Security Screening Officer
What the work is
Conducts screening of persons, items and cargo entering high security facilities to identify and remove dangerous or prohibited items, and ensure the security of the premises.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Controls access to, and conducts screening at, security checkpoints within high security facilities such as airports, ports and law courts
- Uses X-ray equipment, body scanners, metal detectors, explosive trace detectors, and frisk or physical searches to screen visitors, parcels, staff, passengers, hand luggage and checked baggage for weapons, explosives and suspicious or prohibited items
- Maintains security and order within and around high security zones and facilities, including by watching for irregularities, inspecting vehicles and responding to disturbances
- Responds to security incidents, maintains detailed records and reports incidents to appropriate authorities
- Complies with security and safety procedures and regulatory requirements
- May monitor and maintain security within court rooms, and escort high risk persons within secure areas
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional football stadium on match day, and the shopping centre next door. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A crowd of thousands files out calmly and every gate runs the way it should
- You spot a problem on the cameras before anyone else even knows it is there
- A lost child is back with their family within minutes of you finding them
Hard days
- Standing at a gate in the rain for hours while people are rude to you
- Telling someone they cannot come in, and having them take it out on you
- A night shift alone in a quiet building where every noise makes you look up
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 452241, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.