Employment

Bodyguard Training – Skills You Should Turn up on Your Course With

To become a professional bodyguard requires plenty of training, if you have never done anything like it before there really is a lot to learn. However it never ceases to amaze me how some people feel that as long as they have the money then the trainer can do the rest and turn them into a bodyguard. This is simply not true. Whilst I would be the first to admit that close protection is not “rocket science” you do need to turn up for training with some skills and attributes. This article discusses the skills and attributes which are essential if you wish to become a professional close protection officer. It goes without saying that you should be honest, punctual and have a mature outlook; however I will outline other essential skills and attributes below.

Good Communication skills

The close protection officer has to display excellent communication skills throughout. He needs to be able to speak not only to his principal but to other team members as well as officials. You must be a “people person” because a bodyguard will find himself dealing with people at all levels, from heads of security to hotel chambermaids. Without good communication skills you are unlikely to become a professional bodyguard, in fact you are unlikely to get past the first interview for your first job.

Common Sense

You will need copious amounts of common-sense. Close protection officers often have to “think on their feet” making decisions on their own, assessing situations and working out the appropriate action to take. Unfortunately you cannot be taught common sense, you either have it or you do not.

A Professional Attitude

Close protection officers needed to project a totally professional attitude throughout their working day. You must display this attitude from day one. Anything less than a professional attitude will not see you through your course, let alone a subsequent career.

Good Team Player

Close protection is a team sport, if you are not a team player you should reconsider your career choice. There is absolutely no room for individuals who cannot function well as part of a team. Teamwork is everything and if you do not function well within one then close protection is probably not for you.

Confidence

Whether you have it or not you must learn how to ooze it. Your principal needs to trust that you will do the right thing in an emergency. The confidence that you show on a day-to-day basis will go a long way to you earning the trust of your principal. Professional close protection officers that are not confident in everything they do will just not be taken seriously.

10 Reasons Why You Are Not Getting That Bodyguard Job.

1. Poor Training
Are you are poorly trained? Did you choose the wrong bodyguard training company? Take care when choosing the company that you train with, some have better reputations than others. Speak to employers. Who would they prefer that you were trained by?

2. Your CV is Poor
Think about revisiting your CV, it should be designed solely to open doors of opportunity. It is not an application form and nor is it your autobiography. Focus not on what you have done, rather on what you can offer the employer now!

3. Employers don’t get past your covering letter
If your covering letter is poor, or non-existent, this will affect your ability to gain employment. The cover letter is the first thing that the recruiters see. It is your proxy introduction. The cover letter should never be a stock letter. Each one should be personalised to the recipient. Take a look at the letters you send out, what do they say about you?

4. You are speaking to the wrong people
You are sending your CV to the wrong companies or individuals. Do your due diligence. Are they recruiting? Are they even in the business? Do you fit the bill? I advertised for some staff quite recently, the advert stipulated that applicants must be able to speak French. Predictably I still got countless CVs from those who could not speak French. Some even started their covering letter with the words “I don’t speak French but…”

5. You are not following up
Once your CV is out, do not just sit there and wait for the call. Be pro-active and chase that work. Never send a CV out without following it up with a call, or at least an email to ensure that it was received. Whether they got your CV or not; try and get an interview. There is a fine line between persistence and pestering. Be consistent with your follow-ups but don’t do it so often that you become a pest. That will be counter-productive.

6.You only have basic training
If your CV shows that you are only trained in the basics, then do not waste time whilst unemployed. Use this down time wisely. Look for some complimentary training courses that might make you appear more of an attractive proposition to employer. Courses like surveillance, surveillance detection, fire-fighting or learning another language will greatly assist you in your search for employment.

7. You are not networking
You must put yourself about, let everyone know who you are and what you do, never miss an opportunity to hand out a business card. The more potential employers that know you, that know you are ready to work, the better.

8. You are too narrow-minded
It is rare that close protection officers are always working. Think about adding a string to your bow, such a surveillance or event security. You might scoff at the idea of doing these menial security tasks but they always afford a good opportunity to network. Try to think outside the box, who could you write to let them know that you are available for work? Who hasn’t seen a copy of your CV yet? Write direct to individuals such as industry leaders, the rich and famous or their managers. They can only say no or they might ignore you altogether, but what if they say yes!

9. There is no work
Close protection is a popular occupation and sometimes there just isn’t enough work to go around. Even the very best close protection officers can go without working sometimes. We all like too rest a bit between jobs but do not get used to big gaps between them. Be proactive and whenever possible start looking for new contracts before the last one finishes.

10. You’ve given Up
Plenty of people give up this career before they even start, close protection can be a difficult business to get into, especially in the early days of a new career. One thing is certain, those that are tenacious and determined to succeed are the ones that do. If this is the career you want, do not give up.

Create the right Impression with your CV

Its amazing how many CV’s I receive that I never get to read. Ones that arrive without a covering email or letter never get read. Those that are half an inch thick with certificates and letters of commendation, never get read. Those that look like their kid brother wrote the envelope at primary school. ect etc. Download this document which will give you a good insight into how to present your CV. <Download a copy here> The password to open each of this document is the last word on page 244 of the Bodyguards Bible.

Bodyguard Job Hunting – The Importance of The Covering Letter

Never send a CV/Resume without a covering letter, this includes emails. The covering letter is an essential part of the Resume and should not be neglected.

Keep the covering letter short and completely to the point, do not mention too much in this letter that you have already stated in the CV, if you write it by hand ensure that it is neat and legible, and use good quality paper, blue ink is better than black and a fountain pen better than ball-point. Remember that the person who you are writing this letter to knows NOTHING about you except what is written in the letter and the CV, always write the letter to a name e.g. Mr. Smith, if you do not know the name – find out. As a last resort you can send it to a title e.g. Personnel Manager but always try to obtain a name.

An example of a covering letter might go as follows:

Dear Mr. Smith

I understand from an advertisement that your company has in Yellow Pages that you undertake Close Protection work. I have recently completed a contract overseas (I have recently completed a comprehensive course in Close Protection with) and am now actively seeking another (my first) assignment. I have enclosed a CV which outlines the experience etc, etc. I look forward to hearing from you soon

Regulation of the Bodyguard Industry – Has it Made a Difference?

A few years ago it was said that anyone could become a bodyguard. People in the industry complained that it was just too easy to become a bodyguard. A joke going around the industry in the early 1990’s was something like, “What are the two requirements to become a close protection officer” The first was to be breathing and the second was to have the course fee! This was true to some extent. While the best companies ran selection courses and weeded out the obvious failures and weak candidates, most training companies took you on for training as long you were breathing and had the cash!

Along came regulation and Licensing and most saw this as an opportunity to clean the industry up and raise the bar. Minimum standards of training would be legislated and the industry would benefit. Is it better now?

There are now over 80 training organisations in the UK alone compared to a handful just a few years ago. The industry is now licensed and legitimised and this has attracted a lot more people to the industry than ever before. However, all of these companies are desperate for students. They will do anything to attract students to their courses. The main attraction for many is often a low price; this might seem to be a good thing from the trainee’s point of view. We all know that competition is healthy and considered good.

However good training costs a lot of money to facilitate and the best instructors need to be paid for. This means that the profit margins are small which ensure many of these companies spend as little on the training as they can and just go through the motions as cheaply as they dare. Some companies just ticking off each hour from 150 minimum. With the SIA reluctant to inspect and monitor the training companies, we are not even sure that some even deliver the minimum. All of the awarding bodies rely on a simple tick test, and if this were not simple enough to pass, the answers to these questions are easily found by asking around!

Initial observations about the Close protection Licensing are that it is not working. It has not only cost individuals and companies a lot of money to implement, but it has also cost the taxpayer who has to prop it up despite the officers and companies paying seriously hefty annual fees to it. Has it raised the bar with regard to close protection? well yes, now you need a clean police record, the cash and must not be short of breath.