THE PRESIDENT IS NOT IMMUNE FROM CYBER ATTACKS

There was such an uproar about the cyber attack at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that impacted so many current and retired federal employees and their families and also government contractors a few months back. We heard a lot about the security of records at OPM. The security breach caused the Director of the agency’s head to roll – Katherine Archuleta.  The security breach of the President’s email account didn’t get as much traction since it did not involve a compromise to over 4 million federal employees.

Technology has increased efficiency globally. The downside of technology is that it can be used to commit acts counter to the safety and security of the nation. The country’s need for skilled and talented Information Technology (IT) personnel ranks at the top of the list for government recruitment offices. The Federal Government is having a hard time keeping pace with the private sector. I can see the lure of Silicon Valley –Microsoft-Facebook and other luminaries in the computer industry. However, the real problem with recruitment for the Federal Government is that the Government is selling itself short. They say they can’t pay as much money as the private sector and therefore find themselves out of the game. The truth is  the Federal Government has an entire menu of things the private sector could never offer.

If we merely concentrate on big names like those Silicon Valley guys then we are not going to cut mustard. Not everybody wants to pack up and move to Silicon Valley but a whole lot of people want to live in the city or somewhere near the seat of power-Washington, DC.   The second attraction is that your chances of getting a great job in IT as a full-time employee or a contractor are much better if you have some Government experience on your resume. After all, huge private companies (Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman) are huge because they exist off of Government money. Private industry does not exist without the Government because it does not have the resources of the Government. The Government is the largest employer in the country. Private industry could not begin to create and offer the number of jobs Government can.   Government recruiters need to bring their A game to colleges and universities and high schools to begin the marketing lure early. Government has a lot of ammunition if they only knew how to use it.

There is a semantics game that is played in our society – private is better than public.   Is private better than public because of the mere name or is it because of some other unknown feature?  You probably get more holidays working in the Government than otherwise. You probably earn more leave –vacation and sick and you have the opportunity to get a raise most years with the Cost of Living Increases and by other means. A layoff in private industry is real. A Government shutdown is simply political wrangling. Bottom line is the Government does not know how to sell itself.

P. S.   Always Remember to Share What You Know.

Dianna Tafazoli