The 11 qualities of a good bodyguard to look out for when hiring
When you make up your mind to hire a bodyguard, you don’t want to end up with the wrong person. You must do your due diligence so that you can hire with confidence. Ideally, the best bodyguard you can fully trust is to protect you, your family, and your property.
So, what the best approach for finding a reliable person to take on this vital role? Well, you start by looking for the right qualities. Here’s a window into the characteristics to look for when hiring bodyguards for professional executive services.
1. Industry experience
A bodyguard’s job is to make sure that the person or group of people they are protecting are safe from assassination, assault, kidnapping, and any other dangers – to do this, they must be in top shape both mentally and physically. This is precisely why you need someone with extensive law enforcement or military experience. While choosing someone who’s just starting out might be cheap, former military personnel and police officers have the experience needed to protect you and give you peace of mind. These seasoned security professionals’ capabilities and skills include deterring, observing, detecting, handling firearms, reporting, and physical intervention.
2. Extensive training
Top-tier bodyguards excel beyond the minimum required training. Pacific West Academy offer extensive training. It would be best if you opted to hire a bodyguard who has the following training:
- Emergency response
- Defensive driving
- Control of pedestrians and vehicles
- Patrol
- Control of entry and exit points
- Movement and removal of assets and property
- Escort of assets and individuals
- Coordinating with law enforcement and emergency responders
- Managing and de-escalating situations with disturbed people or crowds
- Customer service
3. Excellent judgment
Finding the best person to keep you and your assets or property safe goes beyond checking the bodyguard’s training and experience. You’ll want to dig deeper and get to the core of who the person you are hiring really is. This individual must possess excellent judgment. Signs of an individual with excellent judgment include intelligence, ability to remain calm and composed even in a stressful environment, and critical thinking.
4. Expert driving skills
Always hire a bodyguard with exceptional driving skills. Apart from holding the typical driver’s license, a skilled and experienced bodyguard must possess defensive driving skills to help them save lives, assets, and property. Knowing how to drive safely, defensively, and quickly at the same time during a crisis is a skill that many bodyguards don’t have, but the right one will.
5. Communication skills
Of course, you won’t be hiring your bodyguard because of their excellent communication skills. However, you’ll want to hire one who can communicate clearly, eloquently, and confidently. Communication skills, including verbal and non-verbal, are crucial and make a world of difference in providing you with the best protection.
6. Physical fitness
A good bodyguard should be of sound health and physically fit. More often than not, executive protection requires swift reactions, physical contact, and confrontational encounters. A competent bodyguard should be fit enough to meet all physical requirements for the task at hand.
7. Situational awareness
A bodyguard must always be alert and aware of their environment at all times. That means he or she must be excel at paying attention. It would be best if you didn’t have to worry about your bodyguard getting distracted or losing focus while on the job.
8. Customer service experience
You should hire an individual with customer service training. After all, your bodyguard will be working with people around you, including your family, guests, and clients.
9. Team player
Go for a bodyguard who can work well with others. This includes other security personnel and anyone around you.
10. Ability to work alone
While a good bodyguard should be a team player, they must also be able to do their job alone. Hire a bodyguard who can thing fast and without oversight or direction.
11. Professionalism
Bodyguards must always exhibit professionalism – they must be courteous, polite, and free of any sense of arrogance or superiority. After all, this person is there to help maintain and boost your reputation, and a professional attitude will help you achieve just that.
