So you have seen the Hollywood depictions of bodyguards, which tend to fall into two categories. One, the incompetent doughnut munching character, who messes up the job. And two, the stoic and silent type, think early Bond films. These two archetypes can be found throughout popular culture.
But what does it actually take to become a bodyguard, and what type of person should apply for such a position? Well, the truth is in fact quite far from the Hollywood myth, and in what follows, we will outline some of the character traits that are required of security guards.
Bristol Security guards are punctual. Often in this role you will be opening up for closing down premises and businesses, when other employees are at home. So if you are not on time, there is no one else to pick up the slack.
Training, experience, and skills. These three are probably the most important, and take a long time to acquire. Thankfully they can all be measured and gauged by various awards and qualifications, so do ensure that your guards have the correct ones.
Communication. The role involves long hours spend alone, but that does not mean you should not be a great communicator. Typically you will have to report on the goings on at the site, and deal with visitors in an amiable manner.
Responding to, and calming down, a situation. Situations can escalate easily. It is therefore paramount that security guards are aware of how their own body language, tone of voice, choice of words, and actions can influence a situation. We really do create our own realities through our actions, and people feed off of what we put out there. So being self-aware is key.
Coercive. Top security guards can control people and crowds without the need for physical action. It may be through a choice set of words, or through their natural authority, but will never involve violence.
Orders. If you want to be a security guard you need to know how to give orders, and more importantly, how to take orders. At the time the orders may not seem reasonable, they may even not make sense, but a good security guard knows when to defer his or her judgement to those in charge.
Versatility. Finally, there is no definitive list of qualities that a security guard must possess, because the role is ever changing. You can practise the role all over the world, in a myriad of situations. So you must be versatile, and ready to adapt to change.