Security Officer Resume Examples and Skills for 2024

As a security officer, you’re responsible for keeping many people and items safe. Here’s how to showcase your qualifications in your resume to show that you’ll make a great security officer.

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Security Officer Resume Example

Security Officer Resume Example

Security Officer Resume Examples

A professional security officer is an important part of the provided security for a location. If you’re looking for a way to use security training, regardless of what that training is, becoming a security officer might be a good option. However, applying for a security officer position will require a resume and job application, both of which highlight your best skills. How can you write a security officer resume that draws the right kind of attention?

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What to Highlight in a Security Officer Resume?

Security officers tend to need a fairly extensive resume skills section, including both soft and hard skills, in addition to some previous relevant experience. Before you write your resume, make sure you fully understand the type of security role that you are applying to. This will steer the direction of your security guard resume. A security guard may work for law enforcement, the criminal justice system, a retail store, loss prevention, public safety or even a fire department. All of these positions may require a slightly different method of highlighting your skills and talents.

The Structure of a Security Officer Resume

Your resume structure will depend on the specific resume format you use. The functional resume format relies mostly on skills. The chronological resume format relies mostly on experience. And the combination resume format combines aspects of the functional and chronological resume formats. Regardless of the resume format you use, you’ll need to include all of the following resume sections.

Header

The header is positioned at the top of your resume so it stands out to hiring managers, recruiters and employers. The header should include your contact information, including name, phone number, email address, location and any professional job networking profile links, such as your LinkedIn.

Resume summary or objective

The top of your resume will typically be your resume summary or resume objective. This is a short paragraph, usually about 2-3 sentences. A resume summary summarizes your biggest qualifications and skills and is ideal for job seekers with ample work experience. If you have limited work experience, write a resume objective and include a statement of your overall career goals.

Skills

Your skills section should be tailored toward the specific type of security officer that you’re planning to apply to. Include bullet points with 8 to 12 of your most relevant skills. Here are some skills  you might note:

  • Ability to watch surveillance equipment (CCTV, security cameras)
  • Finding trespassers
  • Stopping vandalism before it occurs
  • Writing up violators for infractions
  • Performing first aid
  • Handling emergency situations
  • Communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Writing incident reports
  • Noticing suspicious activity
  • Removing safety hazards
  • Interpersonal
  • Responding quickly to security breaches
  • Understanding and enforcing security policies
  • Working well with other security staff
  • Knowledge of specific security systems

Security officers should have both soft skills and hard skills. This allows you to indicate that you’re a well-rounded individual who can help with many different areas of security services.

Work history

Next is your work experience section. List up to 10 years of experience in your field, including all professional experience as a security officer of any kind. The best resume will point recruiters to the most important activities you’ve done as a security officer in previous jobs, typically including a short job description.

Education

Depending on the job you’re looking for, you may or may not have anything to put in your education section. If you only have a high school diploma, include it here. If you have any college experience, you can also include it in this section.

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Do’s and Don’ts for a Security Officer Resume

Do's
  • Present yourself professionally. Even when applying for a security officer position, a hiring manager will still expect a professional resume and cover letter.
  • Include reference letters from previous employers. In the field of security, references can be a hugely impactful way to get hired at a new job.
  • Include certifications. Security officers that have pre-existing certifications are often more highly sought-after because a company will not have to provide additional training.
Don'ts
  • Volunteer information about issues you experienced with any other security officer job. In the interview, you may elaborate but only do so if the hiring manager asks.
  • Disclose any potentially private information from previous job positions. It may be a good idea to revisit any NDAs you’ve signed to ensure you know what you can and can’t talk about.
  • Include skills in your resume just to make your resume look more impressive. All your skills should serve an important purpose.

FAQ: Security Officer Resume Examples

Have questions? We’re here to help.

It’s always a good idea to include a cover letter with every job application you submit. A cover letter allows you to go more in-depth into your history, explain why you are the right candidate for the job and you can ask the hiring manager for a job interview directly. Use the ResumeHelp cover letter builder to create your cover letter quickly and easily.

If you don’t have much experience as a security officer, you’ll want to rely mostly on your skills and any certifications you have attained. If you’ve ever worked in a similar role to the job of being a security officer, you can also discuss this experience.

If you want to stand out from other job seekers, you need to have the perfect resume for each job you’re applying to. This is where resume keywords can come into play. Scan the job posting to find out all the keywords that the recruiter may have included in the posting, then reflect them in your resume. Matching keywords will help your resume to pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) and provide a better chance that your resume will reach a hiring manager’s desk.

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WRITTEN BY Maria

Maria is a Puerto Rico-based Content Writer with ample background in digital marketing and copywriting. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a B.A. in English and enjoys making information accessible to others.

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