Effective Security Career Management

The groundwork for success in your security career lies in careful consideration of your goals, your drive, and your ability to reach them. Every security professional goes through this complex process at some point in their career.

Effective career management is the opposite of chance. It is based on accurate analysis of your situation, skills, and attributes followed by action you take to improve your position to succeed. The only person who has all this information and can use it to affect change is you.

A complete picture of you is essential to the creation of an effective resume or CV as well as any online employment profiles. It takes time and effort to think through this, but the exercise is an investment in yourself. It helps set up your best security career direction and gives you control over how potential employers evaluate and perceive you.

Think about your current employment circumstances. There are lots of reasons to be variously happy or unhappy in your current job. List the pluses and minuses, then consider the role your family situation plays in your career decisions. A partner’s employment, children, aging parents, or other family dynamics including financial well-being all have an impact.

Create a complete list of every job you have ever held, including any military service, internships, summer, or part-time employment. Not everything will make it onto your resume or CV, but it will outline directionally where you have been. It can also help identify those things you genuinely enjoyed, may want to revisit, and set a direction for.

Analyze how you chose participation or memberships in business, professional and social associations. If you held office or served on committees…

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