{"id":83275,"date":"2023-11-02T11:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T00:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=83275"},"modified":"2024-01-15T13:35:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T02:35:34","slug":"australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Australia relies on the professional workforce of its national intelligence agencies<\/a> to collect, assess and disseminate the intelligence critical to Australia\u2019s interests. They need the right professionals\u2014and enough of them\u2014to run the intelligence effort effectively.<\/p>\n

But imagine having the most interesting job in the world, yet when you applied you didn\u2019t know what you were applying for. And then once you were hired, you couldn\u2019t tell anyone what you did for a living.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what working in intelligence demands, but it poses a problem for the community\u2019s recruiters. Amid global challenges and with a serious staffing and diversity<\/a> deficit, agencies are struggling to attract<\/a> the specialist skills and diverse thinking they need.<\/p>\n

The national intelligence community is at a turning point. The Australian Signals Directorate plans to double its workforce under the REDSPICE initiative<\/a>, the Office of National Intelligence needs top talent for its new Cyber and Critical Technology Intelligence Centre<\/a>, and other agencies regularly advertise for new recruits.<\/p>\n

With a shortfall<\/a> of 30,000 cybersecurity professionals expected over the next four years and fierce competition<\/a> for skilled workers across the labour market, Australia\u2019s intelligence agencies face a tough recruitment and retention road ahead. The challenge is only compounded by the requirement for security clearances, a process that, even at its best, is time-consuming and complex.<\/p>\n

With foreign<\/a> and domestic<\/a> spy chiefs speaking openly about this, it\u2019s time to ask what role the Australian intelligence \u2018brand\u2019 plays in recruitment efforts. What can the intelligence community learn from the corporate world\u2019s approach to branding? Is there a \u2018dynamic ribbon<\/a>\u2019 for espionage? Or a \u2018proprietary purple<\/a>\u2019?<\/p>\n

Centralisation in Canberra, lack of candidate diversity and unique skill requirements are all part of the problem, but branding matters too. That\u2019s because it\u2019s not just about selling; it\u2019s about how an organisation is perceived by and distinguished relative to its competitors, including potential employees. In the battle for talent, branding is essential, but it\u2019s often overlooked.<\/p>\n

Recruitment marketing involves creating awareness of and interest in an employer among potential recruits to attract the best candidates. Branding has become an important part of recruiting and of gaining an advantage. Brand equity<\/a>\u2014an organisation\u2019s value based on public perception\u2014drives job applications much like it propels purchases.<\/p>\n

But can brand equity be created without brand awareness? After all, the work of Australia\u2019s secret organisations is typically, well, secret.<\/p>\n

Without perfect information, consumers of soft drinks, chocolate and, yes, future careers, face \u2018decision difficulty\u2019. To overcome that, they seek information, including signals such as an organisation\u2019s brand, to judge quality. Brand associations can therefore heavily influence job application decisions.<\/p>\n

So, what is the national intelligence community signalling?<\/p>\n

The rebranded NIC jobs website<\/a> paints a picture of a contemporary environment with happy, modern intelligence officers who are diverse<\/a> and ordinary<\/a>. It depicts a kaleidoscope of creativity and collaboration, where desks in open-plan offices are launchpads for innovation and individuality, and where tradespeople and graphic designers work alongside technologists and intelligence collectors.<\/p>\n

This may well be true. But a century of spy filmmaking has reinforced an image of danger, intrigue, glamour and excitement that\u2019s hard to counter. Words like \u2018espionage\u2019 and \u2018spy\u2019 conjure images of a hypermasculine James Bond, equipped with guns and gadgets, or any number of formidable female agents<\/a>. So, clearly, there\u2019s a mismatch between this stereotype and the proclaimed reality.<\/p>\n

Consumers need the opportunity and tools for optimal decision-making<\/a>. In the case of what it really means to spy, the disconnection between popular fantasy and lesser-known reality may be causing value uncertainty and increasing prospective employees\u2019 confusion, leading them to question whether intelligence work is for them.<\/p>\n

And who, exactly, are agencies targeting? While claiming that there\u2019s no one \u2018type\u2019 of intelligence officer, recent campaigns<\/a> typically focus<\/a> on three demographic parameters: age (youth), sex (women) and ethnicity (non-Anglo). A past campaign<\/a> didn\u2019t bother with consumer classification: it simply invited the whole country to apply.<\/p>\n

But targeting prospective candidates using demographics is inadequate compared to segmentation, which focuses on values, beliefs and influences, and psychographics, which considers the nuances of personality.<\/p>\n

Research indicates<\/a> that knowledge workers, the main target audience for intelligence work, are largely motivated by career growth, challenging work, and training and development.<\/p>\n

The same study looked at the most used communication channels people use to find meaningful work. Current employees, word of mouth, media and direct experience ranked higher than brand and internet-based information. A number of studies suggest this is because direct experience or independent third-party endorsements tend to be seen as more reliable than brand reputation. But if an intelligence employee can\u2019t discuss where they work, how can they be a brand ambassador for the community?<\/p>\n

Director-General of Security Mike Burgess has described Australia\u2019s intelligence agencies as unabashedly meticulous in all they do<\/a>. To be seen as an employer of choice\u2014moving beyond movie-star spies and outdated perceptions and towards intelligence as an inclusive profession<\/a>\u2014this meticulous approach must be applied to all facets of the intelligence brand, including for recruitment.<\/p>\n

But a career portal facelift alone is likely to be ineffective. The independent intelligence review<\/a> that\u2019s now underway offers an opportunity for agencies to look outside the traditional national security sphere. There\u2019s much to learn from the corporate experience about what makes for a memorable brand that weaves the threads of mission and loyalty. It\u2019s about more than a colour scheme, a logo or a catchy tagline. It is about telling a compelling story and offering a differentiated narrative that helps potential talent feel like they could be part of something larger.<\/p>\n

The Australian intelligence brand is distinctive and superior. It should be playing a significant role in drawing top talent. When done right, branding becomes the foundation upon which lasting relationships are built. Because, after all, without the right, and enough, professionals to run our intelligence effort, can Australia really be prepared to deal with the threats to come?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Australia relies on the professional workforce of its national intelligence agencies to collect, assess and disseminate the intelligence critical to Australia\u2019s interests. They need the right professionals\u2014and enough of them\u2014to run the intelligence effort effectively. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1848,"featured_media":83278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[343,2011,170,301,136],"class_list":["post-83275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-australian-intelligence-community","tag-diversity","tag-intelligence","tag-national-security-2","tag-workforce","dinkus-2024-independent-intelligence-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAustralian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Australia relies on the professional workforce of its national intelligence agencies to collect, assess and disseminate the intelligence critical to Australia\u2019s interests. They need the right professionals\u2014and enough of them\u2014to run the intelligence effort effectively. ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-02T00:00:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T02:35:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meg Tapia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meg Tapia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg\",\"width\":724,\"height\":483,\"caption\":\"We are hiring recruitment message on a light box in a cinematic moody background\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/\",\"name\":\"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-02T00:00:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-15T02:35:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/c97450f5c4a6441fbf8ef7dba65f8820\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/c97450f5c4a6441fbf8ef7dba65f8820\",\"name\":\"Meg Tapia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11dc58b7a90155135fa84de3451ee4de?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11dc58b7a90155135fa84de3451ee4de?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Meg Tapia\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/meg-tapia\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist","og_description":"Australia relies on the professional workforce of its national intelligence agencies to collect, assess and disseminate the intelligence critical to Australia\u2019s interests. They need the right professionals\u2014and enough of them\u2014to run the intelligence effort effectively. ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2023-11-02T00:00:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-15T02:35:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":724,"height":483,"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Meg Tapia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Meg Tapia","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1129593826.jpg","width":724,"height":483,"caption":"We are hiring recruitment message on a light box in a cinematic moody background"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/","name":"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-11-02T00:00:44+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-15T02:35:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/c97450f5c4a6441fbf8ef7dba65f8820"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australian-intelligence-needs-a-better-strategy-to-meet-its-recruiting-challenge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Australian intelligence needs a better strategy to meet its recruiting challenge"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/c97450f5c4a6441fbf8ef7dba65f8820","name":"Meg Tapia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11dc58b7a90155135fa84de3451ee4de?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11dc58b7a90155135fa84de3451ee4de?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Meg Tapia"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/meg-tapia\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1848"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83275"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83280,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83275\/revisions\/83280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}