5 tough security questions (and tips on answering them)
At first glance, Eric Cowperthwaite, Chief Security Officer at Providence Health and Services in Renton, Washington, doesn't care how excellent a job candidate's credentials and experience look on paper. He wants to see how much of an impression they make on his team.
"It doesn't matter how much I like you or how impressed I am by your skills. Show up and rub the team the wrong way, that's the end of the line."
That's is why when Cowperthwaite is vetting candidates for the security department at Providence, a not-for-profit Catholic health care services organization, he has every one of them meet with the team they will be working with BEFORE they get to sit down with him. He believes their impression is what matters most. "It costs a lot in terms of team dynamics and effort and work that goes undone if you bring someone in that doesn't fit," said Cowperthwaite. "If someone doesn't fit, you have to start all over again in six months and hire someone else."
