Meshal Aljohani, CPP, PSP, PCI spoke with ASIS to share his member journey and achieving triple certification in the hopes of inspiring and helping other professionals. Read on to learn what he had to say.
Interested in certification? Learn more here.
Q: What motivated you to pursue ASIS board certification?
A: Based on my growing interest in the security profession, I met with an ASIS member and certified coach in July 2021, who motivated me by highlighting the importance of obtaining ASIS certification in the Security industry.
After that discussion, I demonstrated my desire to succeed in the security field by becoming more active with ASIS, asking questions, and seeking guidance to study for ASIS certifications.
My organization supported and encouraged me throughout my journey to obtain ASIS certifications because they understand the value this knowledge brings to the organization. They also recognized and celebrated my achievements, as well as encouraged more employees to obtain professional certifications.
Q: Were you always planning to receive your triple certifications in six months? How did it happen?
A: My journey to achieving the ASIS International Triple Crown was both wonderful and challenging at the same time, since I studied for at least four hours every day and much more on weekends.
I spoke with colleagues who had successfully passed ASIS exams and asked about their preparation strategies. I also found colleagues who were studying for the same exam at the same time I was, and we had ongoing conversations about our study strategy, lessons learned, and kept encouraging each other to keep studying and reading.
On October 25, 2021, I started self-study for the hardest security certification for me - Certified Protection Professional (CPP®) - and passed the exam on the first attempt on January 10, 2022.
After earning the CPP, I wanted to continue and studied for the Professional Certified Investigator (PCI®) exam, which is an exciting subject in the investigation field and is vital to Professional investigators, which I also passed on February 28, 2022.
I chose to pursue the ASIS International Triple Crown and started preparing and studying for the Physical Security Professional (PSP®) exam, which I passed on June 12, 2022.
Q: What study tips do you for those interested in getting certified, particularly as triple crown?
A: To start preparing for the ASIS certification exam, I recommend downloading and reading the Certification Handbook. The guide will provide with all of the information need to know, including all of the policies and procedures you'll need to know in order to apply, study, and sit for each exam, as well as familiarize yourself with the exam contents for each program.
- Reading the recommended study materials from ASIS as per the certification handbook, such as the POA bundle of books, three times (at least) or more and highlighting the important sections.
- Reading the ASIS Study Manual at least three times, which explores the test domains and their related tasks, explains key concepts and terms, and presents information about studying for the exam.
- Reading the ASIS flash cards is an excellent way to review main concepts and definitions, and you may need to make your own study cards as well. I reviewed all of the flash cards at least three times before I took the exam.
Q: How has ASIS membership and certification helped your career?
A: I was introduced to ASIS through Dhahran chapter in 2016 and helped to organized the local chapter Technical Event in Dhahran on July 25, 2018.
Engaging with ASIS members and being inspired by these security professionals was a fantastic opportunity for me. It also gave me an overview of ASIS activities and the potential benefits of participating in such events.
The membership community has influenced my professional growth by most significantly, opening the door and connecting me to the world of security thought leadership. The ASIS member community has been very open to sharing, and as a result, I see us obtaining more successful outcomes in the industry.
Being certified increased my level of knowledge and professional maturity since the learning process opened my mind, increasing my knowledge base and strengthening various domains that I had not previously mastered.
