Job Responsibilities
The role and the duties of the unarmed security officer vary significantly depending on the type and the location of the job.
The Unarmed Security Guard is responsible for the following:
- Performing protective service work and ensure prevention of any loss of assets
- Following all company policies regarding safety and abide by the duties assigned to him
- Working on any weekends and holidays
- Working long hours (over time) whenever required
- Providing quality customer services and communicating with personnel
- Handling every situation which arises during his duty hours with courage and wisdom
- Maintaining confidentiality about people living or working in the area where he is posted
- Keeping record on a daily basis concerning all the activities during his shift
- Writing special reports regarding any accidents or unusual incidents that might take place during his duty hours
- Patrolling facility to ensure security and safety
- Examining doors, windows, and gates
- Regulating vehicle and pedestrian traffic for smooth flow
- Reporting problematic situations like fire hazards, leaking water pipes, etc.
- Calling police or fire department if the situation demands
Academic and Skill sets
To work as an Unarmed Security Officer one must be at least of 18 years of age (some companies, mostly US companies, require the candidate to be of 21 years of age or older). Other requirements to qualify as Security Officer are as follows:
- High School Diploma or GED. However, some companies don't require even this. Pass the background check and undergo at the same time clearing the drug screening test
- Must have an appropriate state certification or guard card (Unarmed Security Guard License) of the area. (Not required by some of the companies as they will get you the card by themselves once you are hired)
- Willing to work in different shifts, days, evenings and nights
- Must be mature, trustworthy and responsible
- Must be alert and a good observer
- Must have a valid driver's license with clean vehicle record (some companies even require the candidates to own transport)
- Should not have any criminal records in the past
- Must be able to work on weekends and holidays (some companies might not require this)
- Must have good communication and interpersonal skills
- Must have basic mathematical skills
- Must be responsive with good reasoning ability
- Must be present minded to take immediate action whenever required
- Must be able to follow clear instructions and report things properly to the supervisors
As an Unarmed Security Officer one can gain a lot of experience while working. Also there are opportunities where candidates can get on the job training and paid training. Such training definitely helps individuals to get groomed and gain experience in this field which will help them excel in their career. After getting adequate experience and training they can advance to higher levels like Chief Security Officer or Security Manager.
Prior Experience
One can also work as a temporary security officer. An Unarmed Security Officer is an entry level position. Therefore most of the companies don't require experience and one can get experience while on the job. Some of the companies may ask for 1 to 2 years of experience. Experienced candidates are always preferred over inexperienced ones.
Employment Outlook
Career Prospects (globally)
With ever growing numbers of industries, residential complexes and private apartments, the need for unarmed security officers is increasing. As prevention is better than cure many of the companies and residential complexes are employing unarmed security guards to avoid any kind of malpractices and robberies which have become common in this current poor economic scenario. Therefore to prevent any such undesirable incident unarmed security officers are hired by several of employers, giving boost to the number of available vacancies for this post.
Salaries
Usually Unarmed Security Officers are paid on an hourly basis as they work on shifts and their shift timings may vary considerably. They have to work overtime as well as on weekends and holidays. The normal pay is $8.00 per hour which can go up to $18.00 per hour. The annual average salary is about $39,000.
If the Security Officer fulfills his duties properly, observes timings, and shows good performance then there are bright chances that an unarmed security officer will get a hike in payment.