5 Security Guard Requirements You Should Make When Hiring Security Personnel

Are you interested in hiring security personnel for your business? Here are some security guard requirements you should have for the role.

If you are thinking about hiring a security guard, then you’ll want to be sure to pick the right candidate. The security guard industry often gets a bad rep, and security guards are often unfairly labeled as professional thugs. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, security guards can be very generous.

Of course, as a business, your number one priority is to ensure that your venue is protected and your guests feel safe but you also want to employ someone who is professional and good at de-escalating tricky situations.

Here are some must-have security guard requirements.

No Criminal Record:
It would be wrong to say that anyone with a criminal record is automatically going to do a bad job. As a business, you have to be tough and think about your reputation and image.

If you hire someone with a violent criminal record, you don’t want a court to take the view that the decision to employ a security guard with a prior criminal record amounted to negligence.

Degree:
A college degree can be a real plus in terms of security guard skills. It suggests that the candidate has strong critical thinking skills, and they are able to process information and evaluate a situation logically.

This added intelligence can be a real bonus to your business when you need it most. If a situation does escalate, you don’t want to employ physical contact as some security guards do to remove someone. This should always be the last resort.

Instead, you want someone who can think creatively about different ways to deescalate a situation. Someone with a college degree might be more equipped with the skills to be able to do this.

This is one of the most overlooked security skills and one you should consider carefully even if it means paying the candidate with a college degree a higher salary.

Security Guard Training:
This is an integral part of any security guard application. The qualifications vary from state-to-state, and there is no countrywide certificate. Many colleges offer their own qualifications so you should consider accepting these as they often cover the basics such as first aid, disaster response, and other emergencies.

However, most security guards should have a license, particularly if they are going to be carrying firearms. In order to get this, a security guard must have passed a drug test, a criminal background check, and there might be an element of studying involved. Remember we offer new employee training.

Physically Fit:
Of course, as well as having a great problem-solving ability and people skills, a security guard must also be physically adept so they can respond to situations when appropriate. This is one of the most important security officer skills.

You can set your own fitness tests to test their stamina and could make attending the gym three times a week a requirement of their contract. If the security guard is going to be part of a larger team, you could ask current employees to put them through their passes.

Key questions to ask them during their interview include asking them how many times a week they go to the gym.

Experience and Training:
Another key aspect of any security guard skill is the experience. No amount of qualifications can account for experience in dealing with the security for different venues.

Whilst of course you can offer on-the-job training to all of your new employees, you want anyone you employ to have had experience in the security for a similar venue.

If yours is one of the busiest nightclubs in town, then hiring someone who has experience of handling the security for a small bank or as personal security for one individual might not be the best option.

This is because the two roles require very different skill sets. A night club involves dealing with people heavily intoxicated and large crowds of people and breaking up fights.

Being the personal security for one person involves having eyes on one person at all times and remaining vigilant rather than being an expert in crowd management. Someone who has been a security guard for one individual might also not be as used to working in a team of people.

Security Guard Requirements: Be Sure You Know What You Want:
A security guard is a broad term and because every venue and every situation where a security guard might be employed is different. You are going to want to be sure that you employ the right person.

To do this you need to ensure that they are physically fit and have been put through their paces. Be wary of employing anyone with a criminal record to protect the image of your establishment and to avoid any potential litigation that could ensue as a result.

Consider whether one of the security guard requirements should be a college degree so that your future employee has the logical and reasoning skills to be able to de-escalate situations at short notice rather than to always respond physically.

In terms of security guard qualifications, you need to ensure they undertook thorough training and that their training provider was reputable. Skills like first aid and disaster response should have been included.

If you are interested in hiring a security guard, be sure to check out our services to see how we can help.

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