Author: Dave Lewis
March 27, 2008 at 7:38 am · Filed under Infosec HR, Security Mgmt
Here is a story from last week (March 19) that I missed but, thanks to Bruce Schneier, I’m now standing here scratching my head. It turns out that the Bush administration will tap Rod A. Beckstrom “to head a new inter-agency group charged with coordinating the federal government’s efforts to protect its computer networks from organized cyber attacks.” Maybe I’m a little confused but, isn’t that part of what the DHS does?
From the Washington Post
The new inter-agency group, which will coordinate information sharing about cyber attacks aimed at government networks, is being created as part of a government-wide “cyber initiative” spelled out in a national security directive signed in January by President Bush, according to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to talk publicly about the information.
The presidential directive expanded the intelligence community’s role in monitoring Internet traffic to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies’ computer systems. According to the sources, the center will be charged with gathering cyber attack and vulnerability information from a wide range of federal agencies, including the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Defense Department. Beckstrom will report directly to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Reached via phone Wednesday evening, Beckstrom declined to provide any specifics about his new position, saying only, “I’m thrilled to be on the DHS team, and I am looking forward to doing my best to serve the country.”
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment.
OK, leadership is a good thing but, what of his resume? Well, Beckstrom is an author of a book entitled “Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations“. He also founded the wiki company Twiki.net. So, he has management experience. But, wouldn’t one surmise that the role should have a person with security experience? Beckstrom apparently has none. I’m of two minds here. I have seen non-security folks run teams and do a fantastic job. That being said I have also seen the opposite with disastrous results.
Basically this has all the hallmarks of a corporate leader being tapped for a thankless job for which he has no experience.
A phrase just keeps rattling around in my head.
How does it go again?
Oh yeah, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job”
Article Link
Author: Dave Lewis
February 6, 2008 at 8:12 am · Filed under Infosec HR
This is a decidedly different spin on things. I have read stories in the past where firms would send fake applicants to interviews. The entire idea was to send in an interviewee with the skills and the ability to talk a great game. The catch was that after the person was given the job someone entirely different would arrive for work on the start date.
This is another spin on the interview process. Now, in a bid to motivate passive job hunters a recruitment firm is offering a payment for folks to show up for job interviews.
From Computer World:
US recruitment website NotchUp.com has upped the ante in the hiring stakes by allowing potential candidates to calculate a price for which they will agree to interview with prospective employers.
The company, which officially launched last month at the DEMO 08 conference in California, says Yahoo, Google, Barracuda Networks and others have signed up to use the online service, which is free to job seekers.
Job candidates sign up for the service, create a profile and calculate their interview price (usually between US$300-$600, or NZ$389-$778), based on their skills and experience. Prospective employers can search the profiles and make offers to the candidates. If the candidate accepts and goes on the interview, the site collects the interview fee and transfers it to the candidate.
Hmmm, a new job in of itself?
Article Link
Tags: Recruitment, Job Interview, Paid Job Interviews
Author: Dave Lewis
July 10, 2007 at 6:29 pm · Filed under Infosec HR, Security Mgmt
Well, I guess there is a (partial) explanation for why DHS keeps getting pwned.
From SF Gate:
The Bush administration has failed to fill roughly a quarter of the top leadership posts at the Department of Homeland Security, creating a gaping hole in the nation’s preparedness for a terrorist attack or other threat, according to a congressional report to be released today.
As of May 1, Homeland Security had 138 vacancies among its top 575 positions, with the greatest voids reported in its policy, legal and intelligence sections, as well as immigration agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. The vacant slots include presidential, senior executive and other high-level appointments, according to the report by the House Homeland Security Committee.
A Homeland Security spokesman challenged the report’s tally, saying that it was skewed by a sudden expansion this spring in the number of top management jobs. Before then, only 12 percent of positions were unfilled in a department that has always been thinly staffed at headquarters, spokesman Russ Knocke said.
Article Link
Tags: DHS, DHS Jobs, Homeland Job Vacanies
