Lately I have been asked numerous times what I mean by hiring the best of the best and choosing the right security officers from a pool of candidates. Therefore I will illustrate hiring procedures and an interview and hiring process that will ensure that only the best of the best are hired. All security companies have websites where potential candidates can fill out applications. Due to the high unemployment in California There will be hundreds of applicants for each open position. While that is bad news for the candidates it is good news for the security companies and their clients, because they can truly choose the best people from a large pool of candidates.
The security company should ensure that all the pertinent questions are asked on the application to not waste the candidate's and the recruiter's time. How much experience does the candidate have? Does he or she hold the necessary valid California licenses? How far is the candidate willing to travel and what are his wage expectations? Asking the right questions on the application will enable recruiters to conduct a short phone interview to determine which candidates to invite to the actual interviews.
At the interview at least two recruiters should separately conduct an interview with the client asking question from a pre-prepared question sheet and getting a good feeling for the candidate’s skills and experience. The interview should be ideally about thirty minutes and should also identify the candidate’s ability to communicate effectively. If both interviewers agree to move forward with a candidate he should be given a security scenario that he has to read. After that he should be asked to fill out a daily activity report and an incident report according to the information provided. Writing reports is an essential skill for security guards and no security guard should be hired without ensuring that the officer will be able to dissect information and report it.
After a security officer candidate is identified a criminal background check and an employment reference check should be conducted. That will ensure that candidates with violent and criminal backgrounds as well as candidate that are not truthful on their application are not hired. After all this process a company will truly be able to hire the best of the best. Nevertheless, hiring the right people is only the beginning. Now they should be trained and held accountable throughout their career with the security company.
Charles Willis is a security consultant for a security company in Los Angeles frequently training and coaching Los Angeles Security Guards and Orange County Security Guards. He has provided security consultations to numerous Fortune 500 companies and smaller businesses. He is recognized as one of the specialists in the security consultation field.