From an employer perspective, hiring top security talent for your team can be a challenge. As a hiring manager, you need to understand how to best select and leverage a search firm to support your efforts.

Philadelphia became the first city in the nation to bar employers from asking potential hires to provide their salary history.

The median compensation for security professionals in the United States increased 2 percent from 2011 to $102,000, while the average annual compensation increased 14 percent to  $121,000, according to the 2012 ASIS International U.S. Security Salary Survey.

According to the 11th annual Security and Compliance Compensation Survey Report, base pay is up by 2.4 percent.