Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsCareer IntelligenceSecurity Leadership and ManagementSecurity Education & Training

Career Intelligence

Security career competition from the public sector

Large corporations continue to value public sector candidates for their security roles. What qualities make them successful?

By Jerry J. Brennan, Joanne R. Pollock
Security job candidate in interview

AndreyPopov / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

career intelligence
Security job candidate in interview
career intelligence
October 12, 2023

It is quite common to see executive leadership roles in corporate security filled by candidates from either current or former public sector roles. They are often law enforcement, intelligence or military leaders seeking a second career.

SMR regularly runs studies on statistics for these types of candidates. In the last 10 years, 68% of our U.S.-based candidates reported prior government employment. Including candidates located outside of the United States, the percentage increases to 72%. Year upon year, we have not found a significant difference in those numbers.

These statistics do not suggest that all these individuals were at once hired into the senior-most role upon leaving their public sector jobs. It does show that government background continues to be a major feed to the corporate security profession. It further illustrates that the security industry has failed to develop a maturity model that offers parallel career opportunities for those who did not have public sector experience.

This disparity is an ongoing point of contention for candidates who have spent their security careers within the private sector. We often hear questions to the effect of, “What does someone from the military or XYZ agency know about the private sector or corporate security?” We appreciate the frustration level of these private sector candidates given the relatively small number of senior level roles that become available within the profession.

Companies hiring from the public sector is not unique, nor is it unprecedented. For many years, companies have recruited military officers and placed them in corporate management programs. Military academy graduates and retiring senior level officers continue to be attractive to large private sector organizations. Many of these individuals have gone on to have exemplary careers in the world’s largest corporations.

While there are challenges articulating experience and competencies from government roles to the private sector, there are potential factors corporate executives find attractive in these candidates:

  1. The candidate has been successful in leading large numbers of diverse staff roles within a complex national and/or global organizational environment.
  2. Their scale of experience in management of large budgets and complex assets is impressive.
  3. They have a successful history of navigating internal and external political environments.
  4. They tend to execute objectives through collaboration and influence.
  5. Functioning effectively in high-profile, elevated-risk and high-stress circumstances where a mistake or wrong decision has extreme consequences is often second nature.
  6. They have high levels of professional training and continuously invest in both operational and leadership education.
  7. They have previously passed rigorous background checks, assessment instruments and cleared ongoing evaluations.
  8. Many have existing high-level clearances.
  9. Continuously adjusting to continued changes means they are comfortable with a fluid environment.
  10. They may have lived and worked in numerous national and/or international locations and successfully interacted with a wide variety of diverse cultures.
  11. They are very much at ease with problem solving and influencing without authority.
  12. It is not unusual for them to have had regular interaction with key business leaders as a part of their accountabilities.

These are all desirable competencies and skills; however, they do not diminish the challenges public sector candidates face during a transition to commercial sectors. It can sometimes be hard for them to adjust to personal and social culture differences in corporations. We have seen examples of extraordinary successes as well as failures to assimilate. But there are equal numbers of challenges the corporate security leadership community faces with a career change. No group should be painted with a broad brush, nor should they be viewed through a narrow lens without a full understanding of the nature of the roles and organizational expectations.

It is highly likely that operational security program knowledge is not a critical expectation for success in leadership. Scope of influence, global view, competencies, vision, creativity, leadership skills, culture and the executive team fit may be deciding hiring factors placed above operational or tactical security knowledge.

KEYWORDS: career development corporate security security career security career planning security career training security management

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Brennan 2016 200px

Jerry Brennan is co-founder and Chief Executive of the Security Management Resources Group of Companies (www.smrgroup.com), the leading global executive search practice focused exclusively on corporate and information security positions.

Pollock 2016 200px

Joanne R. Pollock is the co-founder and President of Security Management Resources.  Previous to SMR, she had a 20-year career at leading global corporations, working across diverse functional areas including human resources, sales and marketing, and information technology services.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Security Leadership and Management
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Internal computer parts

Critical Software Vulnerabilities Rose 37% in 2024

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

November 17, 2025

SECURITY 500 Conference

This event is designed to provide security executives, government officials and leaders of industry with vital information on how to elevate their programs while allowing attendees to share their strategies and solutions with other security industry executives.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Measuring Up Career Competition from the Public Sector; security careers, CSO, CISO, public sector security careers

    Measuring Up Career Competition from the Public Sector

    See More
  • Business ethics guidelines

    The security career impact of personal reputation and ethics

    See More
  • SEC0921-career-Feat-slide1_900px

    Public engagement’s influence on your security career

    See More
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing