Security Guard Boolean Search String
A first-pass boolean search for sourcing security guard candidates, built from the role's most-screened-for skills — adapt it with your own must-haves, or generate one tailored to your exact JD below.
"Security Guard" AND "Patrol procedures" AND "Incident reporting" AND "Access control" NOT "recruiter" NOT "intern"site:linkedin.com/in/ "Security Guard" "Patrol procedures" "Incident reporting" "Access control"Run this search on Google →How this string is built
The role title in quotes, ANDed with the top must-have skills for a security guard — Patrol procedures, Incident reporting, Access control — each in quotes so LinkedIn and Google match the exact phrase rather than any word in it separately. NOT "recruiter" NOT "intern" filters out the two most common sources of false positives.
Other must-have skills worth adding
If the search above returns too many results, AND in more of these to narrow further:
- Emergency response
- Surveillance monitoring
- State security license
- CPR/First Aid certification
- Armed guard certification
Other titles to search for a security guard
The same job is also called Security Officer, Door Supervisor, Site Security, Patrol Officer. Searching only for “Security Guard” misses those people, so join the titles with OR inside brackets and AND the skills after them.
Five searches to run, from broad to narrow
- Broad: every title, one core skill
("Security Guard" OR "Security Officer" OR "Door Supervisor" OR "Site Security" OR "Patrol Officer") AND "Patrol procedures" - Focused: three skills, with the noise removed
("Security Guard" OR "Security Officer" OR "Door Supervisor") AND "Patrol procedures" AND "Incident reporting" AND "Access control" NOT "cybersecurity" NOT "security engineer" NOT "sales" - Tools and credentials: the nice-to-haves as an OR group
("Security Guard" OR "Security Officer" OR "Door Supervisor") AND ("State security license" OR "CPR/First Aid certification" OR "Armed guard certification") - Google X-ray on LinkedIn profiles
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("Security Guard" OR "Security Officer" OR "Door Supervisor") "Patrol procedures" "Incident reporting" - Feeder role: people from a neighbouring job
"Retail Loss Prevention" AND "Patrol procedures" AND "Incident reporting"
Start with the broad search to see how large the pool is. If it is too big, move to the focused one. If it is too small, drop a skill or use the feeder search.
Noise to exclude for this role
For a security guard the usual false positives are cybersecurity, security engineer, sales. Each one added with NOT removes a group of profiles that look similar but are not the job.
Where else to look
Good security guard candidates often come from Retail Loss Prevention, Doorman, Military Veteran. Search for them with the same core skills, then check that they are ready to move.
What to check on the profile
Licence status, the site types covered and incident reports written.
Credentials to confirm
The security licence required where you hire, and a background check.
Frequently asked questions
Why AND the skills together instead of OR?
AND narrows to candidates who show evidence of every listed skill — good for a first-pass search on a specific role. If that returns too few results, dropping to OR between the least-critical skills (keeping the must-haves ANDed) widens the pool without losing precision on what actually matters.
Why exclude "recruiter" and "intern"?
Those two terms are the most common source of false positives in a security guard search — recruiters and internship-seekers whose profiles happen to mention the same skill keywords. Adjust or remove the exclusion if it's cutting out candidates you actually want (e.g. if you're specifically hiring for an internship).
How is this different from the full Boolean Search Generator tool?
This is a static starting-point example built from security guard's most common requirements. The tool builds a tailored version from your actual job description — different seniority, location, and specific must-haves than this generic example.
What other job titles should I search for a security guard?
The same job is also called Security Officer, Door Supervisor, Site Security, Patrol Officer. Put them in a bracketed OR group so one search covers them all, for example ("Security Guard" OR "Security Officer" OR "Door Supervisor").
What should I exclude when sourcing a security guard?
The usual noise is cybersecurity, security engineer, sales. Add each with NOT so the results are people who do the job, not people near it.
Where else can I find security guard candidates?
Look at people in related roles who already have the core skills: Retail Loss Prevention, Doorman, Military Veteran. Search for them with the same skills and check whether they are ready to move across.
Hiring a security guard? The rest of the toolkit
- How to write the job description →
Titles, must-haves, credentials and a starting posting.
- Interview questions to ask →
Role-specific questions and what a good answer contains.
- Run the whole hire in one place →
Jobs, CV review, interviews, offers and checks together.