How to get a job in SIA security

So now you have completed your course, and you’ve got your licence. But how do you bag your first job in the security industry? Follow these 7 tips for success and be sure to check out this video to get more ideas. 

Tip No 1 — Get a CV

If you’re applying for a job, it’s a little different these days, with most jobs posted online and you submitting applications online. What hasn’t changed, though, is the requirement for a CV. It’s just that these days, a paper CV might be somewhat redundant, but you still need one. 

If you are more of a hands-on person, writing a CV that will impress a recruiter can be tricky.  

That’s why we have created a CV Builder tool, and it’s so easy to use. Just go to the CV maker. There’s no need to sign up or have an account. There are just three easy steps: choose your CV template, answer the questions such as filling in your name and address and a few details about your experience. Then download it as a PDF or send it to your email. 

Tip No 2 — Get Skills

It’s always the biggest problem when starting in a new profession. 

You can’t get a job without experience. And you can’t get experience without getting a job. 

Well, here’s where you have to think about the transferable skills you have from previous positions. Below are some examples of transferable skills that an employer in the security industry would be looking for which you could easily have picked up in other industries: 

 ✔️Team player 
 ✔️Good decision-making skills 
 ✔️Excellent observational skills
 ✔️ Communication skills
 ✔️Problem-solving
 ✔️Customer service skills
 ✔️Excellent timekeeping

You might have had previous roles in a warehouse as picker or packer, in retail, in hospitality as a bartender, or on a construction site. All of which will have meant you have acquired various skills. In construction, you would likely have needed observational and problem-solving skills. In retail and hospitality, you would have required good customer service skills. And any job that you have had for a reasonable period of time will have meant you were good at getting to your shift reliably and on time. 

So get creative with how you detail your previous employment is the advice here. After all, everyone has to start somewhere, and employers are not blind to this truth. Many employers are happy to train you on the job and don’t need everyone to know everything from day one. 

Check out job descriptions to get a better idea of the skills that employers are looking for specific roles. And also refer back to what you learned during your course to help you write your CV, 

Tip No 3 — Keep Applying

This might be a tip that many people overlook. They apply for a few jobs and expect to get a job, and that is very unlikely. Every job that is posted online will get possibly hundreds of applications. Your CV may not even get looked at if you are applicant 51. So nothing could be truer than this is a numbers game. 

There’s no point getting disheartened if you don’t even get an interview after submitting ten applications. If you submit 100 applications from this, the employers may only look at 50 of those. And you might only get five job interviews. But from five job interviews, you might get that one job you need to get your foot in the door. 

It’s also pretty quick and easy to apply for jobs online and only takes a few minutes. So set yourself the task of applying every day to available jobs. That way, you will be submitting as many applications as possible, and you’ll also be one of the first to apply, which will give your application a higher chance of being considered.

If you are not getting any interviews, it may mean that you need to tweak your CV. Ask other friends and family where they think you could improve your CV. 

Tip No 4 — Stand Out 

Don’t be a number, be a person. A great way to stand out is to attach a short video clip of yourself with your CV. You can create this simply on your phone. Employers love this and really helps you become a real person rather than the countless ‘paper applications’. 

If you have a video along with your CV, you have a much higher chance of being viewed than those without. 

Tip No 5 — Interview Advice 

Once you have gotten past the stage of land interviews with your CV, it’s time to consider how to succeed at the interview. 

First of all, don’t be late! 

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail, as the saying goes. If you are late for an interview, you may as well get back on the bus and return home. You have proved to the employer that the job didn’t mean that much to you as you couldn’t even be bothered to do a dummy run of how to get there. So, unless you have a genuine reason for being late such as bad weather causing all the trains to be cancelled, then all you’ll prove by complaining about buses being late is that you are unreliable and full of excuses. 

It would help if you also thought about what questions you might be asked. Typical questions always include what your strengths and weaknesses are. You should always be ready to turn a weakness on its head. Like this: 

Suppose you are 5 feet 8 inches and weigh 11 stone. You can say: Well, I know I will not be the biggest applicant you interview today. However, I have been learning martial arts since I was nine years old. This has taught me a great deal of discipline and wisdom. I can handle myself with much taller, heavier and muscular guys. However, I know that getting physical is the last option. I would much rather talk down a situation than deal with it physically. 

Be ready to have some questions ready that will make the employer know that you have considered their business and their role individually. So look up the company and find out more about it. Then you can ask a direct question that shows you are not just answering and repeating standard things. For example, you could say to any employer: I see you moved to this site in 2013. How has that impacted the business and the security team? 

Suppose you have checked out that there is a large security team and training. In that case, you can ask: I am interested in career progression and obtaining more licences, which is why I am particularly drawn to working at Retail Store XYZ. Can you tell me a little more about the training programme you have in place? 

Tip No 6 — Have the Right Attitude 

When you get to the interview, be enthusiastic about the opportunity, and greet the recruiter with a smile and a firm handshake (however nervous you might be). 

Employers are looking for people that have the right attitude. This means a person who will add value to their business, rather than a person just wishing to take from the company in any way possible. Either by taking too long breaks, causing problems with other team members, pulling paid or unpaid sickies, abusing any perks there are such as free training, and literally taking things. 

You can prove you are uber enthusiastic about landing the job by offering to work for an unpaid trial shift. And also by showing evidence that you are interested in that specific company’s specific role, as we mentioned earlier. 

All these things will help you to be successful at interviews and help you land your first job. 

Tip No 7 — Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained 

Finally, this is a great tip, and you should never forget it. Before you set off for a job interview, you don’t have the job. So, if you fail to get the job — just like all the other candidates that show up that day, except for one, you have not lost anything. 

On the contrary, you have gained valuable experience. 

It just so happens that someone else turned up that was better at the interview that day, or was better suited to the role. It certainly doesn’t mean you failed. 

Perhaps you got thrown a curveball of a question that you just had no answer for and were left stuttering with a blank mind. So you didn’t get the job. Never mind. Well, at least you will know for the next time that if you are asked the same question, you’ll have an answer. 

So many candidates that are looking for employment in a new industry are a bag of nerves. It may very well take you several interviews to start feeling more confident at interviewing and answering questions in this industry. 

Never beat yourself up if you don’t get the job. By all means, take an honest look at how you performed and work out how you could improve. And remember, as long as you keep believing in yourself and keep trying, you will bag your job. But it takes most people several interviews before they succeed.  

The only way you can fail is to stop believing in yourself and stop trying. So keep going, you are great! And it’s only a matter of time before you land your ideal job. 

Best of luck!

Looking for jobs?

To find the latest security jobs, check out our Jobs Board, which has 1,000+ jobs from the UK’s best security companies. 

If you’re on the hunt for a security job on the go, download the GuardPass app for all the latest jobs and more. The GuardPass App is available for download on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store.