Author: Christopher Bauer

In accord with reality or fact, an opposite to false

Truth. It’s a strange word in our current culture. Once it was most used to express being in accord with reality or fact, an opposite to false. It was a preeminent premise for science, history, technology & yes even journalism – were based on the definition of this word.

Truth, or at least the quest for it… set an evolution of ideas, built nations around its moral concepts & pushed knowledge into movement…and human civilization into the future. Truth also toppled empires, eradicated celebrity, separated love, & even ended lives.

The truth that one should seek, is the truth from within.

It is in our nature to seek truth. That is what many of us got into the field of Investigation, Security, Surveillance & Loss Prevention. Truth is an ingrained feature within our DNA. This is why we find it hard in our professional careers to “play the game.” We read body language, vocal tones, slight movements & variations in breath patterns as we were taught. We have hyper focused our senses CHOOSING this career path. Dealing with HR, a clueless client or an ignorant manager… frustrates us.

That same choice makes our own career management hard. Join me.  Let me take you on my journey & show you what I have built… and what’s coming next in Career Management.

How we got off the path, our focus on wealth & profits

Let us not forget, yes you in the under 40ish crowd, a career is more than the job you do. No matter what your managers told you or you “learned” in your higher learning institutions, YOU are responsible for more than the numbers on the P& L, the staff’s productivity or how many widgets you sell.  Have you ever asked yourself how we got off that path, and our only focus became personal wealth & increased profits?

The TRUE leaders are the ones that make a lasting impact on others within their circle of influence, through the VALUE they provide during THEIR career. 

America was once the greatest country in the world BECAUSE of our vision, our grit, our determination & the ability of the leaders to turn around & offer a hand to those climbing the ladder with them. As we “industrialized” we got off that path instead searching for wealth & higher profits.

The fact remains, we can do BOTH!

We need to get back to the core that made AMERICA the country EVERYONE wanted to go to. We have to expose those in power who step on the necks of the people that are actually the ones doing the work, representing the companies & protecting the brand. BECOME the financially successful “leaders” we see publicized. 

We can build EMPIRES with an ARMY of highly paid, highly educated, highly qualified and highly competent teams around us… (Psst… it makes the teams highly LOYAL as well).    

It’s time to change our mindset

We need to utilize focus towards personal transformation & our own awareness to achieve EXTERNAL change. Change is not just a slogan for some political campaign, it’s much deeper.

The change we need… is found in self-awareness. If we want a society that is truly based on sustainable principles, if we want to remove despair, end poverty, to unify people, empower, evolve, or live in a free & truly fair democratic society, we have to start from WITHIN.

What are the issues that really need to be addressed? What will it take to achieve long-term outcomes? What steps will be necessary to reach our goals? Who are the people that need to be involved? What is prohibiting forward progress? What matters most? What are the first steps?

Homeland Security Begins at Home

I coined the phrase “Homeland Security Begins at Home” a decade ago. Home is not just a metaphor for America or our house… while interchangeable, I’m talking about our CENTER. What’s at our core, what’s our belief systems? The voice that tells us the difference between right & wrong, to speak up or keep quiet. The one that acts when action – SHOULD be the path.

It’s about time that we believe in our own judgment, our ingrained beliefs, our abilities, stop relying on the vocalized thoughts and opinions of others.

Get to work.

How to build a life you don’t need a Vacation from

“….Build a life that I don’t need a vacation from.” There it was again.  The term “vacation from” kept going around and around in my head.  Then I realized this phrase came up in passing during THREE conversations last week alone, but what was the takeaway during my customary “week in review?”  In my profession, people are usually on their best behavior.  They dress to impress, have focused engagement, ask challenging questions and care to listen to my responses to their inquiries. 

The people I work with see me as “useful” in some way to their long-term success.  Does that mean I am not seeing who they really are? Quite the contrary.  I am seeing who they should be more often. The good part of my career choice is most people are happy to talk to me and can I feel that coming through the phone or during a Skype call.  See they understand that my job is not that of a “traditional” Recruiter.  My goal is to support people in the Investigative & Security profession make informed decisions about their career development and trajectory, using all the available tools – first impressions, résumés, LinkedIn profiles and even simple reminders to have certain questions prepared to interview the interviewer – anything that is needed to meet their career goals.

Why does this matter in context to finding an answer to our question on how to build a life you don’t need a vacation from?  Simple, because I have done it.  While there are difficult conversations and times where people are in desperate need and finding them an opportunity is providing difficult, the people I am calling usually pick up the phone when I call and when I need to leave a message, I don’t even have the thought in my head that I won’t get a call back in a reasonable timeframe.  From that perspective, I have been successful building my life and my career. But it hasn’t always been that way.

The difference between good and great is attetnion to detail.

Because of my investigative training, when I hear things multiple times from seemingly unconnected sources, my mind picks up on it.  Associations, phrases, places, people, and tie-ins fairly quickly make me curious. That’s why I was perplexed when I couldn’t quite put my finger on where this phrase from or why it popped in these conversations.  I know I have heard it before, but why does it seem to be gaining traction now? Has it become a buzz word on social media, the news, or on some online content?

I am an avid reader, but sometimes I must admit, I don’t always remember all the great sayings, phrases, quotes, one-liners, zingers, advice, and words of wisdom from the business and thought leaders that one comes across in a lifetime, let alone from all of recorded history. This one, however, was sitting on the edge of my subconscious toying with me. So while I had a few minutes before a meeting, I decided to perform a meditation I was taught called Brain Bouncing.

Let’s review the concept.  If you are having trouble with some detail, a fact, a place, a reference point or something more elaborate, the first thing to do is quiet the mind. Despite popular opinion, Brain Bouncing is not repeatedly bouncing you head off a hard surface in frustration as often depicted in satire.  Brain Bouncing is a way to allow our over-stimulated monkey brain to focus attention specifically on the inputs you released.  Think of it like a pinball machine and the thought you want to focus on is the steel ball.  The goal of the steel ball, continuing with the analogy, is to allow the full attention of your experiences and sub-conscience mind to make the associations and for you to focus on simply listening.

This works better if everything else in your surroundings is quiet as well. So turn off the music, turn off your ringer, silence the notifications from your computer and if you are driving, don’t be an idiot…pull over and park.  You can think while driving, but Brain Bouncing takes you much deeper. You might look weird if people walk by and you’re doing this in your car, but screw them, it’s not about them – it’s about you.  You have nothing to prove to anyone, so stop worrying about the external. Focus on the goal.

After you start to quiet your mind, let it wander. Don’t try to control it.  It will take you here and there with what you have to do later, what you didn’t do earlier but soon it will stop pinballing around from thought to thought when it runs low on stimulation. The trick is to not add stimulus and whatever you do, don’t add fuel to the fire as your brain attempts to provoke you into feeding your neurotransmitters. Now, when you have begun to capture the first signs of control of your thoughts, you will begin to pick up stimulation from wherever you are. The sounds outside, the engine if you left it running, the ticking of your watch, birds, the air conditioning unit in your office, the buzz of the fluorescent lights.  When you notice that feeling, I find it most beneficial to give a little smirk, the mind is now under your control.

Now the only thing you need to do is offer your mind a question for it to play with. Break down the thoughts that you are looking for clarification on into smaller more digestible parts. For me, this instruction on “Brain Bouncing” has helped me jar memories and quite literally get the riddle solved.  Start with the first question that comes to mind on the topic you were thinking about.  “Is having a job you look forward to doing every day asking too much?”  Let your inner voice continue to bounce it around and to follow any line of questioning that comes to mind. “What type of  job would make the 40 or more hours fly by?” “How much money would be enough per hour for someone to do something they couldn’t stand doing anyway?”  “Is it a job taken out of necessity or does the person feel like they are not good enough at doing something to ask for more pay?” “When did you feel this way?” “What was the last trip you took where you felt the need to take a vacation from work?”  “Could someone that is always looking forward to the next trip lack the transferable skills to make a career transition so they can get into a field that better suits their personality or passions?” “How do you build a life that you don’t need a vacation from…” and I started to see the follically challenged best selling author in my head (no, not Tim Ferriss, the other one) – Seth Godin.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape.” Seth Godin

At the same time, I realized something else of importance, life is a combination of things that need to be done for an exchange of money and relationships and interactions with others.  The feeling of escape can arise from any part the life that’s been built so far – the job choices made, the external negative or positive stimulation (noise) or from relationships – those people that come in contact with us on a daily basis that make our daily tasks unbearable.  That’s the tie-in.

We are being bombarded with ignorant, arrogant, uneducated, greedy, rude, and self-aggrandizing blowhards.  They are everywhere. Although it was right there in front of me the whole time, it took me a while to see how the slow escalation of our inability to say what we feel or feel that there would be negative repercussions, lead us to develop an entirely new method of communication-based on soft symbolism.  Therefore a life in which one does not need to “take a vacation from” is an example of a new school of thought that is replacing previously used and outdated catchphrases and expressions such as “I am a hard worker,” “team player” or “track record.”

The new school way is much more subtle and it has been inspired by thought leaders who are saying, in most instances, what has been failed to be clearly expressed for years: it all matters. In one of Seth’s books, The Dip, he looks to teach readers “when to quit and when to stick.”  How could I have missed the breadcrumbs? During many previous conversations with clients, they were not just telling me that they were dedicated, hard-working, honest, motivated employees, they were telling me that they can be more, desire to be more, and are reaching for more. They have, even after all the turmoil and chaos in their sector of our industry, they have decided to “stick” and continue to dedicate their time and efforts to making themselves and by default their industry better.

The Investigations, Security, Risk Managment & Loss Prevention industry is filled with amazing, hard-working, dedicated professionals, who invest their time, energy, and passion into making positive long-term impacts on a part of the world that is being negatively affected by those in the society that has a broken moral compass. Too often they are doing this at a rate of compensation that is below the value they bring. The tide has been slowly changing.  While AI and robotics are on course to have a monumental impact on the security and investigative profession, the job seekers that are focused on constant improvement, and are dedicated to a self-directed career management objective will never become obsolete.

Finding a career that you don’t want a vacation from

Life requires different actions depending on your challenges. I hope that these techniques and concepts will help you “stick” in our industry. There is no doubt that you are needed. Give yourself permission to experiment with new things in order to find out what works for you. What works will vary depending on your circumstances. Never give up working on yourself.

Are you fulfilled in your current role? Do you look forward to going to work? Are you ever shocked that hours went by but it only felt like minutes? Do you find yourself always reading materials or listening to podcasts related to your profession? How about at work? Are you in a position that excites you with its ever-changing flow? Are you surrounded by a great team of like-minded professionals?  Are you paid at or above for the duties you perform?

If you or someone you know within YOUR trusted network needs a more fulfilling, challenging, financially rewarding job – please contact me or send me your Résumé and I work to facilitate an introduction to an Employer that can help you reach your true potential.

You can also learn more about me, read more blog posts, or download tips to create a career and life you love in the investigative, Security, Risk Management or Loss Prevention industry.

Using Reflection for Career Success

Are you where you want to be in your career?  If not, consider reflection for career success.  As a practitioner of multiple forms of Martial Arts, I have found a direct correlation between mind, body & soul.  For many of us within the Investigation, Security, Risk Management, and Loss prevention industry, we focus on the strength of our bodies under the belief that musculature and strength will protect us from physical confrontation.  There is no doubt that in certain circumstances and in certain industry sectors, physical attributes are extremely beneficial.  My ability to quickly, effectively, and efficiently subdue one or more individuals has proven valuable in more instances that I would like to admit, however, I have found over many years of practice and study, the real battle that needs to be fought is within the mind.

Your mind is a weapon, keep it loaded.

The act of meditative reflection has personally led me to many realizations in my life’s journey. One of the most important is the concept that what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.  As I have found out personally, the opposite is also true.  If you focus on the path down, you will never achieve great heights.  So many people have been deflated, disappointed, disheartened, and belittled that reenergizing their career hopes, their life dreams, and getting them to a place where they can achieve real long-term impact is a job all on its own. These are some of the largest hurdles that professionals need to overcome in their journey in order to achieve a positive mindset.

There are parts of our global society that bring our attention to and tell us what we don’t have, what we should have, and then lie about what others do have – intentionally driving discontent and self-doubt. We see glimpses of someone else’s highlight reel and believe those glimpses to be commonplace, when in fact the opposite is true.  If there is any doubt, look deeper than the surface level we have all resigned to being true. We are bombarded every day with images and stories that make us feel inferior, lacking, out of the loop, in the wrong place, and often times afraid. Even if we don’t realize what is happening, our subconscious is collecting this input, like grains of sand, and storing them to be used later when we need to formulate an opinion. The problem is our perceptions are often incorrect and that sand piles up and becomes extremely heavy.

I am here to tell you there is nothing to be afraid of, you can set your goal high while reaching for success and you don’t have to do this alone. Managing thoughts is hard, without a doubt. With the constant ingestion of everyone else’s thoughts and beliefs, it is hard to figure out which are our own and which are the ones that we have been programmed to believe.

Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. 

Honestly, we work so hard day-to-day we don’t have the time to really do a deep dive in many areas that would allow us a broader knowledge base on a topic and develop ideas that we should be aware of, individually or as a culture.  If you are not making the time to be aware of things that are helping or hurting your success, you should. There is a whole industry that is paid handsomely to figure out the inner workings of the mind and to take a client’s products and services, and make sure we internalize them and make them our own. Colors, jingles, labels, timings, endorsements, targeted markets, product placements and demographics are all used to influence our minds and tell us what to think, believe, buy, like, hate, talk about, and yes – spend our money on.  The research is not for the faint of heart, but knowing the enemy of the mind is the first step in defeating it. Article #1 Article #2 Article #3 Article#4 Article #5

Our society has changed since we were children and has become more sophisticated. I was a product of what you just read, much like you were.  The result is that we have changed our grasp of concepts and the connection of events people, places, and things.  The biggest change I have observed is in the area of norms, ethics, and standards.  Maybe you share this belief? If you do, SHARE this article with people in your social media network. It is glaringly evident in the interactions we witness, the news we hear, and in the state of affairs in the world in which we live.  So maybe you’re asking yourself what can be done?  Maybe you have been thinking the same thing but haven’t found a way yet to make the change in your own life?  The purpose of this article is not to just inform or to gain notoriety, it is to offer simple solutions that you can implement that I have found that has had an impact not only on me but the professionals I have within my network.

Always listen twice. First to what’s being said, then to who said it. 

Another phrase I coined over a decade ago related to just this topic as it related to the Investigative & Security profession I proudly represent; Homeland Security Begins at Home.  It was used in speeches, events, lunch-and-learns and in conversations with my corporate clients as a way to get people to realize that if they wanted to make the largest long-term impact on the events and situations they are currently facing that they need to take their reach and their scope down to the granular level. Today, as I consult with Job Seekers and business leaders it means the same thing.  Start by analyzing everything within arm’s length and then move in.

Here is how you can accomplish this as a personal goal. I reflect in short meditations and its something that I have added to my life as a daily habit – that has had considerable results.  Here is what I learned from years of trial and error that can help you have the most impact in the shortest amount of time.

Reflection only takes a few minutes and you can do it a few times a day and almost anywhere. I like to do it early in the morning before anyone else is awake and before I need to start making breakfast, lunches, and getting everyone else up and ready to start their day.

Find a comfortable spot where you can sit in a good postured position. Start with focusing on your posture and getting your body in line with what your body is telling you is the best position.  You want to be comfortable but not so much where you can slouch or start to go into sleep mode. When the weather is nice wherever I am, I choose to do this outside.

Next, simply monitor your breath. As you become more aware, try to make it longer, slower and deeper. As you focus here for a while, your mind will start to settle and eventually wander into something other than your posture or where you are sitting.  If you find internal dialog going into a self-defeating state or it starts telling you that you are foolish, this is a waste of time, or signaling you that you have something else to do… you are doing it right.

Understand that your mind wants constant stimulation. Intelligent people often have the hardest time with this initial stage. That is what you want.  Your brain is always active, you just learn to monitor it and then focus it on what you desire that it works on. The thing to remember is that you have the power to remain in control and to change the direction of your thought. Focus on the sounds you are hearing all around you.  Traffic, birds, or the wind.  Just listen.  Don’t act, react, judge or wander.

The next stage is what I call input. Here you are going to take a wide-angle look and drill that down to the one or two things that you would like to focus on.  Internally, you know what these things are and where you are in that process.  Once you have done this for a few days or even a week, you can then go into your meditational / reflection exercises with a few key goals.

When you have successfully reflected for 3-4 minutes at a time, and you are confident that you can control the inner chatter, now is the time to use a timer that will alert you that the predetermined of time has expired.  Start with 7 minutes. 

As an example, if you are having a difficulty at work or overcoming an obstacle, bring your attention to that. Think about it from multiple perspectives.  Who is involved, what are the timelines or deadlines, and what is the worst case and best case scenarios?  From there you can better focus on the part you play and how you are involved.  Maybe you find that you need more involvement, maybe it is clear that you need less.  Who can assist you in achieving your goal?  What part do they play? How can you incentivize them to achieve the excellence you need to make a change?  This could be anything, so this is just a cursory overview.

Be addicted to never-ending self-improvement until it becomes mastery.

Bring this training into your life and use it for anything that requires procedural steps, long-term goals or for issues that you have not been able to determine the best path forward for; health, family, success, finances or happiness.  It is also extremely valuable to use it after an event, good or bad, to see in what ways you could have been more effective. I use it when I get back into the car after a meeting or at my desk when I just finished with interviewing a candidate. I also take Job Seekers through a similar guided process after Job Interviews so they are always learning and gaining intelligence from each interaction.  I have found that this simple trick makes them more comfortable and confident with each interaction and interview moving forward.

Please consider sharing this article if you know someone that might benefit from this brief introduction to meditation and reflection. When I coined the phrase Putting Intelligence In Employment starting EyeRecruit, my vision was to start a business that does more than help people find jobs.  That’s also why we are not just a job board or an algorithm that sends Job openings electronically. The goal is to facilitate interactions between quality Job Seekers and Employers who understand the value of having a quality team focused on satisfying their client’s needs.  Often we help people first find themselves and then realign their goals with their career goals.

If I or the services we offer would benefit you, please feel free to reach out. I would enjoy hearing your career-related story and how this article has assisted you.

 

 

14 Smart Questions to Ask Before Your Next Job Interview Ends

Here is a list of 14 smart questions to ask the interviewer before your next job interview ends, that will not only make you look more intelligent but allow you to uncover more of the intel you need about the inner workings of a prospective company and uncover details that you might not have otherwise unveiled. Sound similar to duties within the Investigation & Security industry? It should.

The specific topic that we are addressing today revolves around what you need to do now that you’ve landed the interview. We are going to walk you through a few of the most common stumbling blocks, pitfalls, and traps that might keep you from advancing your career and how certain questions should trigger you to provide the responses you have been anticipating addressing.

This preparation includes not only researching the potential employer before agreeing to the sit-down interview, but you should always use the results of your research that will allow you to have a few questions prepared to go into any job interview. It’s the best way for you to determine if you would be happy working for this employer and whether your goals are aligned.

Yes, you are going to be gathering intelligence before, during and after the interview, so we recommend you be methodical and diligent. Both are the unwritten and unexpressed job requirements if you are going to represent the Investigative and Security industry, so get to know them intimately. Yes, there are similarities to the industry you represent, even in the initial job search stages, so if you are going to do it right, you should start off right.

While this article will provide insight, the greatest thing that you can take from this is one simple concept; you are not the only one being interviewed. No, we are not referencing the other potential candidates that the Interviewer might have scheduled for that day or to be interviewed for the same position. You, as the manager of your own career, are interviewing the employer just as much as they are interviewing you.

This meeting is your chance to discover if the job and the company to determine if this position and this company are right for you. Asking questions will give you the ability to discover some very important answers that will help you make the best career decisions in the short and long term. The very process of allowing you the ability to ask questions completely changes the dynamic of the interview and the hiring manager’s perception of you.

To be most effective, we need to start from the beginning. Stop looking at these interviews as a Job Interview and start seeing them as Career Advancement Interviews. The sooner you do, the sooner you will change not only how you conduct them, but the results you obtain. The goal is to have both you and the interviewer convinced that the job would be a great fit. To achieve this goal, for right now our focus must be on your proactive questions and not just answering the reactive ones.

So when the tables are turned and the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” take advantage of this opportunity. This question is no longer an HR formality, it’s expected that you provide at least two questions. You are being tested. Yep, everything is said and every interaction point is a test. If you are not prepared with questions at this point you will appear disinterested in the job and the company.

If a candidate doesn’t have questions for me, it’s a huge red flag. Been in all three of the roles we are discussing; the interviewed, the interviewer and a neutral third party Recruiter, questions make or break the chances of a successful outcome in an Investigative or Security Interview.

We suggest having at minimum four questions prepared in case your original two are answered through the course of the interview. If you come across anything but engaged, I mean fully engaged, you will appear less intelligent, passionate, less of a team player and will be seen as not a good fit. To benefit from them, you need to think carefully about what you want to ask. Asking engaging questions is vital. Don’t’ ask questions for the sake of asking questions. Your questions can make or break your chances and if they’re not thoughtful or if you ask something that has already been addressed, you can hurt your chances more than it can help.

At the end, the interviewer will more than likely ask you the same question they have asked all the candidates before you… “Do you have any questions?” It’s an obvious question that you would be expecting and if it sounds canned, that’s because it is. There is a very good reason for this question. The very best interviewers in the Investigation & Security profession know not only to ask quality questions but how to ask questions. Many Human Resource professionals are just as adept at the investigative process as their field counterparts so don’t make any assumptions here.

Here are some smart questions to choose from – if they were not already addressed and answered to your satisfaction – to help you get a better overview of the role and the company. If presented correctly they will allow you to leave the interview with a positive and lasting impression. Use this list to make sure you’ve covered all your bases and with the understanding that no all questions will be appropriate for all positions or for all levels of career advance you are applying to.

The questions have already been formulated in the order that would produce the most advantageous results.

Question 1: Have I answered all your questions?

We suggest that before you begin asking your questions, using this as the first question “an open the door” and to transition into taking more of control of the conversation. To do this effectively you need to find out if there’s anything they’d like you to elaborate on.

You can do this by saying something like: “Yes, I do have a few questions for you — but before we get into those, I am wondering if I’ve sufficiently answered all of your questions?”

The interviewer will not only appreciate the offer, but it will give you a chance to gauge how well you’re doing. After you ask this question, keep quiet and look for verbal clues even if you feel that there is a long pause and your inner voice wants to fill the void with conversation. Give them the chance to respond.

If they say, “No, you answered all of my questions,” then take a reading of the non-verbal clues as well. This may tell you-you’re in good shape or if you need to drill down a little farther. If the interviewer responds with respond with, “Actually, could you tell me more about X?” or “Would you be able to clarify what you meant when you said Y?” this is your chance to add clarification. Don’t underestimate the value of this ability.

Question 2: How do I compare with the ideal candidate for this position?

This is a quick way to figure out whether your skills align with what the company and what they are currently looking for. If they don’t match up, then continuing to consider this opportunity is a waste of your time. Move to the “What’s your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back from you” question, wait for their response, thank them for their time, and make your exit.

Question 3: What do you like most about working for this company?

What you are trying to do here is to find out the unadvertised advantages and to create a sense of camaraderie. This question gives you a chance to get an insider’s view of the best parts about working for the employer and the interviewer has extensive knowledge of the daily operations of the organization so there is no one better to ask at this stage.

Beyond the hard skills required to successfully perform this job, what soft skills would serve the company and position best?

Knowing what the interviewer knows about the skills the company thinks are important will give you more insight into its culture and management values. After the interview, you can evaluate whether you would fit in. The fit is just as important as the ability to complete job-related tasks.

Question 4: If you were to hire me, what might I expect on a typical day?

Starting the question off with the word “if” allows the interviewer to compare you with other candidates he or she has met with mentally. It also shows that you are not making an assumption about your qualifications and fit within the organization. It also gives you a better idea of what the job would be like on a daily basis so you can decide whether you have the skills to be successful in it and want to continue pursuing it.

Question 5: Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?

You are intentionally putting yourself in a vulnerable position. It shows that you are confident enough in your skills and abilities to openly bring up and discuss your weaknesses. It also gives you another chance to look for verbal clues to how you are doing. Give them the chance to respond. Whatever the answer, don’t be defensive; you have been given a gift. Accept it graciously.

Question 6: Can you tell me what steps need to be completed before your company can generate an offer?

This is crucial. You need to know these details as they have an impact on you directly. Asking about an offer rather than a decision will give you a better sense of the timeline. Choosing to ask the interviewer about a “decision” is too subjective. We suggest using the word that reflects what you really want to know when asking the question: an offer.

Question 7: What are the challenges of this position?

Every job will have its challenges. What you are looking for here is honesty. If the interviewer says, “There aren’t any,” or talks in generalities to skate around the answer, you need to proceed with caution.

Question 8: What type of employee tends to succeed here and what are the qualities most important for doing well and advancing here?

Make a statement, while asking your question. Shows the interviewer that you care about your future at the company. This is also another question that is geared to help you decide if you’re a good fit for the position. When listing to the response, the individual they are describing should sound a lot like you.

Question 9: Is there anyone else I need to meet with or that would like me to meet with me?

This question will give you insight into how much the company values building team synergy. Yes, we like the word synergy at EyeRecruit, Inc. In addition, if the interviewer tells you additional information about the hiring process at this stage, you’ve gained a better sense of the hiring timeline.

Question 10: Will I have an opportunity to meet those who would be part of my team (or my manager) during the interview process?

This depends greatly on the level of position you are applying for. Getting the chance to meet with potential teammates or managers is essential to any professional interview process and will help you assess your position within the organizational structure.

Question 11: How do you evaluate success here?

The ability to know if the Employer’s values align with your own and how a company measures its employees’ success is important. The interviewer’s answer will help you understand what it would take to advance in your career working there.

Question 12: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you think is important to know about working here?

We suggest this as one of the first wrap-up questions and it will give you a break from doing all the talking. The goal here is to get an answer you didn’t even know to ask but is essential.

Question 13: What’s your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back from you?

We use this as the suggested second to last wrap up question. This question tells the interviewer you’re interested in the role (if that is, in fact, correct) and eager to find out about their decision. After you have determined your fit for the position and culture, knowing a company’s hiring timeline should become your ultimate goal. The answer to this question will help you determine when and how to follow up, and how long you should wait before moving on.

Question 14: Is there anything else I can provide to help you make your decision?

This is the final wrap up question. This simple question will give you peace of mind that you’ve covered all your bases. This is what we refer to as a “proper” closing question. Presented correctly shows eagerness to help and be a team player, but does it with character and style.

 

 

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On: The Sinister Side of Cash

The assertion from the article (link), is that ‘Almost 80% of the cash circulating outside financial institutions is in $100 bills’ and by removing lager bills… it would be making it harder for bad guys to transport all their “earnings.” Agreed. But it’s just another bandage, especially with half of them outside America’s boundaries. Obviously, transport hasn’t been that big of an issue.

This is a vital conversation to the members within the Investigative and security community at almost every level, so let us know what you think and make your opinion and your experiences heard.

As it clearly points out within this article and as any “regular person” in society already knows, there are substitutes for cash in these “high-level financial interactions” – including but not limited to cryptocurrencies, uncut diamonds, gold coins & bars, and prepaid cards. But we are not talking about the small interactions occurring every second around the corner, in your town. They matter, but they are nothing in the bigger picture. We are talking huge amounts of money exchanging hands for something much, much bigger.

As we now advance into 2018, and as it relates to cryptocurrencies, my personal opinion remains unchanged. Block-chain and the use of cryptocurrencies will become the best option we have to track any and all financial transactions, as long as the management of these currencies stay out of the hands of Governments and Corporations. But will it? Not just that, but will the final accepted global currency be allowed to be “open” and not controlled by the most powerful Nation State(s)? Only time will tell.

The caveat here is that the transition to a blockchain secured monetary system will take a significant time to adapt. Why may you ask? Besides the reluctance of the general population to adopt something that they don’t yet fully understand, the polarization tactics used by interested parties to question its validity, and all paper and coin fiat money on the planet will need to be slowly removed from circulation so standards of exchange can be formalized globally.

The fact remains that no one wants to lose the power associated with monetary control, especially America, the American politicians or American citizens. The simple truth that it is the Dollar and the belief in the Dollar’s value that gives control and that control keeps us in power, over others and of ourselves. If we have a universal currency, everyone becomes equal and while in theory, it is good, no one will vote for it for the simple reason stated above. I for one am watching to see how it plays out with bated breath.

There is no doubt that cash is still king in illicit activities, and anyone who has worked undercover in the governmental, state, local or private sector knows this fact well. Everyone has seen the media’s attention on television, online or the agencies Facebook page, LinkedIn page and tweets when drug bust seizures make the headlines. Cash and substitutes of value do exactly what they need to do… they deliver absolute anonymity, portability, liquidity, and dare I say near-universal acceptance. To state publically that Pablo Escobar’s cash problems were different then most of ours is an understatement.

On universal acceptance: It’s amusing how terrorist organizations like ISIS, condemn America and it’s Capitalist policies, but it doesn’t burn US Currency (Dollars) when they reportedly find US Dollars stockpiled somewhere in the Middle East and take it as their own. Do they make a PR or recruiting video showing the cash being burnt in defiance like they do with the American Flag? Nope. The money is gathered gently, stacked cleanly and used freely (like any other Red Blooded Capitalist), to forward their ideals, ideas, propaganda and business interests…unless we find it again, bomb it with a drone airstrike and claim victory in the media for depleting their funds. Even Pablo Escobar reportedly used it to become a Governmental official in Columbia.

It’s silly to think that eliminating the Hundred Dollar Bill from the currency is the best chance we have as a society to combat corruption, terrorism, tax evasion, illegal immigration, racketeering, extortion, money laundering, drug and human trafficking, the corruption of public officials and terrorism. With that said, removing the largest denominations from circulation would have the desired effect here, and I do agree that is tactic would make transport, storage, exchange and laundering more cumbersome. But the adaption is just wasting time if our intent is to rid America or our global community of these plagues.

With that said, the larger issue remains. If we take all the problems and try to correct them simultaneously with the resources we have, even with increasing tax revenue, we are going to get what we have always gotten: a continuation. Might I be so bold as to suggest starting with one? How about investing it first in exposing it, publicizing the parties involved with the evidence obtained, and imposing extremely harsh penalties… including for perpetrators in roles of civic responsibility? Good old fashioned Investigative Journalism? Homeland Security Begins at Home. Do I need to say it again? No, if you’re still reading, you know it already.

The border wall is the best analogy to highlight the problem, causing the reaction hamster wheel we are stuck in. Following large issues like this will show how the issues are polarized, how suggestions remain “tabled,” and the use of propaganda in all its glory keeps the issue at the forefront, or just beneath the surface. Divided we fall, and if we don’t get our act together, we just might be there sooner than you think.

Think of how Nancy Regan’s War on Drugs campaign from October 1982 worked out, or the war on poverty from President Lyndon B. Johnson starting in 1964, the gun control war that actually started the American Revolution or any of the other hot-button issues that have received any significant airtime in the past few decades. The problem isn’t with the issues, as they are honestly the concerns, issues, and problems that impact or plague our society. There is right and wrong, but in our current structure, there is never a middle ground – outside of our own homes, dinners, groups or circles. You just can’t trust your opinion will be manipulated, taken out of context or used as propaganda by a well-oiled machine. Yet, we remain in discussions, going around and around on a road to nowhere.

Why can’t we start by taking a consensus of the top 20 issues facing us today using all eligible American voters? Why can’t we use the result of that vote as not only a starting point but to confirm our chosen representatives in local, regional and national office be held to the actual desires of the constituency? Mandate their vote on every issue and allow for a limited written discourse of no more than 5,000 words? Adjust the needed by scaling up or scale down moving forward, by the vote of the constituency. What remains for us to accomplish this? Faith that not only our vote is being accurately assessed and counted, but that our elected officials will not be convinced to portray our votes other than they are and for special interests to be removed in their entirety from the political process. Will we be able to accomplish that? I truly hope so, because that is the only way for it to be done.

What gets attention in the talking points is not always what is popular. The problem is with the area between the identification of the problem, the decision that something needs to be done and the full execution. The phrase “Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians” comes to mind, or for you politically correct folks that find problems with everything types: “Too many managers not enough people to do the work.”

Politicians and political parties, in general, are very similar when coming to an agreement on these issues. It’s like playing old-fashioned pinball; noises, lights, and excitement while points are being scored, then when the paddles miss or you go into an area that is restricted, the games over and our short attention span hears another game beeping and dazzling with lights and you move on to that one. Don’t worry though; all of our problems are set up to play again after you insert some money (think: donation or taxes) or you and your friends get together to share a blog and it gets traction with the media to fill airtime and push an agenda. In the Investigative profession were we not taught to “follow the money?”

But, where there is a will, there is a way.

As with any other problem, there are always other solutions. Businesses, legitimate or illegitimate, surface to facilitate the demand. If our intent is to actually make a BIG DIFFERENCE and to stop this from being a Governmental sized game of whack-a-mole – that we have no chance of containing because we are reactive and always behind – we need some HUGE sweeping changes and the powers that want the status quo to remain the same (because of profit, influence or power) will not like it one bit. It’s obvious in the election promises, speeches, and tweets of our current President Donald Trump. America’s majority wants change, they want transparency, they want unification, they want freedom, and they want what has always been the promise – the American dream. Which is not the intent of this well-written article. This friends, is for informational purposes only, sent to a very specific type of reader. Ask yourself the question… was it you that was the intended audience? If your watching, expect the parties with the most to lose to employ all the common tactics, fighting it all the way using spin, manipulation, diversion, accusations, false and misleading statements and even murder.

The author’s target market might be actually addressed in the third paragraph, as it relates to his specific area of expertise and career history. This is in no way to imply that I do not respect Dr. Rogoff or appreciate the wonderful article presented. In fact, we have not personally met. All I can ascertain is what is presented and the results from the preliminary and cursory review performed on his career and the institutions he is associated. These are simply responses using personal experiences and observations from within my own career.

As for the topic being discussed, I draw on the stated positions and examples provided and continue to use the follow the money approach to better understand and ascertain the true nature of the position being taken and who and how it impacts. As an example, he writes, “Cash is also deeply implicated in tax evasion, which costs the federal government some $500 billion a year in revenue.” How does revenue fit in here? Is IRS revenue first on our list when it comes to Law Enforcement agencies ability to rid our communities of issues like racketeering, extortion, money laundering, drug and human trafficking, the corruption of public official’s and terrorism? Then I remember what I have previously come to understand and start to piece it together for myself.

Dr. Kenneth Rohoff is a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, the former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (2001-2003), a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Economic Advisory Panel of the New Your Federal Reserve.

His article goes on to state that; “though the data are much thinner for state and local governments, they too surely lose big-time from tax evasion, perhaps as much as $200 billion a year.” While we the general reader or American citizen is not the target market of his writings or of his life’s work, the credibility of publications like the WSJ provides the distribution network and citations for future validation.

As an educated consumer and citizen, you can assess for yourself who Dr. Rogoff is with a better understanding of how his work is associated with society at large. As with any topic addressed, investigate yourself the parties involved, and how each of those entities fit within the larger puzzle. It is only then that you can formulate an option. Read the entire article and judge for yourself. Don’t rely on anyone else’s stance or opinion, even if it seems factual or quotes any kind of study. I can only suggest signing up for a subscription to the Wall Street Journal and following the writings of topics that not only interest you but also have an impact on the society you and the generations that follow you reside.

Original article can be found here.

The Best Tactics to Improve your Investigative or Security Career

You ARE NOT what others think of you. The only opinion that matters is YOURS. Listen closely, Black, Brown, Yellow, White, short, tall, average, fat, chubby, skinny, hairy, bald (hey, I’m follically challenged jerk!!!) or any other lame excuse to place blame anywhere but where it belongs – classification. At home or at work, it’s no different.

I believe you either can do something or you can’t. I call this “getting down to brass tax.” Personal growth is something YOU control. Just like “Homeland Security Begins at Home” (yes, I did coin that catch phrase)… so does the rest of our societal problems. Bunch of crybabies.

You want something & haven’t been able to achieve it?

Your problem.  YOU are the ONLY ONE that can fix it. You dress like a slob? Change it. Are you sloppy in your mid-section? Pull back from the Doritos and Netflix binge & go for a walk. Your career boring and you think you should be driving something where all the paint is the same color? Suck it up buttercup. Stop placing blame on anyone other than yourself.

When your ready to #PutIntelligenceBackInEmployment, reach out. You want to armchair quarterback everyone else? Lick the tasty Orange residue off your fingers & go back to being a zombie, the rest of us have work to do.

Change one word, have lasting results

CAN’T means you currently lack the skills to accomplish a task, WON’T means you’ve decided not to accomplish the task, even though you could if you really wanted to.  Here is what thirty years in the Industry has taught me… the best in our profession use the word can’t only when accompanied by a clear indication that they need to improve a skill or enhance experience levels. I’m not talking to them, they understand how this works. It’s the people who only appear to try and constantly use words like can’t when what they really mean is WON’T.  These types of words are used because they are SCARED. The subconscious mind provided the words that give a clear indication that they are covering themselves in the event of failure.  Internally they are looking to justify before staring that failure is not really their fault.  The Industry Leaders take responsibility for their actions rather than making excuses.

Don’t look back

Every week, I speak to someone in our industry about career management who talks about their past in a negative context. I shut them up right away with the question “What did you learn?”  The answer should be what they should have done.  No excuses, no complaining and no placing of blame so should a part of the response.  It’s not an error, a career negative “mark” or something holding you back from achieving your goals.

Don’t look back – you’re not going that way. 

Survey what happened right after your internal voice let’s you know something wasn’t right and address it then an there.  Listen to yourself.  2018 – stop the negative self talk.  Determine what would have been the best thing to have done and tell yourself “now you know.”  Learn everyday.  Don’t internalize it. Don’t use negative speech internally. Your career is based on experience.  Experience is both good and not so good.  The goal is to make it more good everyday.

Some of the very best Investigators & Security Specialists I have even met freely admit that they made mistakes, screwed up, could have handled something better or wished they had made a better decision previously in their life / career.  As I got to know them better… those were the EXACT times that their career started to launch into amazing heights!

What I look for – and what all the Hiring Managers | CEO’s | Board of Directors in my network look for – isn’t just the problems you had, but how you handled yourself, what you learned from the experience and how all the experiences have brought you to this exact point in your career.  From there we look for cultural fit and your ability to achieve success within the position you are being considered for.  Is looking back more than reflection?

Drone Weaponry Near Future Dystopia

Visit: www.AutonomousWeapons.org – Autonomous Weapons of the Future.
At first glance the technology behind this mini drone (Slaughterbot) or the use of synthetic drones of this nature would eliminate collateral death and damage. Autonomous Weapons of the Future. I thought that would be a good thing to the innocent people who are unwittingly in immediate proximity of a High Value Target. Everyone has seen the damage drone strike achieves. As I continued, the speaker then said one thing that made me question what happens when autonomous weapons of the future get into the wrong hands or when our own leaders take initiatives where our country or its citizenry becomes a target because of our own belief system or personal ideology. The presenter says in effect that people don’t take orders and get emotional. Because of this this (assumable this order is given to a US Soldier) disobey orders and allowing the weapons to make the decisions.
 
Right now, autonomous weapons of the future technology is being replicated somewhere in the world – like all technology that is perceived to have a value. In this presentation the presenter said “enough to kill an entire city… the bad half.” Who exactly makes that decision?
 
Right now, it is the same as it always has been: He who has the power, makes the decisions.” Who has the power today? Who would have the power tomorrow? Who would or could safeguard the technology from getting into the wrong hands? The answer is no one. The power trip would be short lived to be sure, or as short as the production engineers can automate the manufacturing process and outsource logistics.
The speaker in the video went on to boldly stat that “you can target an evil ideology right where it starts” as he points to his head… insinuating if someone’s thoughts or beliefs are believed to be “different,” the conflict with the narrative or would in the future be perceived to be a treat against the current regime they can now be a target of the bots… for the right price.
 
For anyone who has watched the video on autonomous weapons of the future can obviously see that this is a parody or in today’s terms Fake News, however it is not truly fake news, nor is it really simply a parody. Because it takes so much for our society to be captivated for more than a few moments or to get us to focus long enough for something to make an impact, this video was developed, quite well I might add, to bring a potential threat to our attention. Hopefully it did.
 
Might I suggest doing what many already have, including #ElonMusk and #StephenHawking and voice your opinion. Take action. Visit www.autonomousweapons.org today to learn more about autonomous weapons of the future.