3 Ways to Project Your Authority as a Security Guard
Like most any job, being a security guard means playing a role. From the moment of your first interview to your first day on the job and beyond, the curtain lifts and you are center-stage––in costume, in character, with your lines well-rehearsed and polished, ready and enthusiastic to play your important part.
As a security guard you have an audience that is looking to you and much depends on your performance. Your audience is a large and diverse group made up of:
- Fellow officers,
- Patrons of the company you work for,
- The public, including members of the public to whom you provide vital assistance and those members of the public who you might have to restrain or detain,
- The police, and
- Your supervisors.
Always keep this audience in mind.
1) Set the tone with your appearance
Your uniform is your first statement to your audience. Before you open your mouth to speak, your uniform tells people that you are in a position of authority and responsibility. If you look the part, people are more likely to give you the respect that you deserve. But they must first be convinced by your appearance and uniform that you take your job seriously.
Your audience will recognize you by your uniform. This means that your uniform must always be neat and clean; it should be without creases and smelling fresh. Your shoes should be polished and in good condition. Avoid showy jewelry. At most wear a watch and a wedding ring.
Remember your hair and face are also part of this uniform.
For men:
You should be clean-shaven or have neatly trimmed facial hair. Hair should be neatly styled and off of the face, pulled back into a ponytail if it is long enough. All officers should avoid perfumes and colognes; some members of your audience may be sensitive to strong scents.
For women:
Avoid heavy makeup. Wear only light and natural looking makeup, no dark or dramatic shades of eye shadow, liner, or lipstick. Hair should be pulled back off the face in a neat ponytail or bun.
2) Use language that’s appropriate
Your audience will also recognize you by your choice of words. As a security officer you must mind your mouth! This means that profanity is simply not in your script. If you like to swear, and that’s damned fine with us, go right ahead––but only when you’re not at work. Colorful language is completely inappropriate on the job.
If you are someone who is accustomed to swearing, then it will take some effort to keep these words out of your work-time vocabulary. Make that effort. Using inappropriate language with any member of your audience is totally unacceptable and may cost you your starring role as security officer.
3) Always be on time
Lastly, always show up on time for your performance. Though a wise man once said that punctuality is the thief of time, what he preferred not to mention was that tardiness can cost you your job.
Get in the habit of arriving ten to fifteen minutes early––because come hell, high-water, gridlock traffic, or text messages from your sweetie pie, you need to be there when the curtain lifts––otherwise there’s no show.