Your first day in a security job: what to expect

Security staff must hold a category A or B work licence (Law 2518/1997, article 3 §1), and every month the company reports each employee’s licence number and post to the police (article 4). So the licence is the first thing you will be asked for.

• Your work licence and ID.
• Any other document the employer asked for — check beforehand so nothing is missing.
• A charged phone and charger, since reports are often filed through an app.
• Water and food if the shift is long and you don’t know what the site offers.

Arrive early. A first day needs time for a walk-through and a handover, and the colleague going off shift shouldn’t be left waiting.

Each company sets its own dress code, and it often varies by post: an office reception looks different from an outdoor patrol. Before day one, ask:

• when and where you collect the uniform, and what it includes;
• what to wear if it isn’t ready in your size yet;
• whether there are rules on footwear, night-time jackets or grooming;
• what you hand back if you leave the company.

Ask for a written list of whatever you are issued. It saves arguments when the time comes to return it.

Your supervisor is the person who will guide you and check the post. When you meet, note down:

• the supervisor’s number and the operations desk’s;
• the client’s contact on site and when you speak to them;
• the limits of the post: entrances, exits, keys, checkpoints;
• where the fire extinguishers, emergency exits and alarm panels are.

At OVIT, when you call the operations desk, a real person answers.

Post orders are the manual for the post: hours, patrols, access control, what to do on an alarm or incident, and who to call. Read them in full and note anything you don’t understand.

• What is the patrol route, and how often?
• Who is allowed in, and how do you check?
• What do you do if an alarm goes off or you see something suspicious?
• Who do you call first, and who next?

Everything you do on shift should leave a record. Ask your supervisor to show you, hands-on:

• how to log a checkpoint patrol;
• how to write the shift report at the end of your shift;
• how to open an incident report and what it must contain;
• what to do if you have no signal or your phone dies.

At OVIT, patrols, incidents and reports are logged in the Guardly platform, which gives the guard, the operations team and the client one live picture.

The post orders say what must be done; a colleague shows you how it’s done. On a shadow shift, walk the route together, watch how visitors are received and reports are written, and ask what usually happens at the site and what rarely does.

If you’re asked to work a post alone before you feel you know it, tell your supervisor. That’s a reasonable request, not a weakness.

• Who do I call in an emergency, and what if they don’t answer?
• How does handover work at this post?
• When is the rota published, and how do I request a change?
• Where do I take my break, and who covers the post meanwhile?
• What happens if my relief is late?

Questions about your contract and pay are best settled before day one — see our guides to the security job interview and to shifts and working hours.