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With Kathy Lavinder, Executive Director of Security and Investigative Placement Consultants, LLC Q. I'm a security professional. I started in private security after graduating from college with a Criminology degree. I worked in the contract security business before being hired as a Security Specialist for a Fortune 500 company and have earned my CPP. Over the last decade, I have been promoted to positions that have expanded my scope of work to include facility operations, crisis management, and business continuity. I am now interested in seeking opportunities that will be more intensely focused on security. What is your advice for returning to a security management role? Will my other experience be seen as complementary? How can I best highlight my work experience? A. I'm not surprised to hear that your role and duties have evolved and expanded over the past few years. In many instances companies broadened job descriptions during the recession as headcount was reduced and departments were forced to do more with less. While you may not enjoy the complete range of things you now do, you should think of it as a vote of confidence in your abilities. Companies these days need their employees to be flexible and willing to take on new responsibilities. Your willingness to handle additional responsibilities highlights your orientation as a team player. These are all positives that you should emphasize in your resume and be prepared to talk about in a job interview. Crisis management, business continuity, and facility operations are all closely linked to traditional security, so those duties will be viewed as a very a nice complement to a traditional security background. Having a broader skill set will never inhibit you from finding a new role that is more narrowly drawn. Just be sure that you will truly be satisfied with and adequately challenged by a role than offers less than what you're now doing. When you are in a job interview, do not sound negative about your duties expanding or close-minded about what a security role should encompass. Stress the positive - your passion for security! Q. I am currently studying in Israel and am finishing a Master's Degree in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland security. I have a BS in Criminal Justice from the U.S. I am transitioning into the security and analysis field and I am trying to understand how I can get my first job with no experience. I would gladly accept any advice you can give. I am willing start anywhere to gain experience. A. If your Master's program has a Career Placement Center, use it. Go to their offices regularly and stress how open you are to their suggestions and ideas. Ask your professors for leads and career guidance. Exploit all your connections. Reconnect with people you met in your undergraduate program, including your old professors. Bring them up to date on your activities, telling them about your course of study in the Master's program. See if they can point you in any new directions. In this job market, having someone open a door or make a connection for you can make all the difference. Did you do any in-depth research or write in-depth papers, such as a Master's thesis, that you could repackage and get published either in print or online? There are so many websites, newsletters, and blogs looking for original content I think you could have success getting your work product picked up. Offer to be an "analyst in residence" and agree to tackle any topic or assignment. Working for free won't pay the bills, but it can help you get noticed. Bring an entrepreneurial attitude to selling yourself and your capabilities. Develop a personal website, where you can share your resume and selected writings, and be sure to have a link to one of your in-depth reports on your LinkedIn page. Q. I have over 25 years of law enforcement, military and investigative experience. I have an Associate degree in criminal justice and a BA in criminal justice administration. I'm looking to apply to either AMU or Webster in Security Management for their Master's program. My question is which is better in the long run. Webster is really expensive, while AMU is not. I have heard great things about both. Which would you suggest as the best option in landing a job as a Director of Security? A. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to endorse one program over the other, but I can suggest you drill down into the specifics of each program to determine which courses, majors, and instructors best address your needs and interests. Weigh it all and think about which program will give you the best return on your investment of time and money. You are correct that both programs are well-regarded, so either would enhance your professional profile. Keep in mind, however, that the key to landing a senior security management role often hinges more on work history than academic credentials, so devote as much thought and attention to that as you think strategically and tactically about your career. Q. I want to be a private investigator. How can I start? A. Many private investigators begin their careers in law enforcement, but that is not the only path to becoming a private investigator. Some jurisdictions, however, have licensing requirements that make it difficult, if not impossible, for someone without prior law enforcement experience to get licensed. Start by checking the requirements in your jurisdiction. Many p.i.s get their start working in investigative roles within a company conducting, for example, insurance, healthcare, or credit care fraud investigations. Some p.i.s have worked as reporters, and some get their start by simply working for a small private investigation firm where they essentially work side-by-side with experienced investigators, learning the job "from the ground up." In that case, most are able over time to gain sufficient experience to qualify for a private investigation license. If you are really serious about pursuing an investigative career, look online for aptitude tests that may help you determine your suitability for a p.i. role. Also, keep in mind that television shows and movies frequently distort much of what private investigators do, so try to talk to some working p.i.s to get their unvarnished thoughts on the positives and negatives of being an investigator. Have a question? 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