Security guard can be a fantastic and hugely rewarding career path for the right person but does require a certain personality and skillset that not everyone possesses.

If you are considering a career change and are wondering if security guard could be the right way forward for you, you have come to the right place.

Avant Guard Security Glasgow are one of the UK’s top security companies providing security guards to companies across the nation. We know exactly what makes a great security guard and know exactly what we look for when considering candidates to join our ranks of highly trained professionals.

In this article, we will look through some of the skills possessed by all great security professionals. If you recognise yourself in these traits, you could be the next great security guard in waiting. If not, it might be worth looking elsewhere for you next exciting step in your career.

security guard

5 Attributes of a Great Security Guard

Honesty

We’d be surprised if you didn’t consider yourself an honest person, but trustworthiness is widely considered as the most important quality of any security professional.

You are responsible for the safety of people and given the responsibly of protecting individual’s and companies’ most valuable assets. You will often be left alone on a property and it is vital that clients feel comfortable entrusting you with this key responsibility. All security officers must undergo pretty extensive background checks designed to highlight anything that compromise their ability to do this role.

It is not only about being an honest person either, you need to show that you can be trusted to remain vigilant and won’t make costly mistakes as a result of a lack of proper care and attention.

Commitment

The process involved in becoming a security guard is not easy. There is a lot of training and learning to do and only those who are truly committed to the role will find success.

During your training you will learn skills such as health and safety, conflict management, and much more besides.

All this leads up to obtaining a SIA licence, the industry standard qualification required for an individual to work as a security guard.

Attention to detail

Security guards must remain highly vigilant at all times and be able to spot suspicious activity at a single glance. If you are not someone who notices the little things, security guard probably isn’t the role for you.

You need to be able to analyse a situation in an instant and make a decision based on the information available.

Physical Ability

Security officer can be a pretty active role if you are asked to perform mobile patrols rather that being stationed in one spot. Either way you will be on your feet for many hours at a time and need the physical ability to intercept intruders and have a good level of strength and stamina.

All this will be assessed before you become a qualified guard but you might want to get in shape before applying.