Allied Universal is the leading security and facility services company in North America, making it an attractive place to work. If you are applying for a role at the company, you’ll have to be prepared for Allied Universal interview questions. The interview might be in-person, but you may also experience an Allied Universal phone interview. In this article, we’ll cover how to prepare for an Allied Universal interview, including the most common Allied interview questions. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents:
- Allied Universal History & Culture
- Life at Allied Universal
- Allied Universal Interview Tips
- Allied Universal Behavioral Interview Questions
Allied Universal History & Culture
A foundational knowledge of Allied Universal’s history and culture is an important part of the equation for acing the Allied Universal interview. It can help tailor your answers to Allied Universal interview questions.
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Allied Universal is a leading provider of security systems and services, janitorial services, and staffing that has grown in large part via acquisition. It was formed in 2016 by the merger of two security firms, Universal Services of America and AlliedBarton Security Services. The combined company is the largest provider of security guards in the United States, with 140,000 officers. As of 2020, Allied Universal earned almost $9B annually in revenue and had over 250,000 employees. But in 2021, the firm completed a successful $5.1B takeover of British security firm G4S. This acquisition created a new entity with more than 750,000 employees globally, with revenues of more than $18B USD.
The company takes pride in its extensive knowledge in many specialty sectors such as education, healthcare, retail, commercial real estate, government, and corporate campuses. Serving and safeguarding customers, communities and people is at the core of what the company does.
Allied Universal has a notable culture of promoting from within. There is example after example of people beginning their careers as a Security Professional and eventually being promoted onto the senior leadership team. The company is strongly committed to the veteran community and considers those who have served in the military an integral part of the company. The culture also has a unique focus on supporting the local communities and facilities that the company is hired to protect.
Its culture places an emphasis on inclusion and diversity, believing that this fuels innovation. As you might expect for a company that provides security and facility management services, safety is an important value of its culture.
Life at Allied Universal
Allied Universal interview questions will vary based on the role for which you are applying. The same is true of life at Allied Universal. But there are some common themes. The company is committed to serving and volunteering time in local communities. It is committed to diversity and inclusion, and it has a particular affinity for veterans.
All full-time positions offer on-the-job training, career paths to management, and many benefits. The benefits include:
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance, Flex Spending, and 401K plans
- Training & Career Development Programs
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Company Discounts & Perks Programs
- Recognition & Reward Programs
As previously mentioned, there is a strong “promote from within” culture at Allied Universal. If an employee is motivated to learn, take on new responsibilities, and grow their career with Allied Universal, they will almost certainly be able to do that. To support this, there is a well-established training program that provides detailed information and resources to help a new employee plan their career. Through a 5-phase training program, the company provides new employees with information and certifications required to succeed. This program includes:
- New employee orientation
- On-the-job training
- CORE training (more on this below)
- Quarterly site training
- Vertical market training
Additional training programs are unique to each position. For Security Professionals, the Allied Universal CORE program teaches employees how to respond to high-intensity situations and provide care in the form of first aid, CPR, AED support, and more. Not all employees will need to go through this training process, however.
Allied Universal Interview Tips
Find 4 simple Allied Universal interview tips below:
- Do your research on the company by scouring the company’s website and following Allied on social media.
- Pay attention to the qualities the company mentions again and again. Examples for Allied include dependability, problem solving, quick thinking, customer service, confidence, and trustworthiness.
- Think about personal experiences you have that allow you to demonstrate these qualities.
- Combine the values you’ve identified and the stories you have to create tailored answers to the Allied Universal interview questions.
An Allied Universal interview, particularly one for jobs in corporate support, sales, and leadership, is likely to involve both traditional and behavioral interview questions. We’ll cover the latter in the next section. To nail traditional Allied Universal interview questions, you primarily just need to do your research and follow the method described above. Here are some example traditional interview questions you might see:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your career goals?
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What do you know about Allied Universal?
You should prepare for the types of questions above. You can miss out on a job offer by answering these types of questions poorly. But behavioral interview questions are often more important when a company is choosing between its final few candidates for a position.
Allied Universal Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral interview questions require you to use past experiences to demonstrate a particular competency. You’ll be asked to provide specific instances where you demonstrated certain behaviors. Your responses to behavioral interview questions should provide the interviewer with clear evidence of your skills. Here are several behavioral questions that have been asked in Allied Universal interviews:
- Tell me about a stressful situation and how you dealt with it.
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a disruptive person. It may be a client, manager, or coworker. How did you handle the situation? What happened?
- Tell me about a time you resolved a problem for a frustrated customer or client.
- Tell me about a difficult work situation, and how you overcame it.
- What are some of the major ways you helped your last organization succeed?
- Describe a time when you successfully managed a very heavy workload?
- Tell me about something innovative you did at your last company?
- Can you describe your experiences being a part of or managing a team?
Conclusion
Allied Universal is a company devoted to protecting its clients and keeping them safe. The firm also takes pride in its people and culture. The training and support the company provides make it an ideal place to build a career. Before you embark on the interview process, make sure you learn as much as you can about the company and its culture so you can tailor your answers to the Allied Universal interview questions! Need help preparing for the interview? Reach out today.
Additional Reading:
- Apple Interview Questions
- Microsoft Interview Questions
- Starbucks Interview Questions
- Morgan Stanley Interview Questions
- What are Behavioral Interviews?