Five top tips on how to become a security guard

If you are thinking about having a career in the security industry, then here are some tips on how to become a security guard.

1. Understand what a security guard job involves

Different people enjoy different kinds of work. The first step in how to become a security guard is to get an idea of whether you are likely to enjoy this kind of work. Take a look at our blog here to find out more about the different kinds of security guard jobs and what they involve.

2. Consider whether you have the right personal qualities

Our security guards come from all walks of life, but they all have the following personal qualities:

Good communication skills: Being a security guard often involves dealing with people such as members of the public, the Police, other security guards, and so on. Communication skills are an important part of the job so you will need to have good spoken English skills and be able to fill out incident report forms.

Honest: Security guards are there to protect people and property. It goes without saying that honesty is a must!

Reliable and punctual: Our clients count on us to protect their staff, their customers, their premises and their goods. That’s why security guards need to be reliable and punctual. This means turning up on time for the job and completing all of the duties assigned to you.

Calm under pressure: Sometimes security work involves dealing with stressful situations such as aggressive people, very upset people, medical emergencies or criminal activity. Security guards need to stay calm under pressure. You will be trained in how to deal with such situations and extra, specialised training is given for some roles.

Observant: Good observation skills are important in this job. There are many examples of our guards preventing crime or helping Police solve cases because they noticed suspicious behaviour or something was amiss.  See here for an example.

Firm but caring: We like our guards to have a firm but caring attitude in their work. Being empathetic while taking no nonsense is very important when dealing with members of the public.

3. Meet the entry requirements

You don’t need a qualification to become a security guard. However, Armourguard supports all of our security guards and security officers to gain at least NZQA Level 2.

New Zealand law requires all security guards to have a Certificate of Approval (COA) issued by the Ministry of Justice. To get a certificate, you need to:

• Complete training. Some of this training is mandatory for getting a COA, and other training is provided free-of-charge by us.
• Pass a police background check (see below for more information).
• Pass a public notification that lets members of the public make comments.
• Apply for the certificate (we can help with the paperwork).
• Pay a fee. Armourguard makes it easier for our security guards to manage this cost by paying the fee to the Ministry of Justice, then gradually deducting it from their pay until it is paid off.

See here for more information about getting a COA.

A first aid certificate may also be useful, depending upon which site you work at. If the client requires our guard/s to have a current first aid certificate then Armourguard will cover the cost.

4. Disclose any criminal records when applying for a security guard job with us

Armourguard does a Police background check on everyone who applies for a job with us. Where the Clean Slate law applies then the person’s old charges are usually deleted from their record so are no longer visible in Police background checks.

However, the law requires all people applying for security officer jobs to disclose any criminal records – including those deleted under Clean Slate. This means you need to let us know about any previous criminal records.

5. Apply for a job

The final step is to look at our jobs board. If you can’t see any security guard jobs in your area, then keep looking because we regularly update the jobs list. Hopefully this blog has told you everything you need to know about how to become a security guard.  If you have any questions, then contact us to find out more.