How to hire a gate guard

How to hire a gate guard, step by step

Here's a step-by-step gate guard hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a gate guard job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new gate guard
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the gate guard you need to hire. Certain gate guard roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect gate guard also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents gate guard salaries for various positions.

   Type of Gate Guard	Description	Hourly rate
   Gate Guard	Security guards and gaming surveillance officers patrol and protect property against theft, vandalism, terrorism, and illegal activity.	$13-21
   Security	A Security's main responsibility is to keep people or an establishment safe. This responsibility is carried out by constantly patrolling a designated area and monitoring the activity within the premises... Show more	$11-20
   Unarmed Security Officer	An unarmed security officer is primarily responsible for securing an establishment and maintaining the safety of people within the premises. They are typically in charge of conducting patrols, monitoring surveillance cameras and alarm systems, responding to distress reports, keeping an eye on suspicious activities and behaviors, and coordinating with the law enforcement should there be any emergencies... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Traffic Flow
   • Vehicle Inspections
   • Property Damage
   • Safety Procedures
   • Emergency Situations
   • Security Checks
   • Law Enforcement
   • IDS
   • Incident Reports
   • Safety Hazards
   • Loss Prevention
   • Telephone Calls
   • CPR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct roving patrol of assign sector whether interior or exterior of perimeter.
   • Ensure that no prohibit items are brought into the SCIF.
   • Coordinate and control all incoming maintenance personnel with the SCIF spaces.
   • Maintain all paperwork necessary while maintaining a level of alertness and responsibility necessary to ensure security of all areas of duty.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your gate guard job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A gate guard salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, gate guards' average salary in mississippi is 45% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level gate guards earn 36% less than senior-level gate guards.
   • Certifications. A gate guard with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a gate guard's salary.

   Average gate guard salary

   $36,326yearly

   $17.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level gate guard salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a gate guard job description

   A good gate guard job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a gate guard job description:

   Gate guard job description example

   Americold provides temperature-controlled warehousing and transportation to food producers, restaurants, schools and retail outlets such as grocery stores. We're proud to provide an essential link in the food industry supply chain and to help put food on tables around the world.
   
   Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates temperature-controlled warehouses around the world. We have over 16,000 associates and offer a wide variety of career opportunities - from warehouse forklift operators and supervisors to accounting, administration, business development, customer support, engineering, transportation, and technology solutions positions.
   Responsibilities Primary Responsibility:
   Responsible for the access control of all incoming and outgoing traffic into the facility yard. Documents arrival of trucks and trailers into the various systems. Checks accuracy of the paperwork and the loads of trucks and trailers upon their exit from the facility yard. At some facilities, may be required to perform physical door checks throughout the facility.
   
   Essential Functions:
   • Guard the entrance the facility and grounds, warehouse, or other property to control traffic to and from buildings and grounds
   • Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas
   • Opens gates to allow entrance or exit of employees, truckers, and authorized visitors
   • Check the credentials or approved roster before admitting anyone thru the gates
   • Directs visitors and truckers to various parts of grounds or buildings
   • Inspects outgoing traffic to prevent unauthorized removal of company property or product
   • Data entry to record number of trucks, work orders or other carriers entering or leaving facility
   • Input data into system
   • Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as theft, equipment or property damage, presence of unauthorized persons or unusual occurrences
   • Answer telephone and transfer calls to different departments
   • May be required to operate a company security vehicle to perform physical door checks
   • Perform other duties as required Qualifications Minimum Qualifications and Requirements:
   • Excellent and proven interpersonal and customer service skills (Verbal and written)
   • Proven ability to cope with conflict, stress and crisis situations.
   • Able to work in a fast paced, dynamic, high stress environment.
   • Excellent communication and verbal skills with all levels of the organization
   • Clean driving record, if assignment requires operating a company security vehicle
   
   Physical Requirements & Abilities:
   The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
   
   • Requires several hours per day of sitting, getting up and down from chairs, and reaching or bending
   • Talking, hearing, and seeing are important elements of completing assigned tasks
   • May require ability to occasionally lift, carry, position, and moving objects weighing up to 20 pounds
   • Requires ability to work Saturdays and overtime
   
   Americold is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
   EOE/AA M/F/D/V DFW

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find gate guards for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your gate guard job on Zippia to find and recruit gate guard candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting gate guards requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new gate guard

   Once you've found the gate guard candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new gate guard. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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