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What is a security officer/shift supervisor and how to become one
Having a strong security operation is key to the functioning of many businesses. As a Security Officer/Shift Supervisor, you'll be responsible for making sure a well-trained security staff is on duty at all times. In this role, you'll be in charge of reviewing staffing levels to maintain full coverage of security posts and supervising security officers in their assigned shifts. You'll not only train new security officers, but you'll also oversee interviewing and hiring of new employees.
As the security officer/shift supervisor, your main focus will be the overall protection of company assets. You'll need to maintain a professional department in order to uphold your company's reputation. To excel in this position, you'll need strong leadership skills as well as a thorough knowledge of civil and criminal laws. You'll also need the ability to mediate conflict with tact and diplomacy.
To be a security officer/shift supervisor, you'll typically need to have a high school diploma or equivalent, along with previous experience as a security guard or law enforcement agent.
Avg. Salary $35,680
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.58%
Asian 6.30%
Black or African American 11.84%
Hispanic or Latino 19.71%
Unknown 5.30%
White 55.27%
Genderfemale 22.00%
male 78.00%
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
Security officer/shift supervisor career paths
Key steps to become a security officer/shift supervisor
Explore security officer/shift supervisor education requirements
Start to develop specific security officer/shift supervisor skills
Skills Percentages Customer Service 31.79% Incident Reports 22.95% Patrol 12.26% Security Services 7.87% Emergency Situations 4.71% Complete relevant security officer/shift supervisor training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New security officer/shift supervisors 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 security officer/shift supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real security officer/shift supervisor resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed security officer/shift supervisor usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed security officer/shift supervisor in most of states. 30 states require security officer/shift supervisors 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 security officer/shift supervisor duties and responsibilities
- Supervise both patrol and gate officers during daily and emergency situations.
- Render first-aid and/or CPR if need.
- Conduct patrol rounds of interior and exterior perimeter.
- Monitor entire facility while using CCTV while simultaneously dispatch duties.
Prepare your security officer/shift supervisor resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your security officer/shift supervisor 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 security officer/shift supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable security officer/shift supervisor resume templates
Build a professional security officer/shift supervisor 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 security officer/shift supervisor resume.
Apply for security officer/shift supervisor jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a security officer/shift supervisor 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 security officer/shift supervisor job
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Average security officer/shift supervisor salary
The average security officer/shift supervisor salary in the United States is $35,680 per year or $17 per hour. Security officer/shift supervisor salaries range between $26,000 and $47,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do security officer/shift supervisors rate their job?
Security officer/shift supervisor reviews
Meeting a lot of different people have helped people in this job
The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes
Protecting people and the property where I’m sign at.
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
