Tell me about a time when you solved a security problem on the job.

How to Answer
Entry Level
Answer Example

It's time to tell a story of when you saved the day! Your example doesn't have to be a dramatic story dripping in heroism; however, the interviewer wants an example of a time when your attention on the job paid off. Be sure to set the stage of your story, describe the issue, the action that you took, and then the positive result.

"I was not working as a security guard; however, while attending high school, I noticed some suspicious activity from a couple of the students. These students were known to be mischevious and had a history of vandalizing school property. I took note of their behavior and brought my concern to the principal. She called for a locker sweep and ended up finding tear gas in one of these students' lockers. It turns out these students were planning to use this at our pep rally. I was glad to have followed my instinct, and my principal was very thankful that I noticed the odd behavior and took action."

"As a security guard at a large shopping mall, we had many small instances of shoplifting from teens, but very few situations of significant impact. One day I was on my lunch break, and an alert came through that one of the mall's jewelry stores had been robbed. I immediately went into action, calling for protocols such as locking the entrances and calling for police backup. I was able to catch up to the thief and tackled him to the ground, cuffing him, and detaining until the police arrived. Although the situation happened so fast, I was still able to give a complete and helpful police report. Because of my fast thinking, I gained a promotion to head security guard just a couple of weeks later."

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How to Answer: Tell me about a time when you solved a security problem on the job.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Security Guard job interview.

16. Tell me about a time when you solved a security problem on the job.

How to Answer

It's time to tell a story of when you saved the day! Your example doesn't have to be a dramatic story dripping in heroism; however, the interviewer wants an example of a time when your attention on the job paid off. Be sure to set the stage of your story, describe the issue, the action that you took, and then the positive result.

Written by Rachelle Enns on September 20th, 2019

Entry Level

"I was not working as a security guard; however, while attending high school, I noticed some suspicious activity from a couple of the students. These students were known to be mischevious and had a history of vandalizing school property. I took note of their behavior and brought my concern to the principal. She called for a locker sweep and ended up finding tear gas in one of these students' lockers. It turns out these students were planning to use this at our pep rally. I was glad to have followed my instinct, and my principal was very thankful that I noticed the odd behavior and took action."

Written by Rachelle Enns on September 20th, 2019

Answer Example

"As a security guard at a large shopping mall, we had many small instances of shoplifting from teens, but very few situations of significant impact. One day I was on my lunch break, and an alert came through that one of the mall's jewelry stores had been robbed. I immediately went into action, calling for protocols such as locking the entrances and calling for police backup. I was able to catch up to the thief and tackled him to the ground, cuffing him, and detaining until the police arrived. Although the situation happened so fast, I was still able to give a complete and helpful police report. Because of my fast thinking, I gained a promotion to head security guard just a couple of weeks later."

Written by Rachelle Enns on September 20th, 2019

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