Security Guards
Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key knowledge
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Telecommunications
- Administrative
What the work involves
- Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
- Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
- Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
- Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.
- Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire or presence of unauthorized persons.
- Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
- Answer telephone calls to take messages, answer questions, and provide information during non-business hours or when switchboard is closed.
- Warn persons of rule infractions or violations, and apprehend or evict violators from premises, using force when necessary.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Enterprising.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (79.3% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (37.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (61.4%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Security Guards is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very high | Higher on contact with others than 92% of occupations compared | 90% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very high | Higher on dealing with the public than 99% of occupations compared | 95% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Moderate | Lower on teamwork than 55% of occupations compared | 59% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | High | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 77% of occupations compared | 68% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 93% of occupations compared | — |
| Conflict situations | Very high | Higher on conflict situations than 96% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | High | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 74% of occupations compared | — |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 60% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: very high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0.38%
- Contact with others most of the time: 9.83%
- Constant contact with others: 89.79%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 3.21%
- Very important: 2.1%
- Extremely important: 94.69%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 10.25%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 6.97%
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: 58.66%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 23.6%
- Some freedom: 8.38%
- A lot of freedom: 68.02%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
Time pressure
- Never: 36.72%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0.86%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 22.43%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 1.11%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
Conflict situations
- Never: 9.45%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.06%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 22.51%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: 10.25%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 9.5%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 15.08%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly serious: 4.29%
- Serious: 0%
- Very serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2023
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O*NET-SOC 33-9032.00 · SOC 33-9032 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8