A job as a security guard can provide you with a dynamic workplace, career advancement opportunity, and depending on the employer can include advantages like paid vacation and full medical benefits. There are companies hiring entry-level job seekers with no experience in the field, providing that you complete the required training.
A more seasoned security service job seeker can branch out into related career paths such as security management (both in a security company but also in corporate security), a private investigator, a police officer, and more.
In a world where asset protection is increasingly important, the market for security guards in Kenya is quite robust. Professionals with the right training and license are in high demand. Security guards play a significant role in many aspects of modern life, such as guarding an Office Building, Construction Site, Shopping Malls, Transportation Centre’s, Trade Shows, Warehouses, Educational Institutes, Religious Centre’s, Event Venues, Supermarkets, Banks, and Government Buildings.
On a daily basis, our eyes may skim over security personnel, as part of the job is to blend in rather than stick out. But the next time you’re out and about, take a look at what an integral role security guards play in keeping things running smoothly. In a crisis, people look to security staff for guidance and reassurance that things are being handled.
If you’re highly motivated, have a strong work ethic and desire a career with the potential for advancement, being a security guard could be a promising future for you. Before embarking on a new career as a security guard, it’s important to know what it entails and what it takes to excel.
Eligibility, License, and Certifications
A valid and up-to-date security license is a prerequisite to be certified to work as security personnel across the Republic of Kenya. Requirements vary depending on the security service. To start with, applicants must be at least 18 years of age, high school education certificate (KCSE) for standard security guard position), legally permitted to work in the country and pass a criminal background screening. To advance your career from a standard security guard position to a specialized position, you must pursue additional certifications. This demonstrates to potential employers that you value your career path and continually strive to be the best security professional that you can be.
Types of Security Personnel
Choosing your niche within the security profession gives you a lot to consider. You can begin with an assessment of the daily duties the job requires and the environment in which the job takes place.
Standard Security Guards
This position is the most common type of security staff. In this type of job, you may be hired directly by the company that owns the premises and items being guarded, or more commonly you would be employed by a private security company that serves multiple clients. At different times, you may be assigned to different locations, such as a bank or a construction site.
Specialized Security Guards
Some types of security require advanced, specialized training, such as guarding of a private art collection, an airport, an exotic animal sanctuary, a scientific research facility, chemical plant, or other location with specialized security needs. The possibilities are virtually endless for a career as a specialized security guard.
Events Crowd Control Guards
For large public events and festivals, crowd control guards are needed to help guide, inform, patrol, and supervise the crowd. Often in situations of overcrowding or high tension, such as following a big loss for a local sports team, crowd control guards are responsible for managing the situation by providing clear instructions, preventing scuffles and keeping a level head.
A Truly Dynamic Career
A career in the security industry provides the opportunity to find a vocation that works for you. For example, if you feel a strong sense of duty, enjoy helping and protecting vulnerable people, and are detail-oriented, you may be stationed at the front and Centre of a building. It will be your responsibility to screen and greet everyone upon arrival and to ensure that everyone entering the building is authorized to be there. This is an excellent option if you are an outgoing, extroverted person who enjoys developing a cordial rapport with the regulars.
Those who identify as introverts can also excel as a security professional, such as the night shift where you would patrol the vicinity rather than greet and admit people. It would be your responsibility to protect and guard against threats to property, such as theft and vandalism.
Pursuing a career as a security guard can be a great option for students in college or university since the flexible hours are helpful to suit your study schedule. Even if your career path is eventually headed in a different direction, a security job can provide your resume with years of experience that shows a commitment to professionalism and work ethic.
Skills Required in the Security Industry
To be successful as a security guard, there is a wide range of skills necessary. These are the nine qualities you need to so that you can help maintain the security of Australian businesses.
Preparedness
This involves being properly and adequately equipped to handle any situation that comes your way. Suitable clothing, and shoes are necessary to keep you comfortable during surveillance. You will also need essential security gear to be able to communicate, and physically handle any offenders you may face.
Honesty
This kind of role requires you to work closely with your employer. This means your employer needs to trust you to make the right decisions to protect their business and the general public. So it’s important that you present yourself well so that you can create and maintain this trust.
Quick Reflexes
Being a security guard means that you have to be alert at all times, and be able to assess what is going on around you. Your alertness needs to be reflected in how quickly you are able to react to a potentially dangerous situation. Security guards have to analyze the situation quickly so that they can decide how to address it.
Rationality
Along with quick reflexes, a security guard must be able to make good judgement calls about whether something is a legitimate threat, and if it is a threat, how big it is. Rationality relies on making sense of each aspect of the situation and being able to predict how it will play out.
Leader and Team Player
Although security guards are rarely seen in groups, in many cases, they work in teams to ensure that the perimeter of a business is completely secure. This involves knowing when to assert yourself, and when you need to follow the orders of someone else. In doing so, your team will be able to work efficiently.
Excellent Communication Skills
Between reporting to your employer, to your teammates, and to the public, you need to be able to explain what you are doing quickly and effectively – everything from your current status to the type of threat you are facing. This ensures that you are able to direct the situation in the safest way possible.
Value and Respect for Life
The consistent need for physical confrontation means that as a security guard, you will face the issue of how much strength to exert. Especially when approaching a fight, or when being attacked, it is important for security guards to ensure that they make an effort to on subdue the offender(s) and avoid any possibility of injuring the offender(s) or any onlookers.
Exceptional Strength and Fitness
There is a definite chance of physical confrontation in this role. Whether you need to outrun a thief or break up a fight, in order to do so you need to have reasonable physical strength and fitness to keep up with offenders.
Education and Training
Most importantly, a security guard needs to have a complete understanding of security operations. These industry standards and practices are necessary for performing all tasks in a professional manner. Being educated and trained for this career ensures that you are able to find and maintain a steady career.
The constant possibility of a threat means that security guards need to always be on the ball. So in order to perform their tasks in this way, security guards need to have a particular skillset. A career in security gives you the opportunity to use many of your natural skills.
Finally, the skill of continuous learning is key to be a security guard. Today, technology is ever-changing, so there is a need for security guards to be highly trained on an ongoing basis. Personnel must be tech-savvy, including training on many devices and systems. Continuous professional training is necessary for today’s security guards to meet industry requirements, and to excel throughout their career.For more information, please call TSG at [email protected] or contact us here.
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