Security guard interview questions by country (non-native English)
Short answer
The same security guard job is often interviewed differently in each country. Choose the country you are applying in to see what a recruiter there may look for, and practise those questions in simple English.
Choose your country
Each page shows what a security guard recruiter in that country may look for, and questions with a simple answer shape.
- Security guard interview questions in the UK — A security manager may listen for how you calm a situation with words, and how you write an incident report.
- Security guard interview questions in the US — A site supervisor may listen for observe-and-report thinking: you notice, you report, and you do not take risks alone.
- Security guard interview questions in Canada — A supervisor may listen for clear radio communication and accurate notebook entries.
- Security guard interview questions in Australia — A venue or site manager may listen for how you calm a situation with words before anything else.
- Security guard interview questions in Ireland — A supervisor may listen for good customer service as well as security, because many posts are in shops and offices.
- Security guard interview questions in Germany — A recruiter may check the required security qualification first and may ask about your German level directly.
- Security guard interview questions in the UAE — A recruiter may look for a calm, smart appearance and respectful manners with guests and residents from many countries.
Sentence starters you can use in any country
Fill in the gaps with your own work. Simple English is fine.
A time you calmed down an angry person
The person was angry because … I kept a safe distance and spoke slowly and calmly. I listened and said: 'I understand. Here is what I can do.' The result was … and I wrote it in the incident log.
What do you do if you see something suspicious?
I watch carefully and stay safe. I report it by radio to my supervisor or control room. I write the time, place and what I saw. I follow the site instructions and do not act alone if it is dangerous.
Common mistakes for non-native speakers
- Instead of "I stop bad people": say: "I watch, I speak calmly first, and I report anything unusual". A recruiter may listen for calm and reporting, not force.
- Instead of "I fight if I need to": say: "I try to calm the situation with words, keep a safe distance and call for support". Talking a situation down is usually the first step in security work.
- Instead of "I wrote a report": say: "I wrote the time, the place, who was there, what happened and what I did". Clear reports are a large part of the job.
- Instead of guessing a word you did not hear on the radio: say: "Can you repeat that, please?". Clear communication is part of keeping people safe.
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