What Does It Cost to Hire a Security Guard?

New hires are an investment for your security firm. Like with any investment, you need to track initial costs carefully and increase your chances of seeing this investment pay off.

What are the actual security guard hiring costs? How can you ensure this investment will pay off?

Let's look closer at hiring costs and how to improve retention.

How Much Does Hiring a New Security Guard Cost?

The average cost of a new hire is close to $4,700. Here's a breakdown of the most common hiring expenses you'll have to cover.

Administrative Costs

Your HR department needs to advertise the job opening. After that, recruiters have to review applications and conduct interviews. You should account for several hours of work for this process.

Outsourcing recruiting to an agency can be a good option if you have a small HR department. However, these partners can charge 15 to 30% of what you'll pay the new hire during their first year for this service. A security guard's median salary is $37,000 a year, so outsourcing recruiting can cost $5,500 to $11,000.

You'll also face additional fees if you decide to promote the job listing to reach more candidates. Plus, recruiting a security guard entails conducting a thorough background check, which can cost more than $200 per candidate.

Training and Certification Costs

Most states require an active certification for security guards. To obtain this credential, guards must complete accredited training and submit an application.

If you opt for in-person training for your new hires, you'll likely incur the following costs:

• Hiring a professional instructor.
• Renting a training space.
• Purchasing training materials.
• Paying wages for new hires during training.

You can offset the cost of training by enrolling large cohorts, but in-person security training can quickly cost thousands.

Once new hires have finished training, they should apply for their guard card. Costs vary based on the state and certification needed. For instance, in Arizona, the Department of Public Safety charges $50 for an unarmed guard card and $100 for armed guards.

Onboarding Costs

Onboarding is crucial for the success of your new hires. During this process, security guards will review your company policies, sign their employment contract, submit their payroll information, and sign up for any digital employee management solutions you might use.

Onboarding is also about becoming familiar with a new workplace and new procedures. Typically, experienced employees will show new hires around, which means paying wages for everybody involved for at least a full day.

How to Cut Security Guard Hiring Costs and Boost Retention

Cutting HR or administrative costs isn't a smart decision. It's important to select an employee who is the best match possible for the job.

You shouldn't skip on the onboarding process either. This stage is crucial for giving new hires the confidence and knowledge they need to succeed in their new role.

The best way to cut security guard hiring costs is to opt for online training rather than in-person classes. You can save thousands by not hiring an instructor or paying for a training space.

Online training has many additional benefits:

• You don't need to onboard large cohorts to make training cost-effective.
• It's a convenient experience that allows new hires to train on their own time and at their own pace.
• New hires can review some of the training material again if needed without slowing down the rest of the cohort.
• You can easily tailor the training experience to your specific needs and add or remove courses as required.

An optimal training and onboarding experience can enhance satisfaction, resulting in lower turnover. Since it usually takes 33% of an employee's salary to replace them, focusing on retention right away for new hires is an investment you won't regret.

Discover Online Security Guard Training With Defencify

Defencify is a leading provider of digital training solutions for the security industry. Our goal is to offer an engaging training experience that prepares security guards for real-world scenarios with all the convenience of remote 24/7 training.

See for yourself how online training can prepare your security guards for success by testing four of our courses for free.