Whether he or she is working at a bank, a restaurant, or an office, a security guard has a lot on their job description. The first duty is to protect the client's property from thieves and burglary. In states like Connecticut, you need a trained expert with a CT security guard license who  understands their duty.

When hiring a security guard to protect your business premises, there are several factors you should consider. A security guard should have the following qualities before you can hire them to protect your property:

1. Training and experience 

Does the security guard have the necessary training and qualifications for the job? Most security companies train their security guards on essential surveillance, first aid, effective communication, and patrolling skills. You want to ensure the company's security guard has all the necessary training with these essential qualities before signing the contract. In Connecticut, it is required by law that the candidate has a Connecticut guard card. 

2. Physical fitness 

A security guard is here to offer protection to their client. That means they are the first responders in case of any security breach. Therefore, they have to be fit enough to patrol large areas if need be as well as ensure that incidents are reported on properly. 

Security guards should maintain good health and physical fitness to stay focused at work. In addition to their ability to perform security basics, they should also represent to your community the correct professional image and stature of a security officer.

3. Integrity and honesty

Honesty and integrity are required traits that every security guard should possess. In many cases, security guards work independently with no employer to control their actions. When they are assigned sensitive duties like restricting entrance to an event or maintaining a place's safety, they have to ensure everything is in order. 

Honesty and integrity are unique qualities in security guards, but you cannot check these qualities when you're recruiting. You have to work with a security guard for sometime before you can establish whether they are honest or not. Therefore, knowing that they are properly trained and certified by the state helps you address this hiring requirement.

4. Teamwork 

The ability to lead and work as a team is another essential quality every security guard should have. Apart from working under minimal supervision, a security guard should also be able to cooperate with others in improving the security standards of a place.  

When security guards have to work with medical staff, firefighters, and police officers, leading and working in a team becomes a useful trait. The ability to lead is essential during fire emergencies when security guards are supposed to lead people out of a building and control a crowd. 

5. Observation skills 

The most significant part of a security guard's work is to observe any suspicious activities within the client premises. That said, every guard should remain alert, attentive, and focused at work. 

With the best observation skills, a security guard can identify any issues while on duty and take the most appropriate actions on time to address any security breach. Every security guard should be able to react fast and efficiently to any suspicious activities. The ability to observe is also critical to writing accurate and timely reports, and every security guard should know that this will be part of their work responsibilities.

Final Thoughts 

When you hire a security guard, the essential attributes to look for include their character, training, qualification, and experience level. An experienced security guard should understand how to communicate with others, work as a team, and prevent any potential threats to client premises before they happen. As an employer, businesses can trust that security guards trained by professional security training companies like LJB Security officer training will have the background, certification and mindset to handle their job with the focus and professionalism required of them.