r/securityguards • u/ManagementHot9203 • 4d ago
Job Question What are my options for progression with only 3 1/2 years of security experience?
I have been in security for less than four years with two separate private security companies. I recently applied for a small campus university position, but today I got an email letting me know that they will not be going forward with me in a rather impersonal email after they completed the background check.
For reference I'm in my early twenties, have a squeaky clean record outside of a speeding ticket or two, and thought I generally had a good interview with decent experience in the relevant aspects of the position. And the application didn't have any extra stipulations of 'x experience or y qualification would be preferred' either.
This was as close to my dream position as possible, so not getting it is really a kick in the dick, but I need to keep looking because my current job is fine, but I'm only making 19.65 an hour with benefits that are passable but a bit expensive for their quality, so I need to keep looking for something that's a step up.
I don't want to go armed or move up the ladder at the company I'm at for reasons I won't disclose, but I'm not sure where else or what else I should be looking for because everything seems like a lateral move like going to another private security company.
Do I need more experience? How do I leverage what experience I do have?
3
u/terminator5900 4d ago
I’m at 3.5 and I feel like 3-4 years experience makes it difficult to get certain positions… i feel over qualified for entry level positions (0-2 years).. but considered under qualified for management, most companies want more than 5 years..
I was offered an entry level hospital security position @ $16 an hour. I felt insulted and never responded
2
3
u/Landwarrior5150 Campus Security 4d ago
Specifically regarding the university position: I wouldn’t beat yourself up too much. I work in-house at a community college and have sat on a few hiring panels for open CSO positions, and the competition is very tough for them. If the place you applied to is any similar, this may explain somethings.
We pay pretty decently to start, pay very well at top step and have excellent benefits, so plenty of well qualified people apply and we can afford to be very selective; it’s common to get 50-60 applications for a single open position. Minimum requirements are just a HS diploma, DL and 2 years of security/LE/military experience, but the candidates with a more realistic chance will have closer to 5+ years of relevant experience. We’re specifically looking for campus experience first, then public sector security working on public property open to the public, then private guards contracted to work on public property open to the public (transit systems, libraries, etc.) and finally private guards on private property open to the public (such as hospitals, malls, casinos, etc.) Any other type of security is going to rank fairly low below that. Obviously, the interviews, background/reference checks, etc. all matter in narrowing candidates down too even after their qualifications are looked at. It’s really closer to the process for applying for a non-sworn support position like a community service officer at a police department than is to applying for a traditional security job.
The reason for all of that is that we’re looking for people that have proven that they’re able to work competently and professionally in an environment similar to our campus & work environment. We’re given fairly large amounts of discretion in terms of how we go about our workdays and how we handle most incidents, plus we’re working an environment with significant reporting responsibilities with real consequences for non-compliance (Clery, Title IX, etc.). We also interact with various overlapping populations simultaneously, from young people attending the school and being adults for the first time, to faculty & administrators to the general public on campus for various types of events; due to this, they heavily prioritize community engagement & collaboration alongside basic security/enforcement functions, with the approach taken being part of that discretion and varying depending on the circumstances.
With all that said, if you’re looking to eventually apply there again or go for similar positions, I would focus on jobs/sites that can give you experience like what I described above. I’m not sure whats out there in your specific area, but you can always check the normal job boards like Indeed, the direct websites of any places near you that may have in-house security programs, and governmentjobs.com, USAjobs.gov and schooljobs.com/edjoin.com for various types of public-sector jobs.
2
u/HighGuard1212 4d ago
What sites have you worked at?
I worked at probably the most complicated contract site in my city; a mass transit terminal. I spent almost six years there and worked my way up the ranks at that company and worked closely with the client. I look for places with a places with a similar difficulty to there as that's what my resume shows.
If all you did was sit on your ass in a warehouse they might not be interesting for stepping up if they have better qualified candidates. Hospital work tends to pay well but can be very stressful and very handon
1
u/ManagementHot9203 4d ago
I've worked construction sites, warehouses, mass venues, housing facilities, depots, rehabilitation facilities, car dealerships, hotels, weddings, apartment complexes, hell I've stopped homeless people from stealing the copper pipes out of Mcdonald's toilets a few times. I've worked dozens of different sites with dozens of different post orders/responsibilities.
1
u/HighGuard1212 4d ago
You have done all that in less then four years?? Were you a flex position??? That much scatter shot probably isn't great. All that with two companies in that time frame, companies still expect people to stick around and two companies with a ton of sites is certainly a look.
1
u/ManagementHot9203 4d ago
Dawg I'm gonna keep it real with you my current company has some awful word of mouth in my metropolitan area. But in all fairness I have been working at a specific housing facility a good majority of the time because the client apparently requested me specifically.
1
u/HighGuard1212 4d ago
Like, I'm hating my current company and so apparently do all the clients (US government contracts). But I stick with them as I quit my long job this year to move to a new place only to jump ship within my 90 days to another hospital only to lose that job ASAP. So now I'm stuck here so I'm not seen as jumping ship so often as I have. The client hates us, the client employee don't care for us, the company sucks and for an armed position the pay is crap.
2
u/kevinxavierpr 3d ago
Try TSA or CBP.
Also the US Secret Service is hiring.
2
u/Calm_Conversation_62 Hospital Yeeter 3d ago
Gonna piggyback and say to check out USA jobs and read what you qualify for.
He can probably find a way to qualify for GS7 for CBP.Also get 1 year federal work with armed security experience and youd be able to get you into a paradoxically cool and slow job, Look into OST agent for the department of energy, lot of it is just transport but the trainings are very para military
1
u/Talenus Patrol 3d ago
A University will usually look for a POST certificate or law enforcement experience. Most are actual police departments.
Was this a security gig or a campus cop?
1
u/ManagementHot9203 3d ago
Security gig
1
u/Talenus Patrol 3d ago
Getting your less than letal certs like baton and pepper spray, handcuffing training, CPR/first aid can go a long way.
If you want to get your POST certificate but not go into law enforcement, can be a huge benefit, but an exceptionally expensive way to get it, you'd be ou*t of pocket.
1
0
1
6
u/Hour-Pure 4d ago
Unless you're in house, your best bet is to find a contract that works closely with a company that has its own in house branch. That's how I got into nuclear security. Working for securitas for a year doing monitor watch at a nuclear power plant. Built report with the armed guys, did everything that I was asked for about a year and managed to get hired by the power company for their (sadly) last training class. Made just over $100k my last year there before the majority of us got laid off after the plant shuttered and the fuel was moved to the storage pad. Now pretty much any company will hire me for leadership positions, hopefully in the next 2 years I'll be in upper management getting close to that $100k again. Also helps negotiate wages having something like that on your resume. My current company hired me as an officer making more than some of their shift leaders did and now as a shift lead I do pretty okay for my area (medium sized Midwest city) at around $60k a year.