How to hire a security guard

Security is important for any business. We live in turbulent times, and providing a safe environment for your employees is essential. In 2022, 28% of businesses experienced an increase in physical security attacks.[1]

These alarming numbers should serve as a reminder to check the level of security in your company and upgrade it, if necessary — and hiring a security guard might be in order.

The three major aspects of security that any business owner must consider are:

• Physical security

• Cyber security

• Document security

In this article, we’re going to talk primarily about physical security and how to upgrade it efficiently, as well as how pre-employment skills testing can help you hire the best security guards. Setting up the right physical security systems is one of the most important aspects of protecting your business and its assets. 

Unfortunately, it’s often not enough to have a strong lock or a badge system on the doors of your company’s office. This is a critical aspect of physical security but covers only the basics. 

To add additional physical security measures and reduce the security risks in your company, you can hire a security guard. Companies face many challenges with their manpower, and keeping your assets and people safe should be a priority. 

Finding a skilled security guard will help you:

• Ensure a comfortable work environment for employees and visitors

• Provide and execute a crisis management plan 

• Protect against theft or damage done to your company’s property

• Preserve any kind of sensitive information documented in your company’s office

Your company will rely on your security guard for crucial aspects of business, such as its safety. That’s why you must be careful when you’re hiring a security guard and ensure you’re hiring the right candidate for your company. 

Keep in mind that the turnover rate in the security industry can reach a staggering rate, depending on the type of company. Turnovers happen in every field of work, but this one is particularly impacted. 

Employee turnover can be a serious drain on your company’s resources. However, there are ways to manage employee turnover, including hiring smartly and building a data-based hiring process. 

Continue reading our guide to hiring security guards to make sure you can identify the right candidate for your company and make an informed hiring decision. 

Below, you’ll find out about the role of a security guard, which hard and soft skills are essential for it, how to use pre-employment skills tests to evaluate them objectively, where to find qualified security guards, as well as information about the average salary of a security guard and a job description template that you can use in your search.

✅ Hiring qualified security guards can be easy with pre-employment skills testing

What is a security guard?

Security guards have different duties depending on the type of company they’re working for. However, there is one main task that remains unchanged, regardless of what industry they are employed in — the task of protecting what they were hired to protect.

Aside from protecting people and property, security guards might be required to:

• Actively prevent crimes

• Monitor their surroundings or a specified area for suspicious activity

• Intervene or contact the authorities when a security problem occurs 

Security guards are required to provide protection from various threats, such as terrorism, vandalism, theft, sabotage, trespass, and security breaches. They wear uniforms so people easily recognize them and know they can turn to them when a security issue arises. 

Security guards are frequently required to patrol the building or site they’re guarding to ensure that no unauthorized people enter the premises. Most incidents can be prevented by effective and regular patrolling, so hiring professionals who can monitor and surveil the area instead of waiting for a problem to occur can save you a lot of trouble. 

Patrolling can occur during office hours or when there is no one else in the facility for the sake of guarding the property and valuables stored inside. You can hire a security guard to perform access control at the entrance of a building and to make sure that your employees and visitors are properly identified before they enter. 

Part of the job of a security guard is to take notes and keep detailed records of any irregularities, which they can use to deal with any potential threats or assist the authorities.

There’s no official ranking for security personnel, but learning more about the different types of security guards can help you to clarify which kind of guard you need. The distinctions are mostly based on whether the security guard is armed or not, as specific training is required for holding an armed guard position.

The security guard categories include:

• Unarmed security guard. This entry-level position requires minimum training. These guards are typically stationed in one spot. 

• Unarmed security officer. This rank requires someone with at least 80 hours of training. They may carry self-defense weapons such as a taser and have a more managerial role.

• Armed security officer. These are professionals with years of experience and special training in using firearms. 

Security guard hard skills

When you’re hiring a security guard, it’s important to identify the hard and soft skills essential for the job role. 

Some of the hard skills you need to evaluate during the security guard selection process include:

Knowledge of security operations and procedures

The security operating procedures include a list of specific actions that allow security personnel to determine the best way to handle a threat to the security of their clients. Their primary function is training security professionals to detect, analyze, and respond effectively to threats and incidents. 

Extensive knowledge of the risk management process is critical for every security guard and means that they can:

• Identify the risk quickly

• Assess the risk accurately

• Treat the risk effectively

• Report the risk in a clear and concise manner

Surveillance skills

Security guards are often required to monitor the area they are in charge of guarding so they can register any unusual activity and investigate before a problem occurs. 

Depending on your company and the kind of security guard you’re looking for, this might include more technical skills such as:

• Electrical installation knowledge

• Expertise in network administration

• Repair and maintenance skills

• Knowledge of video surveillance software

Surveillance skills also include:

• Observation skills

• Good judgment

• Research skills

Physical fitness

Physical fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to function well enough for you to be healthy and capable of performing your daily activities without straining yourself. 

Security guards need to be alert and capable of reacting with vigor and physical precision to threats. That’s why it’s important for them to be physically fit and to have heightened strength and endurance. 

There are five components of physical fitness:

• Flexibility

• Body composition

• Muscular strength

• Muscular endurance

• Cardiorespiratory endurance

Knowledge of local laws

Security guards should be aware of their local laws and regulations. Critical situations may arise while they’re on duty, and it’s important to be able to comply with site regulations. 

In some locations, security guards are allowed to make arrests and detain perpetrators on the property that they’re hired to protect. To be able to perform their duties effectively, they must have a solid knowledge of the related laws of the jurisdiction in which they are working. 

Good reaction time

Reaction time is a measure of the speed at which an organism responds to some type of stimulus. The short time between a stimulus and a response indicates high agility and effectiveness. 

Security guards are expected to deal with unpredictable situations. The safety of your employees, visitors, and property relies on their quick and efficient response. Good reaction time allows your security guard to:

• Make better judgments 

• Prevent dangerous situations from unfolding

• Respond appropriately in unpredictable situations

• Protect the people or property they’ve been assigned to protect

Reading comprehension

Having good reading comprehension means the reader is capable of: 

• Engaging with a text

• Processing it accurately

• Learning from it

• Drawing proper conclusions

It’s a basic survival skill for most professions. Security guards with good reading comprehension are able to:

• Write clear and concise reports

• Understand written instructions fast

• Take useful notes of any incidents or unusual activities 

Technical skills

Depending on the duties you need them to perform, your security guard might be required to work with specific software. This can be:

• Monitoring software

• Data management tools

• Microsoft Office Suite or a similar word processor for writing reports and sharing information

Security guard soft skills

Soft skills are just as important as hard skills for someone who works with people on a daily basis. Some of the soft skills that a security guard should have include:

Critical thinking

The ability to objectively analyze and evaluate an issue is of vital importance for a security guard. Security guards have to frequently make decisions that impact the security of your company. Being able to reach rational conclusions means that they can effectively manage the safety of the people and property they are assigned to protect. 

Security guards who have strong critical thinking skills can:

• Ask precise questions

• Collect relevant information

• Think through various solutions and possible conclusions

• Make sound judgments

• Communicate their thoughts effectively

Work ethic

A good employee is defined by what they do and how they do it. This is determined by their work ethic. A work ethic is a personal set of values that shows how someone approaches their work. 

Having a strong work ethic means that you are: 

• Punctual

• Highly motivated

• Able to prioritize tasks effectively

• A good collaborator who doesn’t hold up projects

• Capable of producing high-quality results consistently

Problem-solving

The ability to solve problems is a basic skill for a security guard. The decisions they make can strongly impact the safety of your employees, visitors, and property. Often, they are required to solve unusual problems and deal with threatening situations quickly.

Security guards with strong problem-solving skills are able to:

• Identify a problem accurately

• Develop practical and creative solutions

• Determine the most appropriate and efficient course of action

• Execute the solution

• Learn from the result

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are often referred to as people skills. They are essential in the workplace because they allow us to build relationships based on mutual trust. Security guards must have strong interpersonal skills as they are required to frequently interact with people and be good communicators. 

People with excellent interpersonal skills are able to:

• Listen actively and understand the meaning people put into their words

• Provide useful responses

• Collaborate with others effectively

• Resolve conflicts

• Maintain strong professional relationships

Attention to detail 

Security guards are trained to observe their surroundings closely and monitor for any inconsistencies or unusual activities. 

To be able to notice small but significant bits of information and process them effectively, security guards must have well-developed attention to detail. This enables them to:

• Pay close attention to visual cues

• Identify patterns

• Minimize distractions

• Work efficiently and with no errors

Spatial reasoning

Spatial reasoning is the ability to comprehend, remember, visualize, and accurately estimate the movements of two- and three-dimensional objects, as well as to deduce patterns between them. It’s an essential cognitive skill for many job roles. 

Interpreting objects and their movements and being able to manipulate them in your mind is a skill related to how well you can process new information and apply it in practice. It’s directly related to problem-solving skills and critical thinking. 

Communication

Security guards may regularly find themselves in high-stress situations in which people turn to them for clarity or to calm down. They are also frequently required to handle emergency calls or complaints and have to understand people’s needs well to be able to respond to them. That’s why strong communication skills are a must for every security guard.

Being a good communicator means that your security guard can:

• Communicate orders

• Follow protocol

• Calm down and guide frantic people to safety 

• Address emergency calls and complaints

• Write clear and concise reports 

Motivation

Companies with a highly engaged workforce are 21% more profitable. Hiring motivated candidates means building a more successful and productive business. 

Motivated security guards will:

• Work hard to achieve their goals

• Be more engaged with their job

• Feel more satisfied in your company

• Affect their teammates positively

How to test security guard skills

Every job opening can attract dozens or even hundreds of applications. The Internet has made it relatively easy for anyone to apply for jobs, and there are many job spammers who submit resumes for roles regardless of whether they fit the qualifications or not. 

Poring through these resumes will waste your time and resources and give you little to no information because over half of Americans admit to lying on their resumes. 

In this environment, pre-employment skills testing is a game changer. Organizations seeking to find the right talent can benefit tremendously from implementing skills assessments in their hiring process.

Skills assessments consist of up to five professionally developed and standardized pre-employment tests. Read on to check out a list of validated tests relevant to the security guard job role.

Recommended tests

Here are some of the tests available in the TestGorilla test library that we recommend to evaluate security guard skills: 

• Critical thinking. This test evaluates the candidates’ ability to use logic and analytical reasoning to make sound judgments. Find out if your candidates can understand cause-and-effect relationships and recognize assumptions.

• Attention to detail (visual). This test objectively screens candidates who can notice small details in an image and observe patterns. People who pass this test carefully consider all visual information presented to them and are aware of any changes, no matter how insignificant. 

• Spatial reasoning. The spatial reasoning test evaluates a candidate’s ability to analyze two- and three-dimensional objects and space. It’s great for evaluating cognitive and analytical skills. 

• Problem-solving. Use this test to find candidates who can use logic to evaluate and respond to complex situations. Candidates who score high on this test can analyze information to draw conclusions and solve problems effectively.

• Communication. This test assesses candidates in written and verbal communication, active listening, and nonverbal cues. It will help you identify candidates with excellent workplace communication skills.  

• Reading comprehension. Evaluate your candidates’ proficiency in reading a portion of text and comprehending its meaning. This test allows you to find candidates who can process effectively written information and use analytical thinking to reach appropriate conclusions.

• Motivation. Skills can be taught and developed over time, but motivation and personal preferences rarely change. Use this test to identify candidates motivated to do the kind of job you’re offering. 

• Culture add. Hiring a security guard who is aligned with your company’s organizational culture and shares its values is important. This test will help you identify candidates whose behaviors match the ones required for the job role in your company. 

• Enneagram. The Enneagram test maps out nine different personalities, which reveal your candidates’ core beliefs and worldviews. It allows you to acquire talking points for the interviews and to know the candidates better. 

• Big 5 (OCEAN). This personality test will help you better understand your candidates’ personality inclinations. It assesses five dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability.

Where to find a security guard

Depending on your organization and the type of work you have in mind for your security guard, you can hire an in-house guard or source one from a security company. 

If you’re only looking for a security guard for particular events, it will be more cost-efficient to work with a security company or hire a freelance security guard. 

However, working with an in-house (full-time) security guard allows for more flexibility and gives you more control over who you’re hiring. 

No matter how much engagement you require from your security guard, running background checks is crucial. Make sure you’re hiring someone with a clean criminal background. Honesty and ethical interactions are critical for someone who works in security, so ask for references who can confirm your candidate’s integrity.

Where to find in-house security guards

You can source full-time security guards on the following platforms:

• ZipRecruiter. The platform has built-in applicant ratings, which allows you to get a better grasp of your candidates. 

• Glassdoor. Glassdoor has millions of professionals looking for jobs on it so it’s highly likely to find the right candidate for your company there.

• Securitas. This platform focuses on all sorts of security personnel, including security guards, and has over 400 local offices that serve companies of all types and sizes.

• Allied Universal. This is a leading global provider of security services that has experience with providing security guards suited to the needs of various industries. 

Where to find freelance security guards

If you’re looking for part-time security guards, here are some suggestions to source them:

• Security training institutions. Through institutions, you can pick from a large pool of aspiring professionals who are highly motivated to develop and prove their skills. This is a particularly useful source for part-time security guards.

• Freelance-security. This platform is focused on providing freelance services from all sorts of security specialists. 

• Silent Professionals. This private security job market allows you to pick qualified professionals for worldwide custom-tailored security solutions. 

Security guard job description template

[COMPANY NAME] is looking for a reliable and vigilant security guard who can ensure that our employees and properties are safe. 

As [COMPANY NAME]’s security guard, you will be responsible for the safety of our employees and visitors. You must monitor the premises closely and be alert and attentive toward your surroundings, so you can react appropriately if a threatening situation occurs. 

Security guard job responsibilities

1. Ensure guests sign in to a visitor log when they arrive and exit the facility 

2. Check credentials

3. Patrol and monitor the activities happening on the company’s premises

4. Ensure that the environment is secure

5. Manage and/or detain trespassers and violators while following legal protocols

6. Contact the relevant authorities if there is an incident or crime that requires it

7. Monitor safety and surveillance systems to track down any unlawful activities

8. Record and report any irregularities and suspicious activities

9. Test security systems

10. Develop emergency plans 

Security guard job requirements

• High school qualification (or equivalent)

• Security training qualification

• One year of experience in the field (or equivalent)

• Excellent knowledge of security procedures and protocols

• Ability to operate security systems and equipment

• Good interpersonal skills

• Attentive and observant 

• Physical fitness

• Basic first-aid skills are an advantage

How much does a security guard cost?

On average, a security guard in the US makes $16.41 per hour. 

This makes for an average security guard salary of $37,984 per year. The annual salary can range from $28,292 to $50,997. 

The amount you’re offering should be aligned with the experience and additional skills that you require, as well as other factors, such as the cost of living in your area or the tasks and responsibilities of the job. 

Security guard interview questions

Here are some interview questions we recommend asking your candidates in order to identify a qualified security guard for your company:

1. What security practices do you follow to lower risks? 

2. Describe a tense situation that you managed to de-escalate. 

3. Have you ever contacted the authorities while you were working? What for?

4. Do you assess the potential danger level based on people’s appearances?

5. Are you comfortable controlling large crowds? Do you have any experience with that?

6. What is your favorite part of working as a security guard?

Hiring qualified security guards can be easy with pre-employment skills testing

The high turnover rates in the security industry can be quite costly for your company. This is why you need to make sure you’re hiring the right person, regardless if you need to hire a bodyguard or a security agent.

There’s no 100% guarantee, but you can minimize the risks of making a bad hire by optimizing your hiring process. 

Using pre-employment skills testing is one of the steps you can take to improve recruitment in your company and streamline your security guard hiring process. 

Sign up for a free 30-min demo today and see for yourself why more than 9,000 companies are using TestGorilla to streamline recruitment. 

Sources

1. Security Magazine, https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98773-28-of-businesses-saw-an-increase-in-security-incidents-in-2022, accessed on May 31, 2023