If you are interested in a part-time job during college or after retirement or you just want to change your career path, you can choose to be a security guard. Now, you may be wondering what criteria you need to become a security guard. Keep reading and find out.
You Need to Be Over 18
Your age needs to be over 18 if you want to be a security guard. However, for some posts, such as agency associates, the requirement is over 21.
License and Training is Required
You need to be licensed if you wish to work for a company that provides security guard services. The training to become a security guard covers some criminal laws and rules of arrest. You also learn how to be a first responder as well as how to preserve a crime scene. If the only authority on a site is you and a crime takes place, you need to know how to handle the circumstance until the police arrive.
Some other basics that you will cover during training are ethics, grooming, and security guard attire.
A Clean Background is Needed
Before giving you a license, the state will make a background check to make sure there are no criminal records on your name. Additionally, before hiring you, most companies will also do a background check. Generally, becoming a security professional requires you to have no felonies or other serious crimes on your name.
Experience Can Help
While it is not necessary to have experience to become a security guard, it may help you get the job. In many cases, former police officers choose to be security guards. If you were in the military or had been working on any other related posts, noting that experience on your resume can increase the chances of you getting a position.
Additional On-Site Training
In addition to the training that you need to do to receive your license, you may have to do some site-specific training before you take a security job. Security guards work at hotels, sports venues, schools, hospitals, and various other kinds of establishments. Each of these facilities has its own different needs, so there may be a requirement for unique training.
You may also need to learn how to operate metal detectors or X-ray machinery. If you work on virtual security, you will have to be good at watching and monitoring, and you will also have to learn how to respond if something is inappropriate.
Confidence Is Essential
To be a successful security guard, you need to be confident and have a natural air of authority. While usually, the presence of a security guard deters crimes, it tends to happen if the guard has the right manner.
