Use These Resume Examples to Get a Police Officer Job

You’ve just earned your police academy certification and began your job search. You may be wondering what the next step is for your career in public safety. No matter what type of position you choose, you will need to make a good impression. Having a professional resume is the key to getting an interview to become a police officer. This guide will show you everything you need to create the perfect resume. You will learn:

During your job search, you may see other job titles for police officers. These can include specialty fields that police officers may apply to. Some job titles you may see are:

• Patrol officer
• Law enforcement officer
• Air marshal
• First responder
• Detective
• FBI agent

Your chance of getting a job in the police department will increase by including these eight elements on your resume.

• ATS

A hiring manager may use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to help them narrow down their candidate choices. An ATS computer system scans resumes and uses certain elements to sort them. These can include:

• Keywords from the job posting
• Format such as PDF or Microsoft Word
• Font 
• Layout

For guidance on how to write your resume for ATS, visit our ATS resume page. 

 

• Contact information

You should always include contact information on your resume so the hiring manager can get in touch with you. Your contact information should include:

• Your full name
• Professional title
• Email address
• Phone number
• Physical address
• Professional profile page such as LinkedIn 

• Resume summary or objective

A professional summary can describe any police work you have done so far. If you haven’t yet worked in this field, an objective can describe your goals for working as a police officer at the job you are applying to. Here is an example of an objective for a police officer resume: Proactive and motivated police academy graduate with a background in personal protection seeking a security guard position. Eager to apply my skills to crime prevention and monitoring suspicious activity at XYZ company. 

 

• Skills section

Police work requires both hard and soft skills. Some skills you may use as a police officer include:

• Leadership
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Schedule management
• Weapons handling
• Knowledge of criminal justice and federal law

 

• Work experience

Keep your work experience section clean and easy to read by using bullet points. You should list the name of your previous employer, your job title, and the dates employed. Then, list your most impressive achievements. Here is an example:

 

Patrol Officer, NYPD 6th precinct      Jan 2018 – Current

• Issued traffic citations according to city ordinances and traffic laws
• First responder at traffic accidents
• Responded to calls for emergency situations and domestic violence
• Contributed to the department lowering the crime rate by 34% in 2020 

 

• Education 

In the education section of your resume make sure to include:

• Highest level of education completed
• Police academy training program
• Other relevant courses

If you are still in school, include:

• Your expected date of graduation 
• Field of study/training program

 

• Achievements and awards

Awards and achievements can help your resume stand out. These may include:

• Professional awards such as employee of the month or rookie of the year
• Scholarships and academic recognition
• Awards for volunteer work 

 

• Certifications

Certifications can help you to get a job in a specialized field that hires police officers. Some common certifications for police work include:

• Traffic accident specialist
• Crime scene technician
• Court security
• First aid and CPR

The format of your resume makes a huge difference to how the hiring manager reads your information. The ResumeHelp resume builder can help you format your resume easily. The three types of resume formats are:

1. Reverse-chronological resume format. This is typically the most popular. This format is good when you have a large amount of work history to list.
2. Functional resume format. A functional resume format is best when you don’t have much work experience. It shows your talents and skills over your work history.
3. Combination resume format. The combination resume format can be a good idea if you’re changing your career path.