Recruiting Talent in the Security Space: Highlights From SIA’s Roundtable

On Thursday, Sept. 20, in New York City, the Security Industry Association (SIA) hosted its networking roundtable series pilot event. The series offers an opportunity for an open discussion about topics that are important to security industry professionals. This platform allows professionals to discuss experiences and challenges, collaborate and share actionable ideas.

Nearly 50 attendees gathered to discuss challenges and solutions to recruiting talent in the security space. The 1-hour open discussion was followed by SIAThere! NYC— an industry-wide complimentary networking event.

Keynote speakers included members from SIA’s Women in Security Forum, Janet Fenner, chief marketing officer at  ISS (Intelligent Security Systems); Elaine Palome, vice president of human resources at Axis Communications; Jim Henry, executive vice president of corporate development at Securitas Electronic Security; and John Nemerofsky, president of CGL Technologies, LLC.

Key takeaways from this event included these recommendations:

• Leverage social media usage, manage and evaluate Glassdoor evaluations and partner with recruiting firms
• Develop a 30-day onboarding plan for new hires and provide a flexible workplace and constant feedback
• Conduct outreach to local universities and department heads and offer mentoring programs, mock interviews and resume-writing services to attract millennials and college grads
• Understand the roles, risks and potential biases of artificial intelligence in hiring
• Integrate diversity by conducting interview bias training and use gender-neutral language in job descriptions
• Sell yourself as an employer and evolve your corporate culture

Our next networking roundtable will be held Wednesday, Dec. 5, in Dallas, Texas, and address the topic of sales negotiations.

We want to know what topics are important to you and what you would like to discuss at an upcoming roundtable. Please feel free to submit your ideas.

If you are interested in participating in an upcoming roundtable discussion as an attendee or speaker or have an idea for an upcoming topic, please contact Sarah Schaffer, manager of member marketing and engagement, at sschaffer@securityindustry.org.