Bodyguard Careers - Bodyguards and Executive Protection » Career Advice

What Not To Do When Job Searching

Hucky — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:51:37 +0000

By Hucky Austin

I know that in your mind you think you are the perfect fit for Tiger Media International. Yet, you failed to mention what you are applying for; was it the janitor, the receptionist or the executive protection position?

By the way, my name is spelled “Thompson” and since I am a male, I was a little put off by the fact that you addressed me as “Ms. Leslie Thompson.” I suppose my first name threw you off. I suppose somebody didn’t do their research prior to submitting their materials.

Speaking of research, you mentioned that you “love to work with animals.” Our business, Tiger Media International, is a public relations marketing firm. No tigers. Or lions. Or bears.

By the time I got to the end of your resume (all six pages, 10-point Frenchy Script) I understood that you were interested in the Executive Protection position which was posted online. In that advertisement, I specifically requested that only individuals who speak and write fluent Spanish submit a resume. While your cover letter started with the greeting “Ola” and you sprinkled in words like “caliente” (3 times) and closed with “muchos gracias,” nowhere on your resume does it indicate that you actually speak Spanish.

Your resume painted quite a detailed portrait of you. Who knew a child could make that much in lemonade sales? And the three months you worked at Taco Gringo in 1998; you seem to feel that experience relates to this job. I can’t see it. But I’m glad you can. Oh, wait. Does that have something to do with speaking Spanish?

The job advertisement indicated that 50% of the job would require international travel, accompanying our top executive on business trips. It appears you don’t have a passport, have never negotiated an airport with a VIP, speak any foreign languages, or are even available to travel. I noticed your cover letter didn’t address this important job requirement, or how you felt about it.

Also, as stated in the ad, 25% of the position requires budget and expense reporting using Microsoft Excel. I suspect you don’t use a computer (hence, the hand-printed cover letter) because your resume didn’t indicate any computer skills or knowledge of software. The last 25% of the job is comprised of driving VIPs to and from stockholder meetings, corporate dinners and social engagements. Shall I guess that you don’t have a driver’s license? Or that your driving record is less than spotless? I’m shooting in the dark here . . . no pun intended.

I see that you studied at Omniscient Bodyguard Academy. I have not heard of this training facility, but after making a few calls to colleagues in the field, I have learned that it is an online course that costs thousands of dollars and the principals have been indicted for fraudulent practices.

I can appreciate that you find your qualifications to be superior, and the fact that you will accept “nothing less than $80K” certainly speaks to your strong (if misguided) sense of worth.

I regret to inform you that we will not be in need of your services at this time. Or any other time. Ever.

Sincerely,

Mr. Leslie Thompson
Human Resources

* * * * * * * * * * *
The above letter is meant to help readers to understand the myriad of mistakes and omissions an applicant can make when submitting a cover letter and resume. How many mistakes can you spot? Have you made some of these same errors?

Ten Ways To Gain A Competitive Advantage In The Bodyguard Industry

Hucky — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:07 +0000

Ten Ways To Gain A Competitive Advantage In The Bodyguard Industry

Being a bodyguard is grueling work, it’s tedious and sometimes weary. Day-after-day of relentless focus and dedication to your client’s safety. Bodyguarding is how you pay your bills. If you don’t remain competitive, you may not survive. This article will help you turn your hard work into better results and give you a competitive edge in the business.

1. Uncompromising service quality. Refuse to compromise your bodyguard service to your clients. Work for the ultimate combination of client service and protective performance. Show your clients and the bodyguard world what you are really capable of in the way of superior performance levels.

2. Make it your mission to be prepared. Your assignment preparation is the prime time to workout the problems and the kinks. Time spend on assignment prep includes advance work, manpower scheduling, flight and hotel bookings, etc. However, take the time to prepare yourself mentally as well for the assignment so you can provide the best bodyguard experience possible to your clients. This preparation time you give yourself will dramatically increase your competitive advantage and help you provide the best bodyguard service humanly possible.

3. Conduct a competitor assessment. Look at the strengths and the weaknesses of the bodyguard competitors in your area. Look at your competitor’s services, personnel, background and clients. See how you can better your bodyguard services to compete with the top dogs in your area and ultimately stay ahead of your present competition by out-performing them in certain areas. However, do not become obsessed with what your competitors are doing or saying. You should only care about providing the absolute best bodyguard service with competitive rates, comprehensive protective coverage and unprecedented customer service. You should consider your competitors as “friendly rivals” never enemies.

4. Look for previously untapped bodyguard clients. What does every bodyguard want? They want a long list of active clients and a thriving bodyguard business. Some examples of “untapped clients” may include the following: A rapist causing havoc on a city; offer secure transport services for those leaving work late. Make deals with hospitals, schools and hotels. These facilities want to keep their personnel safe in time of potential danger and ensure they get home safely. Mostly in third world cities, where there are limited police patrols of major highways leading to and from airports and hotels: strike up a deal with private charter aircraft as well as commercial airlines in providing secure crew transport. There is big money in this niche market that few people know about. You must move swiftly to capture new opportunities in the bodyguard industry.

5. Hire highly trained and skilled bodyguards. An educated and trained bodyguard team is your competitive advantage. Professional bodyguards will enable you to operate in an efficient and high-quality manner which results better safety benefits to your clients.

6. Use new technologies. Cell Phone Jammers, GPS Jammers, WiFi Blockers, GPS receivers, and other relatively new technology should be utilized in your competitive advantage arsenal. This new technology will help you keep clients safe and comfortable when utilizing your bodyguard services.

7. Exceptional cost-effectiveness. Provide your clients with a dramatic cost- effectiveness over competitors in operating expenses. This can be easily achieved by uses no gas guzzlers in the motorcade, having the support bodyguard team stay at cheapest hotels, flying coach and utilizing fixed costing for assignments (no OT hours). This may seem like you are losing some profits, but in the long-run retaining clients is the utmost important.

8. Having insider contacts. Having insider contacts is every bit as important as having solid bodyguard skills in this industry. Connections in the bodyguard business will help you cut through red tape and speed up the services that your clients request. You should always seek legal and professional red tape cutters within your area of operations, always keeping your client’s risk management in-check.

9. Maintain complementary services for your clients. Value-creating services includes: residential and venue security personnel, private detective services, security drivers, high-tech security equipment and systems, these additional complementary services to your core bodyguard services will give you a boost within the competitive advantage department.

10. Sustaining the competitive advantage. The single most important goal of any bodyguard is to sustain the competitive advantage over time. Without a competitive advantage you may have limited economic reason to exist in the bodyguard industry. How will you sustain your bodyguarding competitive advantage? By operating your bodyguard service at a higher a quality then your current competitors and being an exceptional problem solver. Be willing to take on uncommon challenges that demands your utmost focus. No one said this business would be easy. Keep safe and God speed.

Doc Rogers is the author of Corporate Executive Protection – A Manual for Inspiring Corporate Bodyguards and president and CEO of International Corporate Executive Protection Ltd. Doc has earned a Ph.D. in Security Administration from Southwest University and he is SE Asia’s leading expert on executive protection and corporate security. To learn how to make a full time living as a corporate bodyguard visit the websites below for more information.

http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=182707

http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Executive-Protection-Inspiring-Bodyguards/dp/1425135927

http://international-corporate-executive-protection.com/order.asp

3 Reasons Why You’re Not Working

Hucky — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:36:26 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

How Do I Become A Bodyguard

Hucky — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:00:05 +0000

How do I become a bodyguard: By Doc Rogers

Thinking about making a transition from your present job into the bodyguard industry? This article gives 10 very good reasons to turn your career transition thoughts into reality.

1. Ability to help others. As a bodyguard you keep your clients out of harm’s way and give them the confidence they need to achieve their business and personal goals safely.

2. Continuously learning. As a professional bodyguard you will be continuously obtaining special knowledge (expertise) from your formal training, on-the-job training and independent study (often at your own cost). You should never stop learning the trade.

3. Appreciation for different cultures. You will gain an understanding of the world we live and work in, so you can better protect your clients. As a bodyguard you will learn about the cultures and the traditions of the countries you will be operating in as well as the respect for it’s people.

4. Decent salary. Bodyguarding is a labor intensive profession. Charge your clients accordingly. You want to avoid having your fees to low or to high. Provide the best quality service at the best price, at a happy medium. As a bodyguard you won’t starve, but you won’t become a millionaire either.

5. Bodyguarding is a rewarding profession. Bodyguards have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their clients. Bodyguards are not only rewarded with money, but also the feeling of fulfillment in keeping their clients safe.

6. Career security. Even with a weak economy bodyguards are still needed worldwide. Bodyguards rarely take pay-cuts; our salaries stay stable even in these tough economic times.

7. Job mobility. Bodyguards can move to any part of the world and conduct business. Bodyguarding is an excellent mobile trade you can do anywhere in the world and there’s a big world out there with lots of opportunities.

8. Prestige and respectability. The respect accorded to trained bodyguards rivals that of law enforcement and the military. Bodyguarding is considered a noblest profession, according to folklore it’s the fifth oldest profession in the world.

9. Client versatility. You have a choice of working with high powered business executives, politicians, superstar athletes, famous entertainers and celebrities, as well as everyday individuals who are under threat.

10. Life long friendships. Bodyguards develop life long friendships with other professionals throughout the world. Some of these friends will become your second family while on the road. This is one of the greatest aspects of the job. Always keep safe and God speed.

http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=182707

http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Executive-Protection-Inspiring-Bodyguards/dp/1425135927

http://international-corporate-executive-protection.com/order.asp

The Celebrity Black Book

Hucky — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:00:01 +0000

Click Here For Instant Access To Over 55,000 Verified Celebrity Addresses!

One of the most important things you need to do for your career is make people aware of who you are. One way to do that is to create a website to promote yourself and your skills.

Another useful method is sending out resumes to as many potential employers as possible. Who needs bodyguards? Celebrities! One of the most powerful informational tools you can obtain is The Celebrity Black Book

2010: Over 59,000 Accurate Celebrity Addresses. This book can significantly expand your database of contacts.

A great feature of the Celebrity Black Book is that you can pay a small fee and have online access to the latest information–actors, musicians, sports figures and the like are often changing agents, business managers, and public relations people. A free 30 day test-drive of Contact Any Celebrity’s membership Web site and online database is available (just mail or fax the coupon included with the Celebrity Black Book).

It is important to understand that you may never hear from these individuals. The success of your endeavors depend on a number of issues:

First, your cover letter and resume have absolutely got to be top-notch.

These people are barraged by people in the industry, media, charitable companies, autograph seekers and yes, the public at large, which may include strange, obsessive and bizarre people!!

Anything less than articulate, professional, well-crafted materials will simply be thrown away.

Secondly, the individual may not NEED your services AT THIS TIME. They may just not have the time to send a (qualified) candidate a letter, but those (again, top-notch) materials may be going into a folder for future needs.

You just won’t be informed of that.

Thirdly, you cannot expect one cover letter and resume to get you noticed.

Persistence is the key to succeeding. I personally know the story of a junior executive who wanted very much to land a particular client. He called the client’s office every Thursday at the same time and left a message. He never got a return call, but he continued to call every Thursday at the exact same time, leaving his name, company and telephone number. He did this for over 6 months. Finally, the potential client called, impressed by the persistence this young man showed. He granted him a meeting, and the junior executive landed the client–the biggest in the history of the company–and landed himself a six-figure position with the company!

Lastly, the above referenced story is only as successful as that all-important meeting was successful. They say that “Luck” is “where Opportunity and Preparation Meet” and it is true! You can be the most persistent person on the planet, but when it comes time to deliver, you’d sure better have the goods! You need to be able to interview well and “pitch” whatever it is you’re selling–especially when it comes to Hollywood!

The Celebrity Black Book can be very helpful to you, but don’t spend the money on this resource until you have a cover letter and resume that warrants the cost of the book, your time and any postage you’ll spend getting your materials into their hands. It is also now available in Kindle format from Amazon. VISIT CELEBRITY BLACK BOOK TO READ REVIEWS AND LEARN MORE.

Advice to Entry Level Individuals Looking for E.P. Training

Hucky — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:52:02 +0000

I recently came across this post in one of the groups that I belong to. It’s a response to a new individual from one of the true professionals in the industry, Joe LaSorsa. Joe’s response is 100% spot on and it’s definitely something I thought would be worth sharing with the readers of my blog. Enjoy.

Hucky

“There are so many individuals out there right now, as the Recession and the economy are hurting all business, to include the E.P. business, who are offering training as an additional avenue for revenue stream.

I suggest you search and review the available courses out there and evaluate the course content and who is offering the course and the credentials of the instructors. So many of these individuals have questionable, vague or nebulous backgrounds and experience. There are courses of all different types, levels and of varying durations and fees. What you have to determine is what is your need to be instructed in and who do you wish to provide you with your training.

Furthermore – a point about firearms and martial arts in our industry: They are great skill sets, but, first and foremost, work in the private sector is done with one or only a few agents and the issue of being armed because almost a non-relevant entity.

This is because your first and foremost concern is your protectee and client. Covering and evacuating your client is your primary concern! So, how does anyone expect that taking on an agitator or a person causing a nuisance to your client or even responding to an assailant can be accomplished effectively when you’re working by yourself or with only one or two other individuals, who may not even be anywhere close to you?

A weapon may conceivably be needed; but it will usually be the case where you will be required to utilize your discretionary skills of non-confrontation, incident avoidance and subject stabilization. As a note, Secret Service Agents, who have worked millions and millions of hours of executive protection since 1901 have never fired a weapon in a protective scenario! Never! It is an oxymoron to think that it would be a primary response. Your primary response is ‘Cover and Evacuate’!!!

Getting some training and not spending a fortune on it is critical.

However, first and foremost, obtaining the prerequisite entry level experience and NETWORKING, NETWORKING, NETWORKING is how you get jobs in this field.

If you are a seasoned individual, or someone out of the military or former law enforcement, do you really need CPR and firearms training? If not, then why would you want to pay $$ to a training venue for that training now.

You do need training, however, much of the training can be obtained less expensively on your own, without paying the enormously high dollars for the long and drawn out schools. For example, you can and should get your firearms, CPR & first aid and defensive driving training ON YOUR OWN (most if which you may already have).

Joseph A. LaSorsa, CPP (ASIS – Certified Protection Professional)

J.A. LaSorsa & Associates

Mailing Address:

322 Silver Creek Landing Rd.

Swansboro, NC 28584

(U.S. SECRET SERVICE – RET.)

954-783-5020 (24 hour contact)

http://www.lasorsa.com

Explain Leadership

Hucky — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:00:11 +0000

By Matt Stiehm Ed.D

Introduction
Leadership is relatively easy term to define but hard skill to find. Everyone makes claims that they are a good leader, an exceptional leader, however many fail to live up to the hype. A good leader does not need to wear their bravado on their sleeves, they walk the walk and talk the talk.

A good leader makes solid decisions, the right decisions, and those decisions might not seem right to you but they are right, a good leader must make the tough decisions. Sometimes the leader makes unpopular decisions.

Leadership is defined as “a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in way that makes it more cohesive” (www.nwlink.com). But how does this affect you as an executive protection specialist?

Career
In your daily career as an executive protection specialist you have a variety of options to protect your client(s). They trust your training and experience, and ultimately your leadership in finding solutions to any problems that they might encounter.

As your career goes on you might be assigned to lead a team or much larger group or protection specialists. You are chosen for your ability to understand the job, protect the clients, and to get the other protection professionals to do what is right thing at the right time for the right reasons.

Developing Leadership
How do you acquire your effective leadership skills, and abilities? The easy answer and the author beliefs is that you are born with talents and traits of a leader, but they are cultivated through education and experiences. To determine if you are a leader look around and see if people come to you for advice (regardless of station).

If others come to you in private as an expert, or professional this is a good indication that you are a leader. Although you might be an informal leader because you have no position in the organization, they still rely on your expertise.

In helping advance your leadership skills, I would suggest reading books on leadership, it does not really matter which book, because they all provide “sage” advice. However I might suggest Good to Great written by Jim Collins, as it provides information on business that are succeeding or have succeeded and why others have not.

Another thing that you could do is find a mentor, who can provide you with tutelage, the author has a variety of mentors and is considered a mentor for others. A mentor is someone who you speak with about careers, advance work, professional work, and or family “stuff. A mentor should be someone that you trust and someone that is experienced in the area that you seek advice from.

Conclusion
Leadership is a skill, and something that needs to be honed throughout your career, some people are born leaders but are not successfully because they do not practice their craft, others work hard to become leaders. You need to select those in your life who are worth following and those who are not. If you work for an organization where there is no one worth following then leave as soon as possible. As my old supervisor stated “people don’t quit jobs, they quit supervisors”.

Your supervisors (leaders) should provide you with growth opportunities, if they are keeping you under thumb, and not allowing you to develop it is not a good working environment. To those that are managers/leaders that are not allowing people to develop, shame on you. In the future, I will be writing about a specific leadership style, to provide more detail.

If you have questions please send me an email at matt@bodyguardcareers.com

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Employee Retirement Plans

Hucky — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:23:35 +0000

By Matt Stiehm Ed.D

Understanding and preparing for the future is key to your career path. In your career, you conducted key research on which training program to attend. From there you were provided contact with some initial clients. At some point in your career you are considered a prime executive protection specialist and can secure clients on a regular basis.

After a successful career your retirement is upon you and hopefully you have saved some money. What happens if a recession hits the country and you cannot secure regular contracts? Or suppose your wife or family is positioned in a dire financial strait, how do you plan to protect your family or your savings?

First establish a retirement account, I would suggest contacting a money manager or someone who is familiar with retirement accounts. Putting money away is a solid career move. How else can you invest your money? Well in today’s age, a solid investment might be to purchase a condo/or rental property. In getting a property such as a duplex, you could live in one side and rent the other.
Another simple way to save money is to purchase solid used (secondary market) cars. There are certainly some places where you do not want to short change anything. This is of course on personal protection, weapons, and your client protection. When reviewing purchases of weapons look at what is the most commonly used and attempt to find a piece of equipment on Craigslist or through other sources such as protection specialists.

Lastly, you could create a training program or consult with other professionals.
The best career advice is to end your career with a nice retirement party. As was stated in the movie Spy Game, “Put some money away and retire to a warm place” Nathan Murr (sic). Retirement is the key, you can also think of retirement or a non-executive protection specialist position to secure more money.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Hucky — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:03:38 +0000

Many individuals trying to break into the Executive Protection field spend years training and networking but fail to recognize that one important (and inexpensive) tool is missing in their arsenal: a professional resume.

Resumes represent an individual’s ability to plan and organize and sell their skills. As they say in marketing; the packaging is key to selling a product. And YOU are the product. We have seen countless resumes that simply don’t pass muster and unfortunately, even if you have skills and/or experience, a poor resume sends a statement that your attention to detail is lacking.

Think about this from a potential employer’s viewpoint for a moment. If you can’t create a strategy to obtain a professional resume—the perception may be that you don’t value the importance of advance work. If you don’t take the time to check for spelling or grammatical errors—it sends a message that you may not be careful to double-check an itinerary or evacuation plan. If you don’t have a strong career objective, employers may feel you are unable to take decisive action. Sloppy margins, inconsistent formatting. . . you get the picture.

Your resume is your first point of contact with potential employers.
Bodyguard Careers can help you to put your best foot forward by working one-on-one with you to create a resume that will increase your chances of landing an interview. We will assess your training, experience and skills to help you prepare a strategy for your career path that starts with your resume and cover letter. We are confident our guidance will increase your chances for success. Learn more by clicking on the BGC CAREER TOOLS tab on our website.

“You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression”

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It’s nice to feel appreciated

Hucky — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:46:28 +0000

By Hucky Austin

I normally don’t post testimonials, but after having a very challenging week this was just what I needed. Robert, thank you for the kind note.

Mr. Austin, I just wanted to send you a message thanking you for several things, actually. First, it was you that pointed me in the direction of Icon, which after over 2yrs of searching, turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. Second, your advice both on your website and at the course are already proving to be invaluable. I am hoping that both pay off in the very near future. And finally, thank you for being there for people like me who are trying to break into the field. It is refreshing to actually meet someone who is not just in it for themselves. You truly care about this industry and those who want to be in it and it shows in all that you do for us. I hope you still have the card that I gave you and will use it if/when you get down to the Houston area. I’m sure you know that Texas hospitality knows no bounds and I know that all three Texan Alum from this last course would be more than happy to extend to you, anytime. Again, thank you for all that you have done and are doing for the EP world.

Rob Moore

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