Your IT security consultant is one of your final gatekeepers between keeping your business safety and a security nightmare. They run interference against potential threats, as well as provide damage control if an unfortunate attack were to happen.

So how do you know you’re hiring the best of the best?

  1. Ask about their experience. No, we’re not talking about, “Where did you go college and what did you major in?” You should want to know what IT horror stories your potential IT expert has survived and conquered. How did he handle it? Was there a positive outcome?
  2. But don’t stop there. Press further. Can she communicate past geek speak? Can she speak in analogies, metaphors and explain issues in layman’s terms? Hire the person who can keep you well informed in terms that you understand.
  3. What’s your biggest risk and who’s asking about it? You may be tempted to ask your interviewee what he thinks your company’s biggest risk is. But a well-qualified candidate will be one step ahead of you. He should be asking if your company has had a risk assessment done.
  4. Let’s say you hire this spectacular IT expert, are they going to get a junior IT person to do their dirty work? While delegation can be good thing, make sure your potential IT expert will be hands on with her work, not just a supervisor.
  5. How have they screwed up? You’ve already asked them about his triumphant war stories where he was the hero, but how did he recover from a mistake? For instance, has he ever taken a network down during testing? How did he handle it? What did he learn?

Hiring the right IT consultant is imperative to your company, as they are a massive human firewall when it comes to criminals and your company’s data.

For more information on hiring the right IT guy, see Software Advice’s tips and hear from some of the experts in the IT field.

The Security Awareness Company
