Questions to Ask in a Security Guard Interview
Questions to ask the interviewer at a security guard or security officer interview, for the moment near the end when you are asked whether you have any and 'no, I think you covered it' is the easy way out. The 52 questions run in the order the decision usually does: the site and the post, shifts and working alone, licensing, training and gear, what you are and are not expected to do in an incident, who supervises and backs you up, then pay and the route to supervisor. Rules on licensing, use of force and pay differ by country, state and employer, so nothing here assumes them: where it matters, the question is how this company does it.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The post
Which site would I be assigned to, and is that assignment permanent?
Why ask it
Security companies often interview at an office and post you somewhere else entirely, so pin the address down before anything else. A fixed site lets you judge the commute and the kind of work. If the answer is 'wherever we need cover', you are being hired as a floater, and the travel, the hours and sometimes the rate will move from week to week.
What does a normal shift on this post involve: a desk, a gate, patrols or a mix?
Why ask it
One job title covers greeting visitors in a lobby, checking trucks at a barrier and walking an empty warehouse at night. Ask for the shift in order, from one handover to the next. An interviewer who cannot describe it may never have stood the post, which is a reason to ask for a word with the site supervisor.
Are there written post orders for this site, and can I read them before my first shift?
Why ask it
Post orders, sometimes called assignment instructions, are the document that says what the guard does and does not do at that site. Being shown them is a good sign. If none exist, every later answer about incidents is one person's opinion, and you need the name of the person whose opinion counts.
Is the post armed or unarmed, and is that likely to change?
Why ask it
Armed work usually means a different license, more training, a different rate and more risk, so it should be settled in one sentence. If the role is unarmed now but the client is 'considering' a change, ask whether you could stay on unarmed and who would cover the extra qualification.
Who is the client, and what do they most want from the guards on their site?
Why ask it
On a contract post you answer to your employer and to the client's manager, and the client's priorities shape the day. Some want a friendly face at reception, some want every vehicle logged, some mostly want an insurance condition met. Whatever is named first is what you will be judged on.
Is this an in-house security team or a contract, and how long has the contract been running?
Why ask it
In-house guards work for whoever owns or occupies the building, while contract guards work for a security company the owner hires, and that contract can change hands. A long-running one suggests a settled site. A brand-new one usually means the procedures are still being written, and you can ask who is writing them.
Why is this post open: a new contract, extra hours or someone leaving?
Why ask it
Growth and a guard promoted to supervisor are the easy answers to hear. If people keep leaving this particular site, the reason is usually the shift pattern, the client or the solitude, and it is better learned now than in week three. Asking how long the current guards have been on the post gets at the same thing without sounding suspicious.
What do guards here find hardest about this site?
Why ask it
Every post has one thing: the cold gatehouse, a difficult regular, twelve hours with nobody to talk to, a client who keeps changing the rules. A plain answer lets you decide whether you can live with it. 'Nothing really' is worth one gentle second try, such as asking what new guards grumble about.
What is provided for the guard on this post, such as shelter, heating, a restroom and somewhere to eat?
Why ask it
It sounds minor until you picture a winter night at a construction gate. Ask where breaks are taken and whether the restroom can be reached once the building is locked. A site with nothing arranged shows how much thought the guard's side of the contract got.
Which duties outside security come with the post, such as reception, parking, deliveries or locking up?
Why ask it
Extra tasks are normal and often make the shift pass faster. What you are checking is whether they pull you away from the thing you would be blamed for missing. Ask which one wins when the phone is ringing and the gate alarm sounds.
Shifts
What shift pattern would I work, and does it rotate between days and nights?
Why ask it
Get the pattern itself, such as four on and four off or fixed nights, because 'full time' covers very different lives. Rotating between days and nights is harder on some people than holding either one steady, so find out how often the switch comes and how much warning you get.
How long is each shift, and how are breaks taken on a post that cannot be left empty?
Why ask it
The practical part is who relieves you, and on a single-guard post the answer may be nobody. Break rules depend on where you work and on the employer, so hear what this site does instead of assuming. If you would eat at the desk and stay on duty, check whether that time is paid.
How much notice do guards get of their schedule, and how often does it change once it is out?
Why ask it
Ask about last month specifically. A schedule that appears weeks ahead and holds lets you plan childcare, study or a second job. Frequent late changes usually trace back to no-shows on other posts, which means you would be the one phoned to fill them.
How much overtime do guards here usually work, and can I turn it down?
Why ask it
Security runs on cover, so overtime is common, and for some guards it is the reason the pay works. Find out whether it is offered or assigned, and how a refusal is taken. Limits on working hours differ from place to place, so have them tell you which apply to this post.
What happens if my relief does not turn up when my shift ends?
Why ask it
Sooner or later it happens on every post, so the process matters more than the promise. Look for a number to call, a supervisor or mobile patrol who comes out, and a limit on how long you can be held. Ask how those extra hours are paid and how often it happened at this site lately.
How many guards are on this site at once, and for which hours would I be the only one?
Why ask it
Lone working is ordinary in this trade, especially overnight, and plenty of guards prefer it. You need the honest picture: alone in the building, alone on the whole site, or alone with a colleague one radio call away. Get the day and the night numbers separately, since staffing often drops once the offices empty.
If I am on my own, how does anyone know I am all right?
Why ask it
Common arrangements are timed check calls, a patrol system that flags a missed checkpoint, a lone worker device, a panic button or a control room watching the cameras. Ask what happens when a check is missed and who is sent. 'You have a phone' is not a system.
How are nights, weekends and holidays shared out among the guards?
Why ask it
A rotation spreads them around, and seniority hands them to the newest person, which would be you. Neither is wrong, but you should know which before you accept. If particular dates matter to you this year, name them now.
How many hours a week can I count on, and is that number written into my contract?
Why ask it
Expected hours and contracted hours are different promises, and only one of them survives a client trimming its security budget. A company with other sites can usually move you when that happens. Whether the move keeps your rate is the follow-up.
License, training and gear
Which license, registration or guard card does this post need, and do I have to hold it before I start?
Why ask it
Whether a guard needs a license, and which one, is set by the state or country, and it can differ for armed, unarmed and door work. Get the exact name of the credential and check it against the regulator's own website afterward. If they say you can start while an application is in progress, find out what you may and may not do in the meantime.
Who pays for the license, the renewal and any background check or fingerprinting?
Why ask it
Some employers cover the lot, some reimburse after a set period, and some leave it all to you. Get the figure and the timing, since these costs arrive before the first paycheck. If there is a payback clause for leaving early, ask to see it written down.
What training would I get before my first shift alone, and is that time paid?
Why ask it
Listen for something specific to the site on top of whatever the license course covered: the alarm panel, the keys, the emergency plan, the client's rules. Whether training hours are paid varies, so ask plainly. One afternoon of videos followed by a night shift alone is the answer to worry about.
How many shifts would I work alongside an experienced guard at this site?
Why ask it
Shadow shifts are where you learn which door sticks and which alarm is always false. Check that they would be on the same pattern you will work, because a day guard cannot show you what the site is like after midnight.
What training do you give for dealing with someone who is angry, drunk or refusing to leave?
Why ask it
Talking a person down is a skill a guard uses on almost any post that faces the public, and it can be taught. A course with practice in it, and a refresher now and then, is a good sign. If the answer is that you will pick it up as you go, find out who you would be picking it up from.
Which systems does this site run, such as cameras, access control, alarm panels or a patrol app, and who shows me how to use them?
Why ask it
Each site has its own mix, and experience on one camera or badge system does not always carry over to the next. Say which ones you have used, then find out how long new guards take to be comfortable on the rest. An alarm panel you were never shown is a bad thing to meet for the first time while it is sounding.
What uniform do you issue, how many sets, and what would I have to buy myself?
Why ask it
Go through the list: shirts, pants, jacket, boots, high-visibility gear, wet-weather clothing. One shirt and five shifts a week does not work, which is why the number of sets matters. Check too whether anything comes out of your pay and whether it is handed back when you leave.
What equipment would I carry on shift, and what training comes with each item?
Why ask it
A radio, keys, a flashlight and a notebook are one kind of job, and a body camera, handcuffs or anything beyond them is another. What a guard may carry is governed by local law and the employer's policy, so ask what applies here and who gives the instruction. If an item comes with none, say you would want some before carrying it.
Incidents
If I saw a theft or someone trespassing, what would you expect me to do, and what must I not do?
Why ask it
No other answer tells you as much about the job. Many employers want observe, deter and report and forbid chasing or grabbing, others expect more, and the law on what a guard may do differs from place to place. Ask for this company's instruction, and whether it is written into the post orders.
What are the main security risks at this site, and what actually happens in a typical month?
Why ask it
The first half gets the worry and the second gets the record, and the gap between the two is worth noticing. For most posts the honest record is dull: false alarms, a lost visitor, a door left open, the odd argument over parking. If it includes regular aggression or break-ins, ask how many guards are on duty at the hours it tends to happen.
What is the policy on physical contact, restraint or detaining someone?
Why ask it
A written policy is what you want here, since a spoken answer in an interview will not help you after an incident. What the law allows varies by country and state, and employers often draw a stricter line of their own. A rule you were never trained on is hard to follow under pressure, so find out what training comes with it.
When should I call the police or emergency services myself, and when do I call a supervisor first?
Why ask it
A clear employer gives you a short list of things you call in directly, with no permission needed. Trouble starts where a guard was expected to phone a manager first and the manager did not pick up. Ask what you are meant to do then.
Can you tell me about a recent incident here and what the guard on duty did well?
Why ask it
A real example shows what the company praises, which is more reliable than a summary of policy. Notice whether the guard in the story stayed back and reported or stepped in, and whether the interviewer approves. That is the standard you would be held to.
What is the guard's part in a fire alarm or an evacuation at this site?
Why ask it
At some sites the guard reads the panel, meets the fire department and sweeps a floor, and at others the instruction is to leave with everyone else. Ask where the emergency plan is kept and whether you would walk the routes during training. If the role includes acting as a fire warden, ask whether there is a course for it.
Am I expected to give first aid, and what equipment is kept on site?
Why ask it
Whether guards are the designated first aiders depends on the employer and the site, so ask what this post requires and who pays for the certificate. Find out where the kit and any defibrillator are kept. If you would be the only person in the building, ask what the plan is when the first aider is the one who needs help.
How are incidents written up, and who reads the reports afterward?
Why ask it
Paper log, an app or an emailed form: the method matters less than whether anyone acts on it. Ask what happened the last time a guard reported a broken lock or a failed light. A report that goes nowhere teaches guards to stop writing them.
If I were hurt or assaulted on post, what would happen next?
Why ask it
Look for a practical sequence: who comes, who covers the post, how it is reported and what support follows. Insurance and compensation arrangements differ by place and employer, so ask what this company has and get the details in writing if you take the job. An interviewer who answers without hesitating has probably had to deal with it.
Supervision and backup
Who would my supervisor be, and are they on site or on call?
Why ask it
Get a name or at least a job title, plus how many sites that person covers. A supervisor looking after a dozen posts from a van is support by telephone. Meeting them before you accept is a reasonable thing to request.
If I call for help at 3 a.m., who picks up, and how long until someone can reach me?
Why ask it
It might be a control room, a duty manager at home or a mobile patrol covering a wide area. Ask for a realistic time, not a target. Knowing that help is forty minutes out changes how cautiously you would treat a noise at the back fence.
What would I use to reach people, a radio, a company phone or my own cell, and does it work everywhere on the site?
Why ask it
Basements, stairwells and the far end of a parking structure are where signals drop, and a patrol goes through all of them. Find out where the dead spots are and what the instruction is for walking through one. If the answer is your personal phone, the next things to settle are who pays for it and what happens when the battery dies.
How often does a supervisor visit the site, and what do they look at when they do?
Why ask it
Visits cut both ways: they are a check on you and a chance to raise problems face to face. A site nobody visits can drift for months. If the checks are mostly about uniform and the log, ask when guards get to pass on what is wrong with the site.
What would you want to see from me in my first month on this post?
Why ask it
On a post where a good shift is a quiet one, it helps to know what gets noticed: turning up on time, a tidy log, patrols done when they are due, the client mentioning you by name. Whatever is listed is what your first review, formal or not, will rest on. If nothing specific comes back, ask how the last new guard showed they were working out.
How does the handover between shifts work here?
Why ask it
A proper handover has overlap: a few minutes with both guards present, keys and radios counted, open issues passed on. Where shifts change without the two guards meeting, the logbook is your only briefing, and a look at a recent page shows how much the outgoing guard tends to leave you.
If someone on the client's staff tells me to do something the post orders do not cover, whose word do I follow?
Why ask it
It comes up constantly: let this person in, skip that check, move a car, hold a door open. A good employer has a simple rule, such as do nothing unsafe and call the supervisor. Ask for a time they backed a guard who said no to a client.
What happens when a member of the public or the client complains about a guard?
Why ask it
Guards who enforce rules collect complaints, some fair and some not. You want to hear that footage and reports are reviewed and that the guard gives an account before anything is decided. Ask whether a client can have a guard taken off a site on request, and what the company then does with that guard.
Pay and prospects
What is the hourly rate for this post, and does it change by site, shift or armed status?
Why ask it
In contract security the rate is often set per site, because each client is billed differently, so the figure for this post may not follow you to the next one. Get it as a number, not a range. For hourly work it is normal to raise this in the interview when the posting gave no figure.
How are overtime, nights and holidays paid?
Why ask it
Premiums depend on the law where you work and on company policy, so there is nothing safe to assume. Take them one at a time and find out where each is written down. Then work out a typical week on the shift pattern you were given, since the base rate alone can mislead.
Am I paid for handover time, a briefing before the shift and travel between sites?
Why ask it
These are the hours that tend to go missing, a quarter of an hour at a time. Practice differs by employer and by place, so go through them one by one. For a mobile or relief role, bring up mileage or fuel as well, because driving between posts in your own car is a real cost.
When is payday, and is anything deducted for uniform, licensing or equipment?
Why ask it
Weekly, every two weeks or monthly makes a difference in your first weeks, especially after paying for a license. Ask for a list of deductions and whether any are refunded when the gear goes back. A sample pay stub, if they will show one, answers most of it.
Which benefits come with this post, and do part-time or relief guards get them too?
Why ask it
Paid leave, sick pay, health cover and retirement contributions vary widely, and some hinge on hours worked or length of service. The threshold and the date eligibility starts are the two facts to leave with. If the answer differs between this site and the company's others, find out why.
If the client ends the contract or changes security company, what happens to my job?
Why ask it
Contracts go out to bid again from time to time, and the guards on site are the ones affected. Whether staff move across to the incoming company depends on where you are and on the deal, so ask how it has gone here before. A firm that redeploys people to other sites will be able to say when it last did.
What does the route from guard to shift lead or supervisor look like, and who took it most recently?
Why ask it
A name and a timescale mean the path is real. Listen for what the step requires: time served, a clean record, an extra course, a driver's license. If supervisors are usually hired from outside, the job may still be worth taking, but for what it is now.
What are the next steps after today, and how long do the background checks usually take?
Why ask it
Security hiring can involve a background check, references covering several years and sometimes a drug test, and which of these apply depends on the employer and the location. Find out what they will need from you and when a start date could realistically be. Having documents and references ready is the one part of the wait you control.
How to ask about a guard post before you take it
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Groundwork
Work out who you would be working for
Read the posting for two names: the company hiring and the place being guarded. With a contract firm they are different, and the interviewer may be a recruiter or branch manager who has visited the site a handful of times. Knowing that tells you which answers to trust on the spot and which to confirm with the site supervisor.
Look at the site if you can
If the address is public, such as a shopping center, hospital or office block, walk past at the hour you would be working. You will see whether the guard stands outside, how busy the entrance is and how the journey home looks after a late finish. Mention the visit in the interview, because it turns general questions into ones about that building.
Know where your license stands
Before the interview, check the regulator's website for the credential that guard work needs where you live, and note the expiry date if you already hold one. Bring the card or the application reference. It saves the interviewer guessing, and it lets you ask precise questions about who pays for what.
Choose five, and make one of them about incidents
A guard interview is often short, and your turn may be a few minutes at the end of it. Take one from each part of the list that matters to you, and keep the question about what you must not do in an incident whatever else you drop. That answer differs more between employers than any other, and it is the one you would most want settled before a bad night.
Match the questions to the post
Reception or a front desk
The work is mostly people: visitors, deliveries, staff who forgot a pass. Lean on the questions about what the client wants, duties outside security, the visitor and badge systems you would run, and whose instruction you follow when a manager asks you to bend a rule. Ask about the dress standard too, since a corporate lobby may expect a suit.
Retail and loss prevention
Here the incident questions come first. Stores differ sharply on whether a guard may stop, follow or touch a suspected shoplifter, and the law differs by place as well, so ask for the store's written instruction and who you call. Ask how many guards cover the floor at the busiest hours.
Nights, gatehouses and empty buildings
Put the lone working questions at the top: check calls, who answers at 3 a.m., how far away help is, whether the radio reaches the far side of the site, what happens when your relief is late. Then the plain comforts, such as heating, a restroom and somewhere to eat. A quiet post with good backup is a decent job, and the same post with none is a different proposition.
Events and crowds
Shifts are irregular and long, and the team is often assembled for the day. Ask who briefs you, who your supervisor is on the ground, how radios are issued and what the plan is for a medical emergency or an evacuation. Ask also how hours are confirmed and paid when an event is cut short or canceled.
Mobile patrol and alarm response
You would be driving between sites and arriving at alarms alone. Ask about the vehicle, fuel, how many sites are on a round, and the instruction for an alarm with signs of a break-in. Whether you go in or wait for the police is set by company policy and local rules, so hear it from them.
Raising the awkward ones
Start with the work and finish with the money
Opening with the site, the post orders and what you are expected to do in an incident shows that you take the job seriously. Pay, overtime and deductions land better after that, and for hourly work nobody will think less of you for asking.
Give your reason when you ask about force
A question about restraint can sound as though you are keen to use it. Say why you are asking: 'I want to be sure I stay inside your policy, so what is a guard here allowed to do?' Put that way it reads as caution, which is what most employers are hiring for.
Swap 'what if' for 'when did'
'What happens if my relief is late?' gets the procedure. 'When did it last happen, and how long did the guard wait?' gets what the procedure is worth. The same switch works for schedule changes, supervisor visits and a radio that stopped working.
If the interviewer has never worked the site
Recruiters and branch staff may not know whether the gatehouse is heated or how many guards are on at night. Do not press them for a guess. Ask whether you can talk to the site supervisor or see the post before you commit, and save the site questions for then.
Weighing the offer
Add up what the job costs you first
License fees, checks, boots, a second uniform shirt and the fuel to reach a remote site can all come due before the first payday. Write down what the employer covers and what it does not, and set that against the first month's pay.
Treat a vague incident answer as an answer
If nobody can tell you what a guard should do when faced with a thief or an aggressive visitor, the company has not decided, and you would be deciding alone at the worst moment. Ask once more for the written policy. If there is none, give that a lot of weight.
Get the site, the rate and the hours in writing
Spoken promises about a particular post are easy to lose when a contract changes or a manager moves on. Before you accept, ask for the offer to name the site or the area, the hourly rate, the minimum weekly hours and who pays for licensing. Anything they will not write down, treat as not promised.
Compare posts, not company names
Two sites run by one firm can be nothing alike, and a small local company can have the best post in town. Hold each offer against the same few things: who backs you up, what you are expected to do in an incident, the shift pattern and the take-home pay for a normal week.