Corporate Security and Investigation

Corporate security and investigation are niche facets of the professional detective arena drawing more and more interest from well trained and experienced operatives each year.  Corporate work is very different than most private eyes are used to, but can offer some truly excellent benefits which may be difficult, if not impossible, to find in most other investigation jobs.  Therefore, it is no surprise that many seasoned detectives choose to enter the corporate track to success each year rather than fending for themselves in the financially unpredictable owner/operator or small business sectors.

Corporate security is ideally suited for candidates who have the credentials to achieve great success in today's multinational companies.  Of course, there are entry level jobs available, such as security guards and supervisors, but these will not differ much from any other type of private security position.  The corporate track is truly best for security contractors and consultants with a thorough background in not only security practices and protocols, but also, international law, corporate law, criminal law and business itself… Do not be surprised to see MBAs, JDs and even PhDs working in the corporate security divisions of the most successful companies.

Corporate investigation is a special division of internal security usually staffed by experienced investigators from a variety of educational backgrounds. Once again, many lawyers, accountants, computer forensics professionals and historians work in corporate detective positions.  The diversity and wide breadth of possible case assignments in international business is vast, so it truly takes a private army to protect a savvy corporation against enemies, foreign and domestic, internal and external… Only the best of the best need apply for these top level investigative assignments and a graduate degree, or 2 or 3, is generally the only way to even get an interview…

Working in New York City for over a decade in civil trial preparation occasionally put me in contact with the heads of private security and internal investigations for some of the Manhattan's best and brightest companies.  I was always amazed at the posh positions these investigators enjoyed and the obvious extensive benefits packages they received.  Among those I dealt with included former top ranking police and military personnell who had transitioned to the private sector, as well as many professionals who held astonishing arrays of qualifications including multiple doctoral degrees… These corporate specialists are truly the top of the food chain in the detective industry!

The benefits of corporate work, for those who qualify, are obvious… No more struggling to find the way in a difficult and often unpredictable economic climate common to small and medium detective businesses.  No more paying one's own health insurance (or not having any at all!) and no more giving up vacations to work… The corporate compensation package can't be beat for top paying jobs.  However, the one downside is the implied and actual ceiling on your career.  There is simply almost no way for a corporate investigator, regardless of how high they might climb, to match the earnings potential of a really successful independent investigation business owner.  However, playing the percentages, I think the corporate track offers a more reliable path to the top (or at least close to it…)

So, in closing, I want to inform or remind many of the qualified and experienced professional detectives reading this that there is always another area that you can expand into if desire strikes… The corporate landscape has changed much in the past 3 years and the time may soon be right to get your foot in the door when the next boom economy begins… Better start working on that resumé now!