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What is a protection security officer and how to become one
A protection security officer is in charge of maintaining the safety and security within the premises of a company. He/She protects the employees and company assets. He/She inspects the facilities and patrols around the building to identify unusual activities and monitor suspicious people. Asides from that, he/she checks alarms, security cameras, and other surveillance equipment to ensure proper functioning. Likewise, he/she escalates incident reports to the security team for prompt actions. This is to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Also, he/she verifies the identity of guests and inspects their luggage upon arrival.
To become a protection security officer, you need a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must hold a valid security guard license in your state of employment. Core skills include communication and observation skills. Protection security officers earn an average gross salary of $33,914 or $16.3 per hour. This varies between $28,000 and $40,000.
What general advice would you give to a protection security officer?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Avg. Salary $35,926
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.59%
Asian 6.58%
Black or African American 13.74%
Hispanic or Latino 19.50%
Unknown 5.32%
White 53.27%
Genderfemale 16.89%
male 83.11%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Protection security officer career paths
Key steps to become a protection security officer
Explore protection security officer education requirements
Start to develop specific protection security officer skills
Skills Percentages Patrol 24.21% Safety Hazards 13.12% Law Enforcement 12.86% Criminal Justice 9.73% Customer Service 5.42% Complete relevant protection security officer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New protection security officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a protection security officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real protection security officer resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed protection security officer usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed protection security officer in most of states. 30 states require protection security officers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama - - Licensed Personal Security Officer Maryland - - GUARDS Alaska Specific course required - Security Guard Arkansas Specific course required State exam required Private Security Officer (PSO) California Specific course required State exam required Security Guard Registration Research protection security officer duties and responsibilities
- Maintain certification of CPR, self-defense, first aid, and firearms.
- Maintain annual certification of training classes including, CPR, self-defense, first aid, and firearms.
- Assist with aggressive and hostile patients as well as security watch for patients under arrests and those that are mentally unstable.
- Detain and restrain combative patients.
Prepare your protection security officer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your protection security officer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a protection security officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable protection security officer resume templates
Build a professional protection security officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your protection security officer resume.
Apply for protection security officer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a protection security officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first protection security officer job
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Average protection security officer salary
The average protection security officer salary in the United States is $35,926 per year or $17 per hour. Protection security officer salaries range between $26,000 and $49,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do protection security officers rate their job?
Protection security officer reviews
Meeting a lot of different people have helped people in this job
The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes
There’s nothing about the officer that I don’t like
Yes because is a job that deal with helping people that your help and there's a wonderful happiness while working properly and helping people at the sometime.
One sometimes people will not like you but they need a help from you but to me a don't call it anything now because I know the status of the job even in a building I have work in that area as a security guard department with my license from United Arab Emirates.
Updated January 8, 2025
