Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Security alarm investigator to security guard supervisor

A security alarm investigator already meets 33% of what the security guard supervisor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From security alarm investigator
33 % overlap
Distant match
To security guard supervisor
12 You already bring
12 Still to learn
41 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

68.5/ 100

1 How much of what a security guard supervisor is expected to do is already part of a security alarm investigator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the security guard supervisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A security guard supervisor role treats 7 of its required skills as things a security alarm investigator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • criminal law
  • detain offenders
  • ensure public safety and security
  • liaise with security authorities
  • monitor surveillance equipment
  • security threats

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A security guard supervisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a security alarm investigator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held security in industrial buildings services
  • already held security in commercial buildings services
  • already held monitor surveillance equipment constructing
  • already held deal with aggressive behaviour assisting and caring
  • already held detain offenders assisting and caring
  • already held security threats services

All 12 carried skills, including the 7 the security guard supervisor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 assisting and caring 5 required, 8 supplementary
  • still to learn coordinate security required
  • still to learn execute inspection walkway required
  • still to learn maintain facility security systems required
  • still to learn ensure law application required
  • still to learn practice vigilance required
  • optional, not held check official documents optional
  • optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
  • optional, not held manage major incidents optional
  • optional, not held patrol areas optional
  • optional, not held perform security checks optional
  • optional, not held provide door security optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
  • optional, not held restrain individuals optional
02 information skills 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn supervise security at manned access gates required
  • still to learn write security reports required
  • still to learn manage security equipment required
  • still to learn undertake inspections required
  • optional, not held document security incidents in the store optional
  • optional, not held ensure hotel security optional
  • optional, not held monitor parking areas to maintain security optional
03 management skills 3 required
  • still to learn coordinate patrols required
  • still to learn manage the security team required
  • still to learn supervise staff required
04 business, administration and law 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
  • optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held train security officers optional
06 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held illegal substances optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a security guard supervisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held criminal law knowledge
  • already held detain offenders skill
  • already held ensure public safety and security skill
  • already held liaise with security authorities skill
  • already held monitor surveillance equipment skill
  • already held security threats knowledge
  • already held surveillance methods knowledge
  • already held deal with aggressive behaviour skill
  • already held fire safety regulations knowledge
  • already held operate radio equipment skill
  • already held security in commercial buildings knowledge
  • already held security in industrial buildings knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held check methods optional
08 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop computer vision system optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held document security incidents in the store optional
  • optional, not held ensure hotel security optional
  • optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
  • optional, not held monitor parking areas to maintain security optional
  • optional, not held train security officers optional
  • optional, not held check methods optional
  • optional, not held check official documents optional
  • optional, not held develop computer vision system optional
  • optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
  • optional, not held illegal substances optional
  • optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
  • optional, not held manage major incidents optional
  • optional, not held patrol areas optional
  • optional, not held perform security checks optional
  • optional, not held provide door security optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
  • optional, not held restrain individuals optional
14 held skills the security guard supervisor role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on strengthening security skill
  • not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
  • not needed by the target role apply safety management skill
  • not needed by the target role assist police investigations skill
  • not needed by the target role building's electronic access equipment knowledge
  • not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
  • not needed by the target role keep task records skill
  • not needed by the target role locking mechanisms knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage alarm system skill
  • not needed by the target role read technical datasheet skill
  • not needed by the target role repair alarm system skill
  • not needed by the target role respond to burglar alarm systems skill
  • not needed by the target role train employees skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held legal requirements related to ammunition optional
  • optional, not held check methods optional
  • optional, not held illegal substances optional
  • optional, not held legal use-of-force optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a security alarm investigator become a security guard supervisor?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A security alarm investigator already covers 33% of what a security guard supervisor is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 7 of which the security guard supervisor role treats as required.

What skills does a security alarm investigator need to become a security guard supervisor?

12 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is coordinate security.

How hard is the move from security alarm investigator to security guard supervisor?

Its learning distance is 68.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.