As a security officer, it is your duty to partrol and protect. Most security officers are given a certain property to protect from illegal activity. These properties can vary from public buildings to retail stores and office buildings.
However, you could get a job as a security officer in a casino, and we all know how cool these security officers are just based on movies. No matter how cool and important this role is, it's important to note that it can be taxing. Since a lot of these properties are open 24 hours a day, many security officers work long hours, if not around the clock. One thing is for sure. If you become a security officer, you'll probably become addicted to caffeine.
How to Become a Security Officer
What is a Security Officer
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Security Officer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.58 an hour? That's $30,319 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 40,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Security Officer Do
There are certain skills that many Security Officers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Communication skills, Good judgment and Observation skills.
How To Become a Security Officer
If you're interested in becoming a Security Officer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 23.7% of Security Officers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.2% of Security Officers have master's degrees. Even though some Security Officers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Security Officer. When we researched the most common majors for a Security Officer, we found that they most commonly earn High School Diploma degrees or Bachelor's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Security Officer resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Security Officer. In fact, many Security Officer jobs require experience in a role such as Cashier. Meanwhile, many Security Officers also have previous career experience in roles such as Sales Associate or Security Guard.
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Security Officer Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a Security Officer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Certified Nursing Assistant, progress to a title such as Team Leader and then eventually end up with the title Area Manager.
Security Officer
Area Manager
7 Years
Operations Officer
5 Years
Senior Officer
5 Years
Security Manager
6 Years
Security Director
10 Years
Loss Prevention Manager
5 Years
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Security Officer Jobs You Might Like
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Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Security Officer
Security Officers in America make an average salary of $30,319 per year or $15 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $38,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $23,000 per year.
Average Salary
$30,319
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How much should you be earning as an Security Officer? Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to get an estimation of how much you should be earning.
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12 Security Officer Resume Examples
Build a professional security officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your security officer resume.
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Amanda Foster Security Officer |
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Rebecca Murphy Security Officer Experience Security Officer2014 - Present Whelan Security Co.•Washington, DC
Security2010 - 2014 G4S•Cranford, NJ
Patrol Officer2000 - 2010 PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY POLICE DEPT•Landover, MD
Skills Evict ViolatorsFire HazardsPresent EvidenceDomestic ViolenceLaw EnforcementDaily ActivitiesCriminal ActsProperty DamageSecurity OfficersUnarmed Security Education High School Diploma 2000 - 2000 |
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Learn How To Write a Security Officer Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Security Officer resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Security Officer Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Security Officer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Security Officer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Security Officer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
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Security Officer Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Security Officer Jobs - $38K and Up
- Work From Home Security Officer Jobs
- Entry Level Security Officer Jobs
- Part Time Security Officer Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Security Officer Jobs
Online Courses For Security Officer That You May Like
Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO)
Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO) Certification Exam Prep Course...
Security Guard Training Course
Security Officer Training In Today's Job Market...
Information Security - Authentication and Access Control
This is the 2nd course in the intermediate, undergraduate-level offering that makes up the larger Cybersecurity Fundamentals MicroBachelors Program. We recommend taking them in order, unless you have a background in these areas already and feel comfortable skipping ahead. Information Security - Introduction to Information Security Information Security - Authentication and Access Control Information Security - Advanced Topics Network Security - Introduction to Network Security Network Security...
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Top Skills For a Security Officer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 22.3% of Security Officers listed Customer Service on their resume, but soft skills such as Communication skills and Good judgment are important as well.
Best States For a Security Officer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Security Officer. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, and Minnesota. Security Officers make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $40,926. Whereas in Alaska and Washington, they would average $40,198 and $39,060, respectively. While Security Officers would only make an average of $36,232 in Minnesota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
Total Security Officer Jobs:
173
Highest 10% Earn:
$45,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$40,198
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
Total Security Officer Jobs:
1,408
Highest 10% Earn:
$48,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$39,060
Avg. Salary
3. Minnesota
Total Security Officer Jobs:
1,405
Highest 10% Earn:
$43,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$36,232
Avg. Salary
How Do Security Officer Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
5 • January 2020
5.0
5 • January 2020What do you like the most about working as Security Officer?
Talking to the college students helping to stay in school and listening to them when they need to Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
The pay and no insurance Show More4.0
security guard • June 2019
4.0
security guard • June 2019What do you like the most about working as Security Officer?
I enjoy observing people and places. I like helping people and solve their problems. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
I don't like jumping shifts day to night and so forth. it tends to mess up the internal clock. Show MoreTop Security Officer Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Security Officers and discovered their number of Security Officer opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that G4S Secure Solutions was the best, especially with an average salary of $28,084. Allied Universal follows up with an average salary of $29,288, and then comes U.S. Security with an average of $29,224. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Security Officer. The employers include Ntt America, CACI International, and Nana Management Services
Security Officer Videos
Working As A SECURITY GUARD
Becoming a Security Officer FAQs
Do security guards make good money?
No, security guards do not make good money. The median hourly wage is only $14.27 an hour ($29,680 a year). The hourly wage for a security guard ranges from $10.17 ($21,159 a year) and to $24.19 ($50,319 a year).
The longer you work as a security guard may impact earning potential. More senior security guard positions can earn upwards of $80k a year.
Security Guards Position and earning potential.
Director Security Guard - $76,719 a year or $36.88 an hour
Head Of Security Guard - $71,579 a year or $34.41 an hour
Grumman Security Guard - $65,886 a year or $31.68 an hour
Senior Security Guard - $65,760 a year or $31.62 an hour
Senior Guard - $65,371 a year or $31.43 an hour
Besides experience, your location makes a significant difference due to labor agreements, working conditions, and workforce availability.
Pay Rates for Security Guards based on Location:
California - $16.17 an hour or $33,640 a year
New York - $18.03 an hour $37,510 a year
Texas - $14.78 an hour or $30,740 a year
Florida - $14.01 an hour or $29,150 a year
Illinois - $16.25 an hour or $33,800 a year
How long does it take to become a security officer?
It takes as little as a week to become a security officer. The first step is obtaining your Class B license. The license requires a minimum of 40 hours of professional security training, followed by an exam.
Many programs offer ten-hour classes Monday through Thursday for a total of 40 hours. Classroom training for the class D unarmed security guard license will include topics such as legal issues, proper emergency response, and patrol procedures.
To become an unarmed security officer requires a Class D license. To qualify, you will need to meet the following criteria.
be a U.S. citizen or legal resident with an issued social security number
be at least 18 years of age
submit to fingerprinting
successfully complete class D and 40-hour security guard training
submit a notarized application to the Florida Division of Licensing
submit two passport-style photos
To become an armed security officer requires a Class D license along with a Class G license. To qualify, you will need to meet the following criteria.
must be at least 21 years old
must file an application with the division
submission of a fingerprint set on a standard FBI fingerprint card
must not have been convicted of any felony and/or misdemeanor involving theft, drug offenses, or moral turpitude
must successfully complete the state-required 28-hour armed training course
What is the difference between a security guard and a security officer?
The main difference between a security guard and a security officer is the scope of responsibility, training requirements, expectations, and compensation required for both roles.
A security officer, for example, often functions in a management role. They are responsible for an overall security operation. To fulfill their duties, they will assign duties and tasks for security guards to carry out. Since more responsibility falls to Security Officer, they're regarded as security professionals.
A security guard, on the other hand, can be thought of as the face of the security operation. This is the person the public will see performing security duties. A security guard works under the direction of a security officer. Security guards are posted at various checkpoints like doors, gates, or other areas determined to be vulnerable.
A security officer may be required to also have a Class G license for carrying a concealed weapon, whereas a security guard may not. It's for this reason that security officers ($16.74 an hour) earn more money compared to security guards ($14.27).
Have more questions? See all answers to common protective service questions.
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