Inc., an InfoSec recruiting firm, and Jeffrey Combs is an executive recruiter with the firm.

Alta Associates

Specialists in executive recruitment for over 20 years.

Articles by Alta

Career Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning

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