Typing the term "security guard" into Google comes up with surprising results.  Unsurprisingly, security guard jobs is number one but under that, is security guard fat.  In films, security guards and police officers are depicted as overweight men who love donuts and sit around watching the camera monitors.  Films like "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Observe and Report" both feature their main character as an overweight, but loveable, member of law enforcement.

On the one hand, these stereotypes do come from somewhere.  On the other, security guards and police officers are involved protecting the safety of society and therefore, need to be able to apprehend bad guys if necessary.  Currently, few states have regulations about weight in regards to their law enforcement.

Do you think there should be weight requirements for those in security?  Are the stereotypes about overweight law enforcement true?

With national security at an all time high, there are many different careers in security availale.  Once you find one that interests you, you need to have a resume that will impress your future employer.  Figuring out what to put on a resume for a security position is tricky, but there are a few items that are important to include.

1. Customer service skills are an important thing to demonstrate to your future employer.  As a security officer, you will be dealing with a variety of people and if necessary, impacting their lives.
2. Be able to show that you have all of your required paperwork and training completed.  In some states, it is required a security guard complete a certain number of hours of training before they can even apply for a position. Other States require that a certain amount of paperwork be finished too, such as fingerprint scans and other certifications.
3. List references you know will be supportive of you.  Write down former bosses and coworkers who you have worked well with and gotten along with as your references.  Also, make sure you tell these people you wrote them down so if the new company calls, your references aren't blindsided.
4. Go into the interview knowing what the job entails and what would be expected of you.  The more prepared you are the more you will be able to tell the employer that you know you can do that job.

What other job searching tips do you have for someone looking for a security job?

Germany claims the full body scanners America has in every airport are too unreliable to use.  They claim that the machines set off too many "false alarms,  including mistaking underarm sweat for hazardous chemicals.  Between September 2010 and July 2011, over 800,000 voluntarily tested the machines and deemed them "not suitable."  They said that up to 49% of the time the machine gave false alarms.  For most of those false alarms, sweaty armpits were the culprit. 

With the ten year anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, it seems the United States still has a lot of work to do on the security standpoint.  The Bipartisan Policy Center claims we are still, "highly vulnerable to aviation security threats."  

Do you think the full body scans are a good idea or do you think security guards do a better job of ensuring people are safe?