When you leave military service, it can be challenging to know what to do next. If your rate is one with a straight line to a civilian job, it’s a little easier. A Navy Storekeeper can try a position in inventory control, purchasing, or logistics. An Army Medic can use their training to become an EMT or study to become a nurse or a physician assistant. Not certain which career track you wish to take? Security officer jobs might be the ideal opportunity to leverage your military training – no matter what your service duties were. If you’re a veteran, here are five reasons security guard jobs in Atlanta might be right for you.
Expertise in Technology
As a veteran, you probably have experience with a wide range of technology, from cutting-edge to tech so old you’re tempted to kick it to get it to work properly. You could have worked with different types of technology, like robotics, AI, drones, etc., in the military. You’ll be a natural when it comes to learning various technology involved in security officer jobs, such as armed and unarmed guards, remote security, airport security, and cybersecurity.
Your Skills are in Demand
As you transition from the military to civilian jobs, you’ll find your skills are in demand in security settings, particularly security officer jobs in access control that leverages CCRV or biometric technologies. Even without specific cybersecurity experience, service members learn to be vigilant and security conscious in protecting data and networks – whether that means having their “head on a swivel” on patrol, or protecting passwords, keys, keycards, and other means of accessing restricted areas.
Trustworthy
When you joined the military, you underwent an extensive background check. If you needed higher clearance as you moved up the ranks or were assigned to a secure billet, that investigation might have gone even deeper. It all adds up to you being a trustworthy, low-risk hire for any job. This quality is in even greater demand in security positions where you are responsible for the people and property they value most.
Disciplined and Extremely Alert
A key takeaway from serving in any branch of the military is that you become extremely disciplined, alert, and aware. When it comes to security threats, you have great attention to detail. You notice when something is out of place, or someone’s behavior is suspect. You go about your day in a manner that minimizes risks and creates repeatable habits. You may even have carried over some of your fitness training to keep yourself in top physical condition. Your military career made you extremely disciplined and always on the lookout for danger. These traits will translate seamlessly for a job as a security officer.
Expertise in Human Nature
Security guard companies in Georgia will appreciate these skills when looking for top-notch officers to add to their teams. No criminal’s social engineering game will be strong enough to get past you and gain access. What you know about human behavior will ensure you are nearly impossible to fool. The smoothest talker is no match for you.
Disciplined in Habits
You know the importance of routines and habits when it comes to noticing things that are out of place. When you are on patrol, you’ll observe relevant details without being distracted by harmless ones. If a window is slightly cracked open, for example, you won’t have to ask yourself if it’s always been that way or if it’s new. You also understand the power of changing up your routine to ensure potential intruders who are “casing” your location can’t predict your patterns and find a gap in security.
Patient Observer
One of the skills gained in the military is the ability to do nothing while missing nothing. Many veterans, no matter what their “day job” in the service, were required to perform some type of guard duty. This could take the form of guarding a restricted area or a VIP, for example. Put the average person into a job like this, and chances are, they will get bored or distracted in no time. But you learned how to maintain a state of active waiting, a skill that is invaluable when it comes to conducting covert surveillance, for example, or as a guard on assignment in a distracting area. Event security is essential for sports, concerts, etc., but it’s not easy to constantly scan the crowd for problems, especially when the home team just scored a touchdown!
Highly Trainable
As a veteran, you were required to learn a lot quickly. You knew the standards, routines, and practices of your branch of the military. You had to be trained in your chosen job field within that branch. You studied for promotions. Chances are, you were also taught skills to be used to protect yourself and others in combat or patrol circumstances. Even a peacetime military needs to be prepared to react quickly should the need arise.
Ready for Anything
Your military background gives you the strength and ability to be trained for any field of work. You can enter any field as a veteran with confidence, but when it comes to security officer jobs, you are well prepared and can easily pick up the rest with on-the-job training. You also learned the importance of continually improving yourself to remain sharp and optimize your growth and development physically and intellectually.
Ability to Adapt
A surprisingly rare skill is the ability to adapt to matter what is thrown at you throughout the day. As a veteran, you have been through countless situations, from serving in war zones to undergoing tough training. You had no choice but to learn to adapt. Your training is designed to prepare you to adjust to any situation, not predict every possible situation. On the battlefield or even on the job, you can’t raise your hand and say, excuse me, we didn’t cover this in class. You must know how to dig into your mental and physical toolbox to find the right skill for the circumstance. It’s no surprise the TV character MacGyver was written as an Army veteran. As a master of improvisation, he’s an exaggeration of how service members can rise to any challenge based on what they know. This skill will translate well into a security officer job.
Final Thoughts
A skill we haven’t discussed, and people don’t always associate with the military, is the ability to talk to a wide variety of people. The typical image of a service member, or a security officer, for that matter, is someone who is stoic and unapproachable. On the contrary, the smartest approach to many situations is to engage socially – with suspected wrongdoers and potential witnesses.
To the layperson, it may seem odd to give a criminal a warm smile and a friendly hello, but the outsider may not see is that the guard making eye contact noting details that would be harder to observe if his demeanor was hostile. Also, the suspect gets the non-verbal message, “I see you.” That means the security officer will prevent them from following through on their intentions, apprehend them if they do or just make it so difficult it’s not worth the trouble. Keeping interactions friendly can also prevent an incident from escalating or alerting bystanders and possibly causing panic.
A friendly guard also encourages people to come forward to report incidents they witness or anything they observe that should be investigated. You are only one person. When people trust you, they are more willing to become your eyes and ears. They are more likely to come forward when they know you will not be hostile, dismissive, or condescending.
“Friendliness” may not be a skill people associate with the military, but from your first day, you are thrown in with people from all over the country who may have very different backgrounds, beliefs, and ethnicities. You are expected to rapidly go from complete strangers to someone you would trust with your life. If service took you overseas, you needed to interact with locals who may have been different from anyone you have ever met.
Security guard companies in Georgia will scramble to add someone to their staff who can interact equally well with discerning VIPs, refinery workers, office staff, residents of underserved communities, or even teenagers at a concert.
Get Connected with BOS Security
At BOS Security, we are honored to help our service members transition seamlessly to a civilian security career. Your military training and experience made you a natural for many of our current security jobs. Choose armed or unarmed officer positions if you’d like to be in the thick of the action. Put your technical and video skills to the test as a remote security command center agent. Or maybe a job as a TSA airport screener is right up your alley.
If you’re not sure which security officer job is right for you, you can read firsthand accounts about different jobs from our security guards under What I Do Matters. You can also just get in touch and we would be happy to talk through your options as a veteran. We can even help your spouse find a security job to smooth their transition as well.
We appreciate your service. Now allow us to serve you.
Interested in pursuing a career as a security officer, apply today!