How to hire security guards

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
• Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
• Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings.
• Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
• Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
• Respond to medical emergencies by administering basic first aid or by obtaining assistance from paramedics.
• Warn persons of rule infractions or violations, and apprehend or evict violators from premises, using force when necessary.
• Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, monitoring, speaking, critical thinking and reading comprehension skills
• Working knowledge of public safety and security, customer and personal service, English Language and computers and electronics
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $18.28 an hour ($38,020 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for security guards

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to answer alarms and investigate disturbances. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
7. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What security guards do

• Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
• Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
• Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings.
• Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
• Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
• Respond to medical emergencies by administering basic first aid or by obtaining assistance from paramedics.
• Warn persons of rule infractions or violations, and apprehend or evict violators from premises, using force when necessary.
• Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningMonitoringSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionPublic Safety and SecurityCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageComputers and Electronics

Education, experience and outlook for security guards

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 1 to 3 months (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +0.9% over ten years, little or no change · about 156,000 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay security guards

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See security guards pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers
• Transit and Railroad Police
• Transportation Security Screeners
• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
• Parking Enforcement Workers
• Public Safety Telecommunicators
• Protective Service Workers, All Other
• Correctional Officers and Jailers
• Crossing Guards and Flaggers
• Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.