Top Security Officer Interview Questions
Q – 1 Explain me one of your achievements?
Ans- I am proud to say that I assisted in devising an alarm system that works with body heat sensors. I was the prime source of information and feedback for this project
Q – 2 Explain what are some of your greatest strengths?
Ans- This is your chance to show off a little bit. Perhaps you can talk about your effective problem-solving skills, the way you stay calm under pressure, and your ability to prioritize tasks – especially in emergency situations when multiple issues must be handled simultaneously.
Q – 3 Tell me do you have anger issues? If yes, how do you deal with them?
Ans- I am not temperamental by nature but there are times when even the most docile of people lose their tempers. Especially in a setting where law enforcement is involved. It might seem a bit childish but counting from one to ten takes the edge out of my behavior like a charm!
Q – 4 Tell us how do you manage working the night shift?
Ans- Ans. It is not too difficult when you are already rested during the day. I usually ask my employer to provide me with a day off in between so I can manage my sleep cycle well.
Q – 5 Tell me do you use computers?
Ans- Yes! I am adept at using computers and CCTV Camera programs. I am also a good user of MS Word, Excel, Windows, Internet and email.
Q – 6 Tell me do you have any relevant certifications?
Ans- While California law requires that all employed security guards have a valid Guard Card, having other relevant certifications may increase your chances of getting hired. Be sure to mention any additional training courses you have completed, such as a 2 Year First Aid Certification or a Chemical Agent / Pepper Spray Certification.
Q – 7 Tell me how do you know when to enlist external help?
Ans- Security guards can practice law up to a certain limit. After that, it is up to the authorities to take over. While I know exactly how to look for and catch suspicious individuals or investigate thefts, it is not up to me to keep someone under lock and key. This is where I ask for external assistance.
Q – 8 Tell us why do you want to be a security officer?
Ans- It’s a pretty tough question on the beginning. To be honest, there isn’t anything special about a position of a security guard… That’s why the best thing you can do is to simply tell the employer that you have all the predispositions for this job and would like to have it.
Q – 9 Tell me are you currently CPR/First Aid/AED certified?
Ans- If you found out a fellow security guard was accessing information he shouldn’t be, but in your opinion it was important information, what would you do?
Imagine you have been called to handle an emergency on the 10th floor of a building, but six guests are waiting to be checked in at the front desk. It’s late at night and you are momentarily alone at the front desk. What would you do?
If you are working at an event where there is a large, rowdy crowd, what steps could you take to make sure the event does not become chaotic or dangerous?
Q – 10 Do you know what are the major duties of a security guard?
Ans- Depending on the environment that a security guard is hired in, they patrol commercial and residential buildings to ensure that there is no sign of nefarious activities, and ensure the general safety and wellbeing of the residents in the assigned community.
Q – 11 Tell me what is a main duty of a security officer from your point of view?
Ans- The main duty is to keep all the customers and employees safe and secure.
Q – 12 Tell me how do you control your temper in situations like this?
Ans- I must admit that it was hard to control my temper at times especially when I know that someone has been wronged. Fortunately, I have been trained to deal with hectic situations rationally rather than emotionally.
Q – 13 Explain me why are you currently unemployed/looking for a new job?
Ans- There can be a multitude of answers to this particular question and it’s up to you to make it sound plausibly acceptable to your potential new employer.
Maybe you went redundant, if so don’t make it sound like your desperate and went for the first job that came along. Perhaps you are looking for a fresh start in a new role and you believe that a career in security matches your personality and strengths.
Q – 14 Tell me how would you make sure that undue instances do not transpire?
Ans- The key to making a community or premises as secure as possible is to make sure that a vigilant eye is kept on surroundings.
Q – 15 Explain how would you know you were successful on this Security officer job?
Ans- I am sure that I was successful. I have dreamt to work for your company and I can do anything to make my dream become true. And I am really interested in this job, for my passion not for money.
Q – 16 Tell me how do you decide when you need to use arms to diffuse a situation?
Ans- The answer is simple enough. No situation is worthy of using arms unless it is to save a life.
Q – 17 Explain have you ever found yourself in untoward circumstances where your skills were tested?
Ans- There was this incident when things kept disappearing from the store and since the scanners never showed anything untoward as far as customers were concerned, I had no choice but to focus on the staff. It so happened that a custodian was sneaking things out after hours which I figured out after a lot of detective work!
Q – 18 Tell me a difficult work-related situation you faced, and tell me what strategies you used to handle it?
Ans- Security guards are sometimes put in uncomfortable or dangerous circumstances while on the clock. But instead of reacting negatively to the issues at hand (like demonstrating frustration or fear), it’s important to maintain your composure and follow the best course of action to alleviate the situation.
If you can’t provide an example from previous security experience, think about other instances you’ve faced at work that required immediate action or strong problem-solving skills, so that you can still answer this question.
Q – 19 Tell me in your opinion, what three things should security guards do to ensure that they are successful in preventing theft?
Ans- Vigilance, visibility and observation are the three main things that security guard should ensure if he wants to be successful in preventing theft.
Q – 20 Tell me what core competencies and skills do you possess that render you worthy of the position?
Ans- I have acquired various security related skills via training and hands-on experiences. These include; surveillance setup and monitoring, metal screening, incident report writing, police dispatch protocols, fire extinguisher handling, parking management, and security alarms/cameras handling.
Q – 21 Tell me do you have any experience in security?
Ans- If you have any experience, this is an easy question. However if you do not have any experience in security, you should simply tell that you feel ready for this job and that you are sure you will handle it without any problems.
Q – 22 Basic Security Officer Job Interview Questions:
Ans-
☛ Explain how you would be an asset to this organization?
☛ Tell me about a suggestion you have made?
☛ Why do you think you would do well at this job?
☛ What irritates you about co-workers?
☛ What is more important to you: the money or the work?
☛ What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
☛ What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
☛ Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor?
☛ Tell me about your ability to work under pressure?
☛ Explain what has disappointed you most about a previous job?
☛ What motivates you to do your best on the job?
☛ Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
☛ How would you know you were successful on this job?
☛ Would you be willing to relocate if required?
☛ Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
☛ Describe your management style?
☛ What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
☛ Do you have any blind spots?
☛ If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?
☛ Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
☛ How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?
☛ What qualities do you look for in a boss?
☛ Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others.
☛ What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?
☛ What has been your biggest professional disappointment?
☛ Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.
☛ What are the most difficult decisions to make?
☛ Give some examples of teamwork?
☛ Do you prefer to work Independently or on a team?
☛ How would you describe your work style?
☛ Describe a typical work week?
☛ How Will Your Greatest Strength Help You Perform?
☛ Describe a time when your workload was heavy?
☛ How will you achieve your goals?
☛ What can you contribute to the company?
☛ What challenges are you looking for?
☛ Who was your best boss?
☛ Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager?
☛ What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
☛ How do you deal with conflict?
☛ How would you tackle the first 90 days?
☛ Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma?
☛ What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
☛ What was the biggest accomplishment in this position?
☛ What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
☛ Give me an example of a time when you had to think out of the box?
☛ Tell me about your proudest achievement?
☛ Tell me about a project you worked on that required heavy analytical thinking?
☛ Tell me about a time when you failed?
☛ Do you have any questions for me?
Q – 23 Security Officer Job Interview Questions:
Ans- ☛ Tell me about yourself?
☛ What are your biggest strengths?
☛ Why did you leave your last job?
☛ What are your career goals?
☛ Why do you want to work here?
☛ What is your greatest weakness?
☛ What do co-workers say about you?
☛ Are you applying for other jobs?
☛ Security Guard Interview Question number 9: What do you know about our organization?
☛ What kind of salary are you looking for?
☛ How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
☛ Do you know anyone who works for us?
☛ Why should we hire you?
☛ What Is Your Dream Job?
☛ What are you looking for in a job?
☛ Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
☛ What experience do you have in this field? or Do you have any actual work experience?
☛ Do you consider yourself successful?
☛ What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
☛ Describe your work ethic?
☛ Are you a team player?
☛ Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
☛ What is your philosophy towards work?
☛ If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?
☛ Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
Q – 24 Explain me a difficult situation you faced and what strategies did you use to handle it?
Ans- Once I received an emergency call from the fifth floor while I was at the reception checking delegates of an important conference. Security staff was short and there was no one to attend the reception in my absence.
I responded to the situation effectively by initiating a lock down on the ground and fifth floor and updating the security sergeant regarding the situation immediately while on my way to the fifth floor.
Q – 25 Tell me what are your more technical skills related to this position?
Ans- I have been trained in setting up and monitoring surveillance equipment and I take an active part in managing this from scratch wherever I work so that I know what to expect from a certain situation.
Q – 26 Tell me how comfortable are you using computers?
Ans- Mentioned your knowledge of CCTV camera programs here.
Q – 27 Tell me what does this job title and description mean to you?
Ans- With the exception of some common sense technicalities, there are no wrong or right answers here. Explain what you believe the job requires and what you can bring to the proverbial table by fulfilling your role to the best of your ability.
Q – 28 Explain me do you have any previous experience?
Ans- Before you jump the gun and say no stop and think for a second about the question. This isn’t a simple black and white question, what the employer wants to hear is some prior experience of dealing with difficult or challenging situations prior to applying for the job and this doesn’t necessarily mean security experience.
You may have helped members of the public deal with rowdy passers-by, or helped calm your friend down on a night out, or even within your own family you may have an experience worth relating in the interview to prove your competency.
Q – 29 Where do you see yourself in three years time as Security Officer?
Ans- There is hardly any room for career growth of a security officer. Employers know it. A good answer to this question is that you do not think too much about your future and hope to have a security officer job for at least two years.
Q – 30 Explain why are you interested to become a security officer?
Ans- Helping people has always been one of my favorite things to do ever since I was a mere child. It gives me a sense of great achievement when I know that someone is feeling secure because of me. What better option did I have!
Q – 31 Tell me how do you manage a particularly daunting problem like a theft or an act of vandalism?
Ans- I am trained to remain calm at all times and to get to the root of the matter. If I get the opportunity to catch the culprit, I deal with him or her as the law dictates.
Q – 32 Tell me what would be the standard operating procedure for determining how a theft took place that was overlooked by security personnel?
Ans- If such an incident transpired and was not detected by me or other members of the security team, I would suggest looking at CCTV footage to find out who the perpetrators were and how security was breached. I would then ensure that all loopholes were managed appropriately.
Q – 33 Explain me a time when you had to deal with an assault. How did you handle the situation? Is there anything you would have done differently?
Ans- Security guards may face a dangerous situation on the job, but instead of reacting with fear, note how it’s important to maintain composure, think on your feet and quickly determine the best course of action. Point out your instinctive problem solving skills in your response.
Q – 34 Explain me how would you contribute to our company and our existing policies?
Ans- Here, you can highlight any security strategies or plans you may have in mind for maintaining a safe environment and reacting appropriately and professionally to conflicts and potentially dangerous situations.
Q – 35 Tell me how do you spend company downtime?
Ans- Companies are aware that you may experience some quiet moments from time to time, and want to make sure that you’ll somehow use it to benefit them and not spend it daydreaming about dinner or texting your friends. Research some useful, relevant, and creative ways to help enhance the company during downtime.
Q – 36 Tell me why did you leave your last job as Security Officer?
Ans- Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.
Q – 37 Could you imagine working 16 hours a day as Security Officer?
Ans- Security officers are sometimes required to work longer than other employees. If you get this question, you should simply mention that you have experience with working more than 12 hours in a row and that it is OK for you and you can still maintain the high level of concentration and awareness.
Q – 38 Tell me what are the main responsibilities of a security officer?
Ans- The main duties of a security officer include checking luggage and visitors to ensure no weapon or hazardous material enter into the premises, noting sign-in/out for visitors, recording IDs of all visitors, responding to security calls and conducting scheduled patrols in the assigned area.
Q – 39 Tell me do you have any relevant certification?
Ans- I am CPR and First Aid Certified.
Q – 40 Tell me how does “visibility” help?
Ans- Being a deterrent to criminals is what security guards are all about. If they are “seen” constantly and project a “no-nonsense” image, criminals are automatically discouraged.
Q – 41 Tell me how do you spend downtime on the job?
Ans- hile you may have some quiet time, ensure the interviewer that you’ll use it to benefit the company rather than reading or texting, for instance. Think about some relevant ways you can enhance your role during downtime.
Q – 42 Explain me why are you looking for a new job?
Ans- If this is the first time you’ve searched for a security-related position, you can talk about your motivation to launch your new career and build a professional reputation for yourself. Whatever you do, don’t say anything negative about previous or current employers!
Q – 43 Tell me why do you want to become a security guard?
Ans- Now they are not expecting you to come out with some babble such as “i want to serve my community by keeping them safe”. All they want to hear from you here is that you believe that you have the skills and abilities of a security guard which should make the job easier for you.
The reason for this question is that they want to hear a positive answer, they want to know that you think that security is a good career and worth taking seriously, the turn over for security is quite high and that’s because a lot of the people who take the job on don’t understand the importance or the benefits of security.
Q – 44 Please explain what kind of salary do you need?
Ans- A loaded question. This is a nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position?
In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
Q – 45 Tell me can you carry a gun? How do you feel about carrying or using a gun?
Ans- This is a catcher question. Employers do not want you to use gun, if there is any other option available. That’s why you should mention that you would never use a gun in your job, except of the situation when a burglar uses a gun against you.
Q – 46 Explain what have you done to improve your knowledge that related to Security officer position since the last year?
Ans- ☛ Try to include improvements that are relevant to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones in handy to mention in this circumstance.
☛ Employers tend to look for goal-oriented applicants. Show a desire for continuous learning by listing your non-work related hobbies. Regardless of what hobbies you choose to present, remember that the goal is to prove self-sufficiency, time management, and motivation.
☛ Everyone should learn from his mistake. I always try to consult my mistakes with my friends and relatives, especially with elder and experienced persons.
Q – 47 Explain me what are your goals for the future?
Ans- This can be a tricky one to answer, you don’t want to come across as too ambitious just yet because you are presumably just trying to land you’re first or second security position. At the same time you don’t want to come off as desperate because it will look bad but also because the company you are working for might just be looking for career minded people for more senior roles in the future.
Say something like “First of all my main priority is to get a clearer understanding of the security sector, and then as my knowledge and understanding grows i would like to take on more senior positions so that i can impart my knowledge and skills onto others and also so i can become a more valuable asset to the company”. This will show your interviewer that you know that nothing comes without hard work and that you are willing to prove yourself to the company.
Q – 48 Tell us do you have any question for us?
Ans- Most interviews end with hiring managers or HR reps asking if you’d like to ask them anything. The ideal response is “YES!” because this signals to them that you have done your homework before showing up to the interview. Research the company ahead of time and come up with several thoughtful questions, so that you’ll be ready to go if this is brought up.
Q – 49 Explain me what kind of security or public safety experience do you have?
Ans- This is a great opportunity to talk about how previous field experience has taught you valuable lessons not learned in traditional classroom settings. If you don’t have direct relevant experience, use real examples that most closely match with the job you’re applying for.
Q – 50 Tell me in what situation would you use a weapon?
Ans- Unless there is a direct threat to any individual, I am not authorized to use arms. But if I sense that a potentially harmful situation is about to take place, I will have no choice but to use a gun to save innocent lives.
Q – 51 Do you know what type of skills are required to work as a security guard?
Ans- Security guards need to be extremely vigilant as well as skilled in handling adverse situations. While they cannot enforce law, they can ensure that law and order is maintained. To work at this position, one has to be physically dexterous and possess an active mind. Additionally, one needs to be well-trained in using firearms in situations that demand extreme action.
Q – 52 Tell me what would you do if you find out a coworker is accessing unauthorized files?
Ans- I will not stop him/her personally but I would immediately report to the supervisor.
Q – 53 Tell us what is your physical condition?
Ans- Physical condition is very important for a good security officer. You can hardly catch a young burglar on his way out of the shop if you are not in a good shape. That’s why you should mention that you go to gym regularly and do at least some condition sports.
Q – 54 Tell me what experience do you have in this field and Security officer position?
Ans- ☛ Speak about specific matters that are relevant to the position you are applying for. If you do not have any specific experience, get them as close as you can.
☛ If you are being asked this question from your employer, you can explain about your experience. Tell the employer what responsibilities you were performing in your previous job. You can tell about the programs you have developed and modules you have worked on. You can also tell about your achievements in different programs.
Q – 55 Tell me what skills and qualities do you bring to the company?
Ans- There may be different interpretations to the question above but don’t let it throw you, it will be something very similar requiring the same answer.
What they want to know is if you can work well in a team, can handle people being aggressive towards you without retaliating inappropriately, have the ability to communicate effectively and accurately, ability to keep concentration for long periods of time, if you are trustworthy and reliable.
Q – 56 Explain how have you continued to expand your industry knowledge over the past year?
Ans- You can mention any security guard training courses you’ve taken, including elective or refresher courses you’ve completed to stay on top of the laws, regulations, and requirements of the public safety industry in your area.
Q – 57 Tell us what are some of your strengths on the job?
Ans- Here’s a chance to talk about your top notch problem-solving skills, how you stay calm under stress, and your ability to prioritize in an emergency situation when multiple issues require immediate attention.
Q – 58 Explain me what made you decide that this is the career you wanted to pursue?
Ans- I never thought of wanting to be anything else since I have always been interested in and awed by security services.
Q – 59 Suppose you are working as a security guard in a commercial building. What would be your first responsibility?
Ans- Screening people who enter the building, ensuring that they are not carrying prohibited items such as arms or drugs and generally looking out for suspicious persons, would be the prime duty in a commercial setting.
Q – 60 Explain me what would you do if a hurried visitor resists metal screening while entering the premises?
Ans- I am committed to provide exceptional customer service, therefore, I would convince the visitor to calm down and cooperate for the sake of their own security and that of the premises. If they still do not cooperate I would not allow them to enter the premises.