What Does a Security Officer Do?
Security Officers typically work for a variety of businesses or private entities. These include private homes, business parks, factories, warehouses, pharmaceutical plants, hospitals, shopping malls or government buildings. They work closely with other Security Officers to uphold security procedures, identify potential entry points for trespassers and resolve disputes between visitors or employees accordingly. Their job is to study building blueprints and notify officials of any suspicious activities. They may also be responsible for apprehending trespassers and detaining them until law enforcement arrives.
Security Officer Skills and Qualifications
Security Officers need to be alert, constantly be watching for anything unusual. In the case of an emergency, they are responsible for calling for assistance from ambulance, police or fire services. A job description for a Security Officer may contain the following skills and qualifications:
- Communication skills to effectively communicate with others, especially in stressful situations
- Good judgment in order to quickly identify the best course of action for dealing with dangerous situations as they arise
- Observation skills in order to immediately notice anything out of the ordinary
- Patience as they often spend long periods of time standing and observing what’s going on around them
Security Officer Salary Expectations
The average salary for a Security Officer is $12.97 per hour. This information is based on 72,734 anonymously submitted salaries to Indeed from employees and users along with past and present job title job postings on Indeed within the last 36 months.
Security Officer Salary Expectations
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Common salary:
18.46 HOURLY -
Typical salaries range from
7.25 -34.65 HOURLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Security Officer Education and Training Requirements
A Security Officer position often requires a high school diploma or equivalent. While additional instruction is often provided by an employer, the specific amount of training individuals receive depends on each employer. The majority of Security Officers learn a new position quickly with the employer covering emergency procedures, proper communication and detention of suspects.
Many states suggest Security Officers receive eight hours of training before starting the job, eight to 16 hours of training on-the-job and eight hours of annual training. This training may include specialized training related to their specific assignment, first aid, deterring crises, report writing, public relations and protection. Armed Security Officers typically receive more rigorous weapons training along with periodic firearms use testing.
Security Officer Experience Requirements
Security Officers in specialized areas like gaming surveillance often need prior work experience in casinos or surveillance. Experience working with video monitoring technology is especially helpful and often gained working as a Security Officer.
Job Description Samples for Similar Positions
If this job description for a Security Officer isn’t quite what you’re looking for, consider these similar positions:
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