The Best Job In Intelligence (That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)

“Here’s the deal…”

“I’m all ears.”

“On any given day you are as likely to be working on a terrorism case as you are on a drug smuggling ring.  Everything from chop shops in major cities to gangs that traffic prostitutes across the border are all going to come across your desk.”

“Really?”

“Really.  The work is fast and furious, though, and the emphasis is on bottom line up front, clarity and concision.”

“All the things they taught us...’

“Exactly.  That’s why we are so good at this job.  The specialty stuff you need to know you can learn on the job – it’s the basic skill set that they need.”

“What about the pay?”

“Good to great.  The lowest number I heard was in the 40’s and that doesn’t include health benefits and 401K stuff.  The highest number I heard…well, let’s just say, it’s real good.  I even heard from one guy who gets all Federal holidays and four weeks of paid vacay a year…”

“Holy…”

“Yeah.  Best part is you can work in any major city.  You don’t have to be stuck in DC.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope.  One more thing…”

“What?”

“You don’t need a clearance.”

“Damn.  What’s this job called again?”

“Well, every organization seems to have their own name for it but most places I have seen call it a ‘Compliance analyst’.”

*************

https://flic.kr/p/9VDebQ

Compliance Analyst, Know your Customer (KYC) Analyst, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) analyst – all of these are titles that banks give to analysts they hire to stay in compliance with US federal laws such as the Banking Secrecy Act and the US PATRIOT Act.

Banks have a responsibility under these laws to take a hard look at any transactions that are “suspicious” and all transactions over $10,000 or pay hefty fines.  This means that every bank has to have at least some of these positions on its payroll and that these positions can be found wherever the banks are.

After the transaction is analyzed, if it appears to be illegal, it and all of the evidence supporting the assessment has to be reported to the appropriate local, state or federal agencies.  Oftentimes these are law enforcement agencies but occasionally, as in the case of terrorist financing activities, intelligence agencies (US and international) get involved.

The job is, according to the working compliance analysts I spoke with to compile this post, less about the numbers and more about “whether applicants can think in an independent / logical / creative way” and about “pattern recognition skills, bottom-line-up-front writing, and the ability to gauge the reliability and value of various sources.”  The estimates these analysts make on a day to day basis can help law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the military stop crime, break up gangs and counter terrorism.

A quick look on Glassdoor.com under "compliance analyst" and it becomes obvious that starting salaries are quite good with regional banks averaging in the 40’s and multinational banks averaging in the 60’s for qualified entry-level analysts.

To get a better handle on the job and what it entailed, I reached out to a number of Mercyhurst alums working in the compliance arena to get some answers to my questions.  Here, in a lightly edited format is what they said:

Note:  Mercyhurst’s applied focus on intelligence studies coupled with its emphasis on not only national security but also law enforcement intelligence and intelligence in business seems to create a near perfect candidate for these kinds of jobs.  Certainly, many of our alumni have gravitated to these positions over the years and have typically done very well in them (I have heard from several “Vice-presidents for Anti-money Laundering” from various regional and multinational banks in the course of putting this post together…).   

Readers coming from academic programs that focus only on national security or analysts transitioning from the government to the private sector will likely find the answers below to be relevant but you might also find that these answers highlight gaps you might need to fill in order to compete successfully for these jobs.

Q:  Why do Mercyhurst intel studies grads make such good AML analysts? 

From a Vice President-AML Compliance at a large multinational bank:  Good entry level AML Analysts need to have three skills: critical thinking, writing, and data analysis. The Mercyhurst grads we hire walk in the door with very well developed critical thinking and writing skills. Data crunching/analysis (at least how it relates to AML) is the easiest of those three skills to develop on the job. 

The type of analytic product AML analysts usually produce is called a Suspicious Activity Report. It’s a short summary of suspicious transactional activity - usually 1 -2 pages in length. Being able to identify suspicious patterns and clearly write about them in concise manner is not easy. Mercyhurst grads are primed to produce that type of product and they do it extremely well. 

From a KYC Analyst at a large multinational bank:  In my position as a KYC Analyst, I'm constantly synthesizing information from a variety of sources (including our internal databases, transactional analysis done by another analyst, client responses from a questionnaire, previous reviews of the clients, and external research online). I think that Mercyhurst's program produces effective KYC/AML analysts because it arms its students with pattern recognition skills, bottom-line-up-front writing skills, and the ability to gauge the reliability and value of various sources. Instead of accepting everything we find at face value, we dig deeper to find the underlying trends in play. We've learned how to write without bells and whistles to distract from the topic at hand. While some folks might be content with a single source, we seek out corroborating information. The goal of my job is to perform due diligence in order to establish a money laundering risk level for the clients. This involves a risk-based approach that in my opinion plays well into Mercyhurst's emphasis on Words of Estimative Probability and confidence levels.

From a Senior Associate in AML/Due Diligence at a large commercial bank:  From my experience, most AML jobs typically involve the core basic skills currently being taught at the Intelligence Studies program, research, analysis and dissemination…I have been working in customer due diligence/KYC for close to eight years. Resourcefulness is key for these types of jobs. Those that are successful know how to quickly obtain customer information via open-sources or subscription databases. I say "quickly" because the workload is typically fast-paced and high-volume. 

From an AML Compliance Officer/Analyst with a large multinational bank:   As I was told upon hiring, "We can always teach you the banking terms, procedures, typologies, and show you the programs, but we can't teach you to think, understand, and analyze the data you see." …Being able to "see" trends and patterns through analysis is crucial for my role. 

To expand upon that, our operational knowledge of Microsoft Excel (and mine with Access and other database design programs) was an extreme advantage. Open source analysis is also fundamental. Optimizing Google searches to identify entities or using Lexis Nexis is crucial for transactional understanding. Furthermore, we are able to evaluate reputable sites from those that are not. Our teachings in understanding risks around the globe and generally keeping up with the news and events of today are useful… (as is being able to) follow the money or the "story" and verifying it makes business sense…A notable advantage is I2 Analyst’s Notebook, which helps to portray the relationships of entities. In a way, when I investigate transactions, I too am looking for the linkage between the parties. Lastly, being able to see (and understand) suspicious or unusual patterns. 

From an AML investigator with a large multinational bank:  It is my feeling that Mercyhurst intel grads make good AML analysts because we have been taught to identify the gaps during an investigation… In addition to being able to successfully identify the blind spots in an investigation, I feel that a strong organizational background and concision helps Intel grads be so successful. 

From a Compliance Analyst at a regional bank:  In a nutshell, Mercyhurst students make excellent AML analysts because we have been taught how to conduct our investigations in an orderly manner. We have been taught how to properly and thoroughly collect information, what information matters, and how to put the puzzle together. We have been taught how to prioritize items. We have been taught how to work under intense pressure and get the mission done. But most importantly, we have been taught how to work as a team…

Q:  What advice would you give a student interested in a career in AML?

From a KYC Analyst at a large multinational bank:  This will probably sound obvious, but it will behoove you to learn about how financial institutions operate and, if you go into business banking like I did, to learn about various business models. This knowledge isn't necessary right off the bat, but having background knowledge in the nuts and bolts of it all can only be a boon…At an interview, a Mercyhurst student might consider speaking highly of the program's ability to turn out strong analytic writers with solid research skills.

From a Compliance Analyst at a regional bank:  I would say to pay attention in the writing class and strategic, because of all the classes those two have helped me deal with the pressure and prioritizing of items. In terms of looking for jobs, AML is a growing field, and all our students will have to do is go into an interview knowing a little bit about AML and the BSA. Our program will speak for itself during the interview process. 

From an AML Compliance officer/Analyst with a large multinational bank:  For recent grads, if they are interested in this field, my best advice is to send as many resumes to as many different banks as possible…A lot of times, if you apply to a position and the person reviewing doesn't think you will fit there, they can refer you to a more appropriate job vacancy. So apply to everything! It is unlikely a hiring manager that knows what they are doing will dismiss your education. Focus on the worldly projects and internships analyzing large data-sets. 

Also, use your social networking to reach out to established grads. I had a couple different people reach out to me in the past and I'm pretty sure they are working (as AML analysts) now.  I can't say them reaching out to me directly helped, but perhaps them mentioning me helped to validate their education or helped them use the right vocabulary. 

From a Senior Associate in AML/Due Diligence at a large commercial bank:  Not all AML jobs are created equally. There are different positions for monitoring transactions and reporting suspicious activity, conducting due diligence on customers before account opening and positions for writing AML/KYC policy. 

I would recommend getting extremely familiar with Excel and manipulating databases. AML/KYC is completely metric driven. Senior management and the regulators don't want novels on the status of AML/KYC efforts. They are looking for a quick report with Key Risk Indicators based on data extrapolated from whatever database/case management system is being utilized. Employees that get promoted faster than others were assigned to special reporting projects because they know how to gather that data, analyze it and package it in a clean, easy to use format. 

Lastly, I would recommend that students serious about entering into the field pursue the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification. It's an industry standard and is often a prerequisite for employment. It's somewhat expensive, but students do get a discount. 

From a Vice President-AML Compliance at a large multinational bank:  Not all AML jobs are the same. There are very different levels of focus / responsibility / and potential career growth between different organizations and within different departments. Know what you’re getting into in terms of the work and apply to a position that aligns with your interests. 

Interviewers are very interested in whether applicants can think in an independent / logical / creative way. When I was interviewed, the last question I was asked was “how many toasters are there in Phoenix?” (Ed. Note:  See Fermi Questions) I ask similar questions when I interview people (although they’re directly related to the job and not household appliances). When you get these types of questions – do not answer them immediately, ask your interviewer questions or tell them about what you're assuming about the question before you answer it. It buys you time and you will give a better overall answer. In every answer that you give stress critical thinking and walk people through your thought process. Develop financial analysis skills in school. Even if you’re not interested in AML work – financial analysis skills are HIGHLY marketable and will help you land a job. 

From an AML investigator with a large multinational bank:   I feel that a class that provides a good comparison to how investigations are approached by successful AML investigators would be Professor Grabelski’s Into to Law Enforcement Intelligence. I’m sure I am not alone in remembering him drive this investigative notion home: “Tell a story!”

Q:  There seem to be many different names for this job (depending on the institution).  What are some of the search terms people should use to find these jobs?

• AML Investigator/Analyst, Compliance Officer, BSA/KYC Analyst, Global Financial Crimes Analyst/Investigator, Financial Investigative Unit (FIU) Analyst/Investigator 
• Look for jobs that include alphabet soup acronyms such as KYC, AML, BSA, OFAC, USA PATRIOT Act, and other topics such as fraud and compliance.
• The search terms I would utilize the most (it can change between banks) would be "Compliance Officer", "AML/BSA Officer", and "Analyst". Trying different combinations of those terms should help, but naturally read the job descriptions to make sure your credentials apply. 
• Students should use the following search terms when trying to find these types of jobs: AML, KYC, due diligence, OFAC, SAR (a lot of job descriptions involve suspicious activity reporting), BSA and PATRIOT Act. Some AML investigator positions are also called "Compliance Analysts.”
• Search terms for AML jobs:  ‘money laundering’, ‘AML’, ‘BSA’, ‘compliance’, ‘investigations’, ‘suspicious activity report’, ‘SAR’, ‘bank secrecy’, ‘OFAC’, ‘fraud’, ‘typology’ 

Q:  What are the opportunities for hiring right now?  What about for promotion and for movement within and between institutions in the future?  Is there anything else we should know?

From a Vice President-AML Compliance at a large multinational bank:  I think there are a couple reasons people have gravitated toward AML: 1) The market is very hot right now. There are more AML jobs out there than there have been at any point in the past. 2). Because there are more open vacancies it’s becoming tougher for organizations to find qualified people and that’s led to a significant increase in overall salaries in the past couple years. 3) You can get an AML job in virtually any city in America. That’s an attractive option for people who don’t want to live in DC or other areas where intel jobs are traditionally clustered. 

From an AML Compliance officer/Analyst with a large multinational bank:  As the demand for these positions increases, banks and related financial institutions will give away some of the negotiating power to the candidates, which is good for recent grads. I'd advise NOT to low-ball your worth. Many of the open positions will list a salary range. 

There is A LOT of poaching that takes place. Many people from our team have left to go to X, where they are getting paid more than what they would have gotten if they stayed here (from what I was told). And it seems we hire from X, probably offering more then what they would have got if they stayed! Location does matter, so evaluate the cost of living too. It is a bit odd to me, but it seems to be the status quo. People usually stay in a position for 2-3 years and move internally or externally. So, job mobility is definitely a plus, but it may be required (or encouraged). Once you have been at a bank for a bit your marketability increases as well if you want to go to a different bank, which is good job security. 

I created an entry-level Intel focused group here on LinkedIn back when I started out. With minimal effort on my part, there are now 1,216 members, many asking the right questions and even job postings from myself or others. It is called "Entry Level Intelligence Analysts".

From an AML investigator with a large multinational bank:  I feel that Mercyhurst’s reputation is growing in the private analysis/investigative sector at a fast rate. A lot of investigators and management come from public sector jobs in DC, where I feel that our reputation was already strongly solidified. Now that reputation is transferring over to the private sector…I know that within my organization Mercyhurst’s reputation for producing good analysts was already established when I got here…recent Intel grads have been so successful within the past year and a half many of us have been selected for managerial roles overseeing investigation teams. 

From a KYC Analyst at a large multinational bank:  There is, in my opinion, a significant opportunity for mobility within the organization, including internal hires from and to other departments. 

From a Compliance Analyst at a regional bank:  Even if there are no upward promotions available right now (as teams and supervisors are set for the time being), there is the opportunity to do other roles, and thus gain more experience to be more competitive for promotions.

That's it!  Lots of good advice and insights into what could be an interesting (and well-paid) career in intelligence in business.  I am certain there are many more readers who have their own tips or ideas concerning such a career choice.  Please do not hesitate to leave a comment!

How Many Entry-Level Intelligence (Or Intelligence-like) Analysts Will The Business Sector Need In The Next 12 Months?

Good question, right?

If you have direct knowledge of information that might help answer the question in the title or you have indirect knowledge that is relevant to the answer to the question in the title, please take 2 minutes to complete this survey.  

What do I mean by direct and indirect knowledge?

Direct knowledge means that you know personally or have good information concerning the hiring plans of your agency or organization (or at least your section or division).  You might work in HR or be a manager with hiring responsibilities. 

Indirect knowledge is information that is relevant to the question that is not due to your direct responsibilities.  You might have spoken with an HR manager or have been involved in meetings where this issue was discussed. 

We are NOT looking for opinion based on purely circumstantial information.  If you are not involved in the hiring process either directly or indirectly, please DO NOT take this survey.

What do I mean by "Intelligence (or Intelligence-like)..."? 

First, I am not talking about private sector companies that support the US national security intelligence community.  Those jobs have already been covered by our National Security Jobs Report earlier this year.

Second, jobs which require the skill set of an intelligence analyst are rarely labelled as such within the business community.  You will have to use your best judgment here.  If you or your organization employs people that look at the external environment - at things that are critical to the success or failure of your business but are, in some way, outside the control of your business (competitive analysis is one such area, but so is Banking Secrecy Act compliance) - then you are looking at an "intelligence-like" position.

Why are we interested?

Every year, other disciplines announce hiring projections for the year:  "This year's hot jobs are for engineers and chimney sweeps."  That sort of thing.  Entry level intelligence analysts who are searching for a job, on the other hand, receive no such guidance.

We hope to change that.  Working with one of our hot-shot grad students, Greg Marchwinski, we put together this survey to get a better feel for the the job market for entry level analysts for the year ahead.

Once we get enough survey data, Greg will compile it and combine it with the macro-level, mostly qualitative data that we already have and put together a "jobs report" for the year ahead.  I will publish it here once we are done.

Finally, we have already completed our national security jobs report for next year and will follow this business survey with our law enforcement survey.

Thanks for your participation!

What Is Crowdfunding And Why Is It Important To Intelligence? (ENTINT)

http://widget.launchrock.com/

Six more days...

If all goes well, in six days, I intend to launch my first game, Widget, on Kickstarter  (if you are interested in the game itself, you can get more info by clicking on this link).  Once launched, I will have 30 days to get "funded" by various "backers".  If I fail to reach my pre-designated goal, I get nothing at all.

That's how crowdfunding works.

Well, at least, that is how Kickstarter works.  Kickstarter is the oldest and most popular crowdfunding platform currently available.  For those of you unfamiliar with these platforms, you probably should be.  This is not just for entrepreneurs or people interested in entrepreneurial intelligence, either.  There are implications here for intelligence professionals at all levels of business ... and law enforcement and national security, too.  

Let me explain.  Kickstarter is by no means the only crowdfunding site these days.  IndieGoGo and RocketHub are two popular alternatives, but there are a growing number of these sites.  The pace of this growth is likely to increase in 2013 as new laws are set to come into effect that will allow contributors to take small equity interests in start-ups (the current crowdfunding model centers on what typically amounts to pre-sales of a product or service).  Forbes expects revenues generated by crowdfunding sites to double, from 3 to 6 billion USD, in 2013.  Increasingly, this is the way everything from music to games to books to electronics will be funded at start-up.     

Savvy intelligence professionals in the business world should be watching these sites for potential competitors that might emerge from successfully funded projects.  Likewise, given the underfunded nature of most start-ups, it makes equally good sense to see successful crowdfunded projects as a no-cost extension of your own R & D programs - buying out small companies with proven products may well be less expensive than developing them in-house.   Finally, understanding crowdfunding is going to be an increasingly essential element of providing entrepreneurs any meaningful intelligence support.

Law enforcement intelligence professionals should also be taking note.  While there is little evidence of criminal activity in crowdfunding activities to date, with an increase in money, crime is virtually certain to follow.  Fraud of all kinds, money laundering, illegal or unsafe products are all activities which the reputable sites work very hard to avoid but, with the expected growth, criminals will inevitably carve out new niches in the market.

While national security intelligence professionals might not be interested in some artist's new comic book, many of these sites either specialize in or actively promote innovative hi-tech product development and design.  In fact, some academics are even turning to crowdfunding sites to fund their research.  Everything from geo-mapping to verification of information on the internet to pens that can draw in 3D have been funded by crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding is both an innovative and disruptive practice that is set to become much more important in the coming years.  In my opinion, it is worth staying ahead of this particular curve.

Best Professional Development Event For Intel Professionals This Year

That's right, the Institute of Intelligence Studies is sponsoring a professional development conference for its alumni, students and faculty this summer from 8-11 July at Mercyhurst University.

And you can register here!

This is not an alumni "weekend", "retreat" or an "escape".  It is not "homecoming".  This is a premiere opportunity to hone your skills as an intelligence professional at the same place where you all got your start -- Mercyhurst.

We are bringing in top notch speakers (many of which are former classmates!) and are going to offer an extraordinary opportunity to network both inside and outside your chosen field (Quick:  How many Mercyhurst intel alums currently work in the banking industry?  In energy?  In almost any field you can name?  You will be surprised at the number!) and across the generations (We have been doing this for 20 years - I know, I find it hard to believe myself!).

If you need more enticement, the faculty will all be here to bring you up to speed on our current research activities (AKA "What we have learned about intel since you've been gone...") and where we are going in the future.  With over 1000 alumni, 100's of research projects, dozens of full and part time faculty, and the opportunities represented by the new building, these are results you will want to know about.

This isn't just about us, though.  We also want to learn from you, too.  Our program is 20 years old this year and it is time to plot our course for the next 20 years.  What are the problems you are having?  What research do you need done to improve your ability to provide actionable intelligence to the decisionmakers you support?  What skills and abilities do the intelligence analysts of tomorrow need today?  Getting your input at this conference is crucial.

If you are a current student or alum you can register here to attend.  I personally look forward to seeing each and every one of you!

Cool Infographic On The State Of The Internet (Focus.com)

http://www.focus.com/images/view/48564/

Focus.com, a question and answer site aimed at businesses, has put together an interesting infographic on the state of the internet in 2010.  

You can see a screenshot to the right but the full version is worth examining in some detail. 

I am also intrigued by Focus.com.  I was unaware of the site (so their infographic worked...) but it looks like it might have some interesting features for business professionals.  

If anyone has any experience with the site, I would appreciate a note in the comments.

Best Companies To Work For -- For Entry-level Intelligence Analysts! (Fortune.com And Original Research)

Every year, Fortune Magazine posts a list of the 100 best companies to work for in the US. This is a very good list but it doesn't quite answer the question my students ask: "What is the best company to work for as an intel analyst?"

Thanks to one of our superb grad students, Nimalan Paul, we now have an answer!

Nimalan started with Fortune's list and made the initial assumption that, out of the 1000's of companies in the US, if you made the list at all you must be a pretty good place to work (Note: Nimalan used the list from 2006 as it was already available as a spreadsheet.  The vast majority of the companies from 2006 are still on the list today and since rank on the Fortune list did not matter in Nimalan's analysis, using the 2006 list seems acceptable).

From there, he thought long and hard about the criteria that would indicate that a company was good for entry level intel analysts.  He settled on  six factors:

• How many intel analyst (or intel analyst equivalent) slots are currently open?
• How many intel analysts appear to be employed by the company?
• At what level are the analysts employed?
• Is there a separate role for intel analysts within the company?
• Is there an internship program for intel analysts?
• Is there an executive level (C-level) position within the company responsible for intelligence?

He looked high and low for information on these six factors and compiled everything he found into the list you see below.  You can click on the second worksheet for his raw observations but he took it another step and actually scored each of the companies based on what he saw (you can see his scoring in the first or currently viewable worksheet).

The scoring is a bit subjective, of course (such that Nimalan indicated to me that the percentage scores are probably best interpreted as + or - 15% or so.  In other words, there is a real difference between a 60% and a 90% but probably not much actual difference between a 90% and a 95%).

Likewise, Nimalan was looking at companies that have intel positions in business exclusively.  He did not count contractual analyst positions provided by any of these companies to the US national security intelligence community.

Finally, we can't consider the list definitive.  Nimalan's ability to gather info on the companies was limited by time and access and we both acknowledge that there are likely some great places for analysts to work that didn't make it to Fortune's list.  If you know of any (and particularly if they are currently hiring...), please leave a note in the comments!

Part 2 -- What Is Strategy And What Are Strategic Decisions? (Teaching Strategic Intel Through Games)

Image via Wikipedia

Part 1 -- Introduction

"As war is a game through its objective nature, so also is it through its subjective. -- Carl von Clausewitz, On War, Chapter 1.

While there are many definitions of "strategy" and "strategic decisions", for the purposes of this paper, a strategy is an idea or set of ideas about how to accomplish a goal and strategic decisions are ones that typically put at risk a substantial portion of an entity's disposable resources.

Defining strategy broadly is important.  Far too often, strategy is only associated with terms such as "long-term" or "large" and strategic thinking is something accomplished only at corporate headquarters or by generals and kings.

Defining strategic decisions in the context of the resources risked by the entity (person or organization) making the decision puts the role of strategy into perspective.  Under this definition, it is possible for the exact same decision to be strategic in one case and tactical (or even trivial) in another context. 

For example, imagine an individual who owns a successful dry cleaning store.  Deciding to open up another branch of the store in a different part of town is clearly a strategic decision for this owner.  This owner will likely spend many of his disposable resources (time, money, personnel) getting the new branch set up and operating efficiently.  Failure with this new branch would likely impact the old branch as well.

The same decision, to open another branch in the same town by the owner of a chain of 10,000 dry cleaning stores does not have the same strategic quality as in the first case.  In fact, such a decision, in such a large, national organization, might not even be made at the owner’s level.  The percentage of disposable resources placed at risk with this decision is likely much less and it is entirely possible that such a decision would be pushed down to regional or even sub-regional levels.

More importantly, defining strategy in terms of the resources at risk broadens the scope of what arguably constitutes strategic intelligence as well.   Under this definition, strategy is not confined to large, powerful organizations.  Small businesses, police units and even students can have strategies and, in turn, require strategic intelligence to support their decision-making processes.

Next:
What is intelligence and what is the role of intelligence in the formulation of strategy?

Intelligence Tools For Understanding Any Website (YouTube)

Jeffrey Kotvas on the always insightful Competitive Intelligence Forum points to the excellent video below that reviews various online tools for understanding the traffic patterns behind any website (sort of a modern and open-source version of the much more venerable intel sub-discipline of traffic analysis...).

The video, put together by Scrappybusiness.com, focuses on the use of these tools by intelligence professionals in the business world but these tools might also be of some use to amateur (and, perhaps, professional) cyberthreat analysts as well. 



For those of you not familiar with the Competitive Intelligence Forum, I recommend you check it out as well. There are lots of good places to talk about intelligence on the internet these days but the CI Forum is one of the best. Founded by longtime CI professional, Arik Johnson, this social networking site for those involved in intelligence work for the business community has really taken off and now boasts over 1300 members. Click on this link to preview the site.

Related Post: 
Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tools To Do Intel Analysis

Hyperformance: An Excellent New Book On Intelligence In The Business World (Wiley.com)

I really liked T. J. Waters new book, Hyperformance: Using Competitive Intelligence For Better Strategy And Execution. I wasn't sure that I would (even though one of my former students is featured prominently in it -- more on that in a minute), but I do.

It is an excellent book in many, many ways. If you are looking for a book that explains the value of intelligence to your C-level, if you want to convince your clients or partners that intelligence can help them make better decisions, or if you just want to introduce a student to the broader world of intelligence in business, then this is the book.

Waters, who worked at the CIA and is perhaps best known for his earlier work, Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class, covers numerous intelligence methods and practices that could just as easily describe national security or corporate work.

For example, he talks about networks but does so in the context of Apple's development of ITunes; he talks about analysis of competing hypotheses but does so in the context of detecting deception in new product launches; he talks about elicitation techniques but does so in the context of an industry trade show.

In fact, if there is a fault in the book, it is that Waters treats these subjects too lightly, that he does not spend enough time with any aspect of intelligence in business to do it justice. This is unfair criticism, however. Waters is not writing the book for seasoned intelligence professionals. The main purpose of the book seems to be to introduce many of the fundamental concepts of intelligence to corporate leaders who may be unfamiliar with them. In this, he is not alone. There are many books that have attempted to do the same thing -- but few have done it better.

Oh, and my student? It was Jeff Welgan. Jeff published the results of his research into using Search Engine Optimization techniques as an intelligence method last year. As a result, Jeff became something of an internet star (probably as much for the subject of his study -- Starbucks vs. Caribou Coffees -- as for his innovative use of SEO as a competitive intelligence methodology).

His research caught Water's eye as a perfect example of "new school" collection techniques. "The market implications are staggering...," wrote Waters. "He could start a business tomorrow offering this service to marketing departments, public relations firms, lawyers, press agents, journalists and political campaign managers across the nation."

My sentiments exactly.

Part 12 -- Intelligence Job Links (How To Get A Job In Intelligence)

Part 1 -- Introduction
Part 2 -- The Intelligence Job Market From 20,000 Feet
Part 3 -- The Good News!
Part 4 -- Even Better News!
Part 5 -- Beyond The Big Three
Part 6 -- Beyond Borders
Part 7 -- Beyond Borders: India, Europe And South Africa
Part 8 -- Going It On Your Own
Part 9 -- The 5 Things You Must Have
Part 10 -- Advice From The Trenches
Special Report: Where The Jobs Are, 2009
Part 11 -- Advice From Intelligence Veterans

(Note: This is the last part of this 12 part marathon (not what I had in mind when I started, I assure you...) on jobs in intelligence. I would like to thank all those who contributed comments or even whole sections to the series. Your efforts made this series much more valuable to those trying to break into intelligence. I would also like to thank all of you job hunters who took the time to send me notes telling me how useful this series was to you. I wish you all the best of luck in your job searches!)

In this final post in this series, I intend to include all of those links for which I have not found a spot for in any of the previous posts. This list is by no means all-inclusive. Please do not hesitate to add your own good link in the comments...

The best single link I know:

Intelligence Jobs And Internships On Squidoo -- I set up this "lens" on Squidoo a couple of years ago to provide a "one-stop shop" for Mercyhurst students looking for a job in intel. I had one of our super work studies update it last year and will probably see if I can get another one to update it later this fall but the site covers may of the basic job sites and even has some dynamic content where new jobs appear as they become available in all three disciplines.

Other Links of Interest:

(Note: I apologize for not linking all of the hyperlinks to the appropriate text below. I simply did not have the time to make all of the links. To get to the sites you may have to copy and paste the URLs into your browser's address bar. In addition, much of this part of the list comes from LTC Rich Holden's amazing list of intel job sites first published on the US Army's INTELST. I genuinely appreciate him allowing me to republish it here.)

General Job Help:

Washington State Library's Employment and Job Seeking Site (some good info even if you are not a resident of Washington State)
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/hardtimes/employment.aspx

The HR Data Revolution: Your CV Should Be A DB
http://www.frontiereconomy.com/2009/08/the-hr-data-revolution-your-cv-should-be-a-db/

How To Write A Resume
http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-write-a-resume-12-steps-to-your-next-job

12 Top Tips To A Successful Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvuZY3DWtIY

Women's Fashion Tips: How To Dress For An Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMt2aJWRyE0

Professional Wardrobe For Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFaXXNkdr74

10 Boilerplate Phrases That Kill Resumes
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-10_boilerplate_phrases_that_kill_resumes-97

How To Prepare A Plain Text Resume
http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-prepare-a-plain-text-resume

Quintessential Careers - Guide to College, Careers, & Jobs
http://www.quintcareers.com/

Salaries and Wages
http://www.opm.gov/oca/payrates/index.htm

U.S. Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/dol/welcome.htm

Best Places to Launch A Career, 2009 (Thanks, Shannon!)
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/career_launch_2009/

Best Companies to Work For, 2009
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/full_list/

Price Waterhouse Coopers Career Advice
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/pwctv/career-advice.jhtml

VetJobs
http://www.vetjobs.com

Veterans Business Network
http://www.veteransbusinessnetwork.com/

Headhunter.net - job listings and resumes
http://www.headhunter.net/

thingamajob
http://www.thingamajob.com/

Defense Contractor Company sites:

Accenture
http://www.accenture.com

BAE Systems
http://careers.na.baesystems.com/

Battelle Science & Technology International
http://www.battelle.org/

BearingPoint
http://www.bearingpoint.com

Booz Allen Hamilton
http://www.boozallen.com/

Caliber, an ICF Consulting Company
http://www.calib.com/

Covenant Security / Covenant Special Projects
www.covenantsecurity.com

Cubic Applications, Inc.
http://jobs.cubic.com/opportunities/

DESE Research Inc.
http://www.dese.com/

Electronic Warfare Associates
http://www.ewa.com/

Imagery and Intelligence Solutions Inc.
http://www.iisolutions.com/careers.html

J.L. White & Associates
http://jl-white.com/jlwa/opportunities.do

Lockheed Martin Corporation
http://www.lockheedmartin.com

MPRI - Taking Expertise Around the World
http://www.mpri.com/current/personnel.htm

Northrop Grumman
http://www.ngc.com

Raytheon
http://www.rayjobs.com/

SAIC Job Opportunities Career Find Your Job
http://www.saic.com/career/find.html

Tapestry Solutions
http://www.tapestrysolutions.com/index.php

TEK systems
http://www.teksystems.com/

Titan - L-3 Communications
http://www.titan.com/home.html

Thanks again to everyone who read, commented or contributed to this series! Good luck and good hunting!

Part 4 -- Even Better News!! (How To Get A Job In Intelligence)

(Note: First, I apologize to all about the frequency of these posts. Life is getting in the way, unfortunately, and the best I can do right now is move forward in fits and starts. Second, if you are new to the series or have not yet had a chance, I strongly recommend you take a look at the previous posts and, in particular, the comments. Many people have taken the time to add their own insights to mine or to ask good questions which I have tried to answer. The series is more useful to everyone due to their efforts.)

Part 1 -- Introduction
Part 2 -- The Intelligence Job Market From 20,000 Feet
Part 3 -- The Good News!

The skills that the intelligence professional possesses are in high demand throughout the business world. In fact, the President's Council Of Economic Advisers recently issued a report that stated, "Employers value workers who can think critically and solve problems. Many highly-paid occupations require workers with good analytic and interactive skills." Sounds like an intel analyst to me (except for maybe the "highly paid" part...).

In fact, the largest and the fastest growing job market for intelligence and, in particular, intelligence analysts, is likely to be companies who need the skills that the typical intelligence analyst possesses in order to understand the broad range of largely unstructured data that confronts the corporate decisionmaker.

Our own conservative estimate is that there are close to half a million jobs currently in this market and more than 50,000 (yes, 50,000) jobs will be added over the next 5-10 years. These numbers are based on a variety of statistics but before I get into those, I need to outline some of the challenges in this area.

The Challenges

The first problem is definitional. The same Council Of Economic Advisers report I cited above also says, "In 2003, for example, a quarter of American workers were in jobs that were not even listed among the Census Bureau’s Occupation codes in 1967, and technological change has only accelerated since then." Needless to say, "intelligence analyst" wasn't (and still isn't) one of them.

What do we call intelligence professionals working in the business world? When you want to do a job search, what key terms do you use?

Well, one you shouldn't use is "business intelligence". This term has been appropriated by a wide variety of software companies who produce applications that allow companies to examine in greater detail the structured information that they already have. This information is mostly about the internal workings of the organization and the output of these programs is designed to support recommendations for improving the efficiency or profitability of a company's operations.

These software packages typically do not focus on analyzing the unstructured data that swirls around the outside of the organization. In short, it is not the kind of "intelligence" we are talking about here. Our kind of intelligence focuses on events and organizations that are outside the control of but still relevant to the business we are tasked to support. This data -- which can include blog posts and tweets and random emails -- is largely unstructured and requires a vastly different skill set and methods to understand.

So, if not business intelligence, then what? I have done dozens of studies for businesses of all sizes. In almost all cases, the CEOs and managers I have worked with are interested in two things: Where is my market and what are my competitors doing? It is no surprise then that the terms "competitive intelligence" and "market intelligence" are worth using to find jobs.

Check out the growth rates in the two charts below for jobs bearing these terms (found by my colleague, Prof. Shelly Freyn on one of the better job search engines out there, Indeed.com):


The problem is that these terms are not industry standards. You could just as easily search for jobs as a "market analyst" or a "research analyst" or a "marketing specialist in competitive research" or many others. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the term "market research analysts" but it is unclear precisely which kinds of jobs this definition includes. The wide variety of terms (coupled with the red herring of "business intelligence") makes hunting for the right kind of intelligence job in the business world a bit of a pain.

The second challenge is getting employers to recognize the need for intelligence. We know, for example, of a number of companies who refuse to call the positions "intelligence" positions because they think it implies that they practice industrial espionage. You can usually get past this objection with some discussion (the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professional's and the American Marketing Association's positions on the ethics of their professions go a long way towards alleviating some of these concerns).

Even if you can get past the spook factor, though, there is still a perception by many businesses that they do not need intelligence. My technique in these cases is to ask the managers and executives I deal with, "Who in your company has it as a fundamental part of their job -- as part of their job description -- to systematically examine all the factors relevant to your company's success but outside your company's control, integrate those factors as necessary and provide estimates of how those factors will change over time in order to support your planning processes?"

The answers vary, of course. Some companies have market analysts but they are not tasked to look at the competition. Others have competitive intelligence and market analysts but clearly have other intelligence needs that aren't being met (like the company with a global presence that needs to understand if its employees are likely to get kidnapped or the company who transports critical raw materials in ships that travel off the coast of Somalia...).

Even if all the various needs are covered, no one is integrating the reports, coordinating the activities or providing meaningful estimates about how conditions are likely to change. Some places have even told me that performing this function is "everyone's job" but I just laugh (I can do that because I am a professor and not a consultant).

No matter what the answer, the discussion leads to the follow-on question: "Don't you think it would be useful to have someone who does all this for you?" The answer is always, "Yes" but it still translates only slowly, if at all, into intelligence jobs.

Even if the company or organization accepts the need for intelligence and even if there is job position available, the final challenge is to get the business to understand the kind of intelligence qualifications necessary for the job. All too often companies look to particular degree fields which are inappropriate for their needs. The most common example is looking for a specialist when a generalist would do a better job.

Imagine you are an engineering company and you have lots of engineers who do engineering stuff really well. You need to understand the environment -- political, social, economic, competitive -- in which the company will be operating. Who do you hire? Too often, I see this kind of company go after an engineer to fill this kind of analytic position.

This is an expensive mistake. The engineer that gets hired to do this is likely just waiting to move to a "real" engineering position and costing the company an arm and a leg in the process. In addition, this new hire will speak the language of engineering but is less well prepared than an intel analyst (who wants the job and is likely to stay in it) to look at the broader range of issues in which the company is interested.

Back To The Numbers

Despite these challenges, the market potential here for intelligence analysts is enormous, dwarfing the numbers of analysts needed in the Law Enforcement or National Security realms.

According to data Shelly found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics site, the number of "market research analysts" alone is set to rise from 234,000 in 2006 to 281,000 (+47,000) by 2016. Other analyst positions within the business community are almost certainly at least partially intelligence analyst positions by another name. How many of the 236,000 "financial analysts", for example, are actually looking that the risk posed by political factors in foreign countries in much the same way as a CIA Desk Officer? If it is anything close to 10%, then the number of jobs in this sector alone exceeds the total number of analysts (17,000) in the US national security intelligence community. Under these circumstances, I feel more than comfortable with a 50,000 increase estimate.

Resolving the challenges inherent in getting a job in the corporate world as an intel analyst are going to take some time. Intelligence has to grow up as a discipline and realize that is more than James Bond or George Smiley. Until this happens, it is unlikely that the world of corporate intelligence will become easier to move around in. In the meantime, see the job hunt as a test of your analytic skills with the full knowledge that these woods are full of game.

Next: Beyond The Big Three

Excellent NYT Graphic On The Recent Financial Meltdown (NYT Via Boing Boing)

The New York Times is carrying a very well-done graphic (spotted first by Boing Boing) explaining the recent meltdown on Wall Street within the financial sector. The graphic, which, unfortunately, is not embeddable, allows the reader to instantly see why AIG gets a bailout and Lehman Brothers has to file for bankruptcy, for example. It does a remarkable job of explaining quite a bit without resorting to very many words. Worth the look.

(Click on the picture below to go to the full sized, interactive version of the graph)

Firm's Arrival Underscores Area's Potential (More Shameless Self Promotion)

In case you missed it, there was a very positive follow-up editorial in the Erie Times News this morning to a news feature published last Sunday. While the editorial was more about the companies that are using intelligence to help their bottom line than about the Mercyhurst Intel Studies program, it was still nice to see that the editors of the paper realized the potential inherent in a strong intel studies program with respect to the local economy.

Interesting Article On The Impact Of An Intel Studies Program On A Local Economy (Shameless Self Promotion)

In case you missed it, the Erie Times News ran a front page, Business section story on the impact that the Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies Program is having on the local economy. Great pictures of Bob Heibel and Jim Breckenridge as well...