An important part of recruiting individuals for your physical security company is character. It is crucial to identify if an applicant has the right personality for the job. Physical security teams can be made up of diverse personalities, but there are specific traits that you should look for to produce a reliable and effective physical security team. Physical characteristics are only secondary to what is more important — personality. The goal is to recruit individuals who have what it takes to become effective security officers. In this post, we will list the top personality traits that a physical security team should possess. 

Observational Skills 

An important part of a security guard’s job is to look for anything suspicious that may pose a threat to the company, person, or event they are working for. The level of focus should be top-notch every time a security team is deployed. This is where observational skills come into play.  

Observational skills refer to the security officer’s ability to use all five senses to recognize and analyze the situation and their surroundings. This skill is often associated with alertness because it requires the individual to be present and aware of the moment. A person’s observational skills are highly dependent on other attributes such as attention to detail, critical thinking, and reaction time. 

A physical security team that observes everything around them has the advantage over any situation that may arise. Anticipating the scenarios will give them time to prepare and the ability to respond quickly — and accordingly — to situations. 

Some of the things that a good physical security team should notice and check for in the field are: 

• Suspicious behavior 
• Unattended objects such as bags and packages 
• Situations/things that seem out of place or out of order 
• Points of entrance and exit 

Integrity 

A security officer must be trustworthy. This is one of the most essential and non-negotiable traits that any individual in the security profession should have. This is highly valued because integrity cannot be taught with just a couple of security classes or training. It is a personality trait that is either in the individual or not.  

Security work is not limited to guarding and protecting people. They are also given the responsibility to safeguard property and valuables. There will be times when a security officer will be on duty alone. Integrity ensures that a client can trust a security guard to protect their valuables, even without supervision. 

It can be a challenge to measure the integrity and honesty of a person when recruiting them for security work. You must make sure that your guards have integrity and can be trusted to make the right decisions — especially when no one is looking.  

As a physical security business owner, you can do background checks on potential candidates to ensure the absence of any criminal record. This should help in limiting the chances of hiring a dishonest individual. However, this does not guarantee that a person without any record of criminal offense or dishonesty possesses integrity. This quality can only be seen after a considerable amount of time on the job.  

Leadership and Teamwork Skills 

A security officer should know how to be a leader and good follower. They should be able to discern when they should lead and when to take the back seat. Leadership and teamwork skills are important ingredients to a reliable physical security team.  

It is crucial for a security officer to have strong leadership skills. Leadership can be seen through the ways security officers conduct themselves in times of crisis. Do they possess the will and determination to impose strict actions and protocols necessary to protect their client’s well-being and/or property? A security officer with strong leadership can make an informed decision under pressure and will not run away from accountability.  

Leadership is an admirable skill, but the ability to work effectively within a team is just as important. Your physical security company is better off with individuals who understand and value teamwork. Most of the time, the job requires security guards to work in groups. They will only be effective as a team if they know their respective roles and follow orders assigned to them. 

Communication Skills 

Effective communication skills are valuable in security work. Being able to clearly communicate is important to the success of any physical security team. The ability to communicate their thoughts in a clear and precise manner proves to be an asset for any physical security company. 

A physical security team can only operate effectively if the members have clear and concise communication. Can you imagine what would happen if a physical security team could not communicate with absolute clarity during intense pressure situations and emergencies? Exchanges of information and instructions should be clear during these moments. This is what makes communications skills pivotal. 

In conclusion, we can say that these traits are required in the ideal individual for a security job. These personality traits will make them effective security officers that your security company will be proud of.