Say you have a friend who works out and is big with bulging muscles. He looks intimidating. So you ask him to “handle security” at your event. And you pay him a couple bucks under the table for his time. Is he trained? No. He just “looks the part” of “don’t mess with me.” But is that really the best way to handle security for your event? Looks and knowledge of procedures are two different things! When you have an event, you should hire a professional security guard rather than rely on a muscular buddy to stand around and look intimidating!
So what are some examples of qualifications for security guards that you should consider before hiring them?
Clean Record
First, ideally they don’t have a criminal record. If they do, and they were violent in the past, they could easily be violent again. Or they could steal stuff. Now there are some people who don’t mind hiring former felons because they trust they’ve got their act together and will be fine. You could do that, but is it the wisest decision? Probably not. The same goes for drugs. You want a clear-headed guard– not an addict living in a hazy fog.
Education and Experience
Next, consider hiring a guard who has a college degree. That shows you that they took the time to develop their thinking skills. They had to deal with processing information, and that’s an asset to the job. Hopefully, they think about things logically and can evaluate situations well because their college years helped develop good skill sets.
Thirdly, guards who are professional have been through proper security guard training, which includes attending classes, taking tests, practical experience(s) and obtaining certificates. When trained, they learn about more than just watching for thieves… they learn about first aid, handling emergencies, disaster response, etc. There are also classes to take to obtain a license to legally carry (and use) a firearm.
Fitness
Finally, other things to consider when assessing whether a guard is qualified to do the job (or not) include how physically fit they are, how much experience they have (already) and how they interact with people– they need good communication skills to do the job.
If you’re looking for qualified security guards in the Rochester area, learn how COP Security can help.