Preventing Identity Theft in Your Business

CHAPTER 14THE PEOPLE FRONT: SELECT FOR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

For efficiency and cost-savings utility, and to remain competitive in an information-based economy, the standards of the Business Information Security Program (BISP) incorporate information security into traditional personnel functions that companies already may have in place. One traditional personnel selection practice that can be expected to increase in a service-based economy is the use of tests of interpersonal skills, which is why this test is included as the fourth standard of the BISP assessment battery.

A test of interpersonal skills can help to determine the fit or match between a job and the job applicant or the level of training needed by an applicant to perform that job’s interactive tasks. The use of a test of interpersonal skills, as with all other personnel selection tests, must be based on the results of the job analysis, as not all jobs require interpersonal interactions.

Today, however, many jobs that require confidentiality of information also involve customer service in which employees interpersonally interact with their customers or consumers—a company’s potential customers. Whether these employee-customer interactions occur face-to-face, over the telephone or the Internet, or in written communication, their outcomes directly impact the reputation, performance, and security of corporate information. Similarly, many other jobs, such as support positions, although they may not directly involve customer ...