Bodyguard Careers

Bodyguard Careers is an informational site with the purpose of providing bodyguards with all the information and tools necessary to succeed in the executive protection industry.

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Monday Morning Job Tip: Solicit Help from Friends

Career Advice

Solicit Help from Friends

• Let all of your friends, neighbors, people at church, family and old coworkers know that you are looking for a job and tell them to keep their ears open for opportunities.

• Tell them your looking for work in the Executive Protection industry.

• Share with them your skills.

• Let them know what type of client you want to work for.

• Give them a way to contact you (LinkedIn, website or email address)

I look forward to sharing in your success–I know you will find, as I have, that you are on a career path that is both interesting and profitable.

Happy hunting.

Hucky

 

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Your First Advance

Career Advice, Doc Rogers

By Doc Rogers

Background: The detail leader is responsible for having advance work (reconnaissance) carried out. He assigns an advance man to gather all pertinent information of the threats and obtain information of the environment in which the client will visit. For the new advance man this may seem like a daunting task. Advance work in general, is technical and highly specialized service. The following recommendations will assist you in accomplishing your first advance work duties with few difficulties, however timely planning is necessary.

Objectives: Your objective as the advance man is to gain foreknowledge, acquired by going to each location in advance to evaluate, analyze and obtain all available information related to the client’s visit to reduce vulnerabilities and improve logistics so the executive protection team members can successfully accomplish their mission.  You are to reduce to a minimum all uncertainties and setup security measures regarding the client’s visit at each location he or she will physically visit. The security measures you setup as the advance man are both active and passive, designed to insure the safeguarding of the client and to prevent needless delays, confusion, etc.

Action: While on advance work duties you do not have time to dillydally. Advance work involves rapid assessment and analysis of current information and prompt delivery of the the advance work you have produced to the detail leader. The advance man must obtain many sources of mission appropriate information in five categories:

Arrivals: Evaluate for security and comfort of movement for the client at entry airports, hotels, venues and safe havens.

Departures: Evaluate for security and ease of movement for the client at exit airports, hotels, venues and safe havens.

Venues: Evaluate for safety and security, movement for rapid evacuation if necessary and client comfort.

Routes: Evaluate for quickest safest and most favorable client vehicular movements; to include secondary routes, travel estimates in time and miles. Learn the status of all routes and avoid those frequently used by criminals. You should include a route map as a source of information for the detail leader for pinpointing all vital locations.

Safe Havens:  Evaluate and setup rally points in case of incident or medical emergency. The safe havens must have favorable safety conditions, excellent communication systems, available 24/7 and with positively identified friendly personnel preferably armed and provide good fortification. Embassies, hospitals, police stations, military facilities and other suitable areas must be carefully evaluated.

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Success vs. Failure in the Bodyguard Trade

Career Advice, Doc Rogers

By Doc Rogers

Everyday more and more people enter the bodyguard and executive protection industry. However, only a few land lucrative assignments and go on to have successful careers.  What do all successful professional bodyguard and executive protection specialists have in common?

  • Successful professionals see opportunity where others see disappointment.
  • Successful professionals focus on a positive path within the bodyguard industry.
  • Bodyguards that made it big in the industry worked on what they love to do rather than only making money. They knew that money would eventually follow from working on their dreams and aspirations.
  • Successful bodyguards take responsibility for their own life and livelihood.

To become a success in the bodyguard and executive protection trade you have to start thinking and acting different. This means changing your patterns, activities, and your thoughts.

First off, you are going to need to present yourself in a professional manner and do a complete makeover if necessary. The better you look and feel about yourself, the better chances for success.

You are going to have to sell yourself and your bodyguard services.  In this business everything that happens to you depends on you alone. Make it positive by acting well, dressing well and speaking well. The choices you make for yourself also have an impact on your career. This includes the seminars you attend, the articles and books you read, the people you choose to associate with and others you choose to distance yourself from.

Your success in the industry requires lots of actions. Opportunities in the bodyguard and executive protection field exist, but it’s up to you to take action and go after them.  This is the one solution to get on a successful career path.  Starting today, your full-time job is to become a success in the industry.

This will not be easy, you’ll have to put in 10-12 hour days networking, writing cover letters, and sending out résumés, handing out business cards, mailing out “thank you” cards and follow up letters.  You must display confidence and professional polish in all you do. Have a strong personal motivation in mind and body. Calculate every world you speak and every move you make. And develop your own coherent strategy to become a successful.  Stop doing what everyone else is doing and stop walking that common path with your eyes shut and you will have success. To your success and God speed.

 

Executive Protection Glossary

Bodyguard Careers Staff, Career Advice

 

  • Advance- Work conducted before going operational
  • A S T – Advance Security Teams
  • A-Stain- Afghanistan
  • AKA – Also Known As
  • ASAP – As soon as possible
  • Ass Clown – An individual who is foolish in their actions
  • B G – Bodyguard
  • Binned – Kicked out or off a training course
  • Booted and Suited – Dressed in a suit and Tie, ready for work
  • Bug Out – Immediate Client Evacuation
  • CAT – Counter assault team
  • CP – Close Protection
  • CQB – Close Quarter Battle
  • CEO – Chief Executive Officer
  • CI- Combat Indicators
  • Cherry – A new trainee Bodyguard
  • Client – Employer i.e. VIP or Principal
  • Contact – VIP’s safety has been compromised
  • E C S – Electronic Counter Surveillance
  • EPO – Executive Protection Officer
  • EPS- Executive Protection Specialist
  • EPT – Executive Protection Team
  • Fubar – messed up beyond all recognition
  • Ghosts – Undercover Protection Officers
  • I E D – Improvised Explosive Device
  • Insurgents –
  • VBIED- Vehicle Borne Explosive device
  • Murphy’s Law – What can go wrong will go wrong
  • Operational – Working
  • Operational Arena – Location of operation
  • Principal- The individual that you are hired to protect
  • PSD- Personal Security Detachment
  • RC- Route Cards
  • R & R – Rest & Recuperation
  • RV – Rendezvous Point
  • SOP’s – Standard Operating Procedures
  • Spook – Intelligence Officer or operative
  • Stint – An overseas duty
  • TOS- Time on station
  • V I P – Very Important Person
  • Venue- Location of an event where
  • Well- The far most rear position in a vehicle
  • WTA- Written Threat Assessment

 

What Not To Do When Job Searching

Career Advice, Hucky Austin

By Hucky Austin

I know that in your mind you think you are the perfect fit for Tiger Media International. Yet, you failed to mention what you are applying for; was it the janitor, the receptionist or the executive protection position?

By the way, my name is spelled “Thompson” and since I am a male, I was a little put off by the fact that you addressed me as “Ms. Leslie Thompson.” I suppose my first name threw you off. I suppose somebody didn’t do their research prior to submitting their materials.

Speaking of research, you mentioned that you “love to work with animals.” Our business, Tiger Media International, is a public relations marketing firm. No tigers. Or lions. Or bears.

By the time I got to the end of your resume (all six pages, 10-point Frenchy Script) I understood that you were interested in the Executive Protection position which was posted online. In that advertisement, I specifically requested that only individuals who speak and write fluent Spanish submit a resume. While your cover letter started with the greeting “Ola” and you sprinkled in words like “caliente” (3 times) and closed with “muchos gracias,” nowhere on your resume does it indicate that you actually speak Spanish.

Your resume painted quite a detailed portrait of you. Who knew a child could make that much in lemonade sales? And the three months you worked at Taco Gringo in 1998; you seem to feel that experience relates to this job. I can’t see it. But I’m glad you can. Oh, wait. Does that have something to do with speaking Spanish?

The job advertisement indicated that 50% of the job would require international travel, accompanying our top executive on business trips. It appears you don’t have a passport, have never negotiated an airport with a VIP, speak any foreign languages, or are even available to travel. I noticed your cover letter didn’t address this important job requirement, or how you felt about it.

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Ten Ways To Gain A Competitive Advantage In The Bodyguard Industry

Career Advice, Doc Rogers, Featured Bloggers

Ten Ways To Gain A Competitive Advantage In The Bodyguard Industry

Being a bodyguard is grueling work, it’s tedious and sometimes weary.  Day-after-day of relentless focus and dedication to your client’s safety. Bodyguarding is how you pay your bills. If you don’t remain competitive, you may not survive. This article will help you turn your hard work into better results and give you a competitive edge in the business.

1. Uncompromising service quality. Refuse to compromise your bodyguard service to your clients. Work for the ultimate combination of client service and protective performance. Show your clients and the bodyguard world what you are really capable of in the way of superior performance levels.

2. Make it your mission to be prepared. Your assignment preparation is the prime time to workout the problems and the kinks. Time spend on assignment prep includes advance work, manpower scheduling, flight and hotel bookings, etc. However, take the time to prepare yourself mentally as well for the assignment so you can provide the best bodyguard experience possible to your clients. This preparation time you give yourself will dramatically increase your competitive advantage and help you provide the best bodyguard service humanly possible.

3. Conduct a competitor assessment. Look at the strengths and the weaknesses of the bodyguard competitors in your area. Look at your competitor’s services, personnel, background and clients. See how you can better your bodyguard services to compete with the top dogs in your area and ultimately stay ahead of your present competition by out-performing them in certain areas. However, do not become obsessed with what your competitors are doing or saying. You should only care about providing the absolute best bodyguard service with competitive rates, comprehensive protective coverage and unprecedented customer service. You should consider your competitors as “friendly rivals” never enemies.

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