Security Officer Resume: Comprehensive Guide & Tips

As a frontliner you risk your life everyday for your job, for your clients, for people around you and your job is as difficult as it is. So to help you out with the resume writing, we decided to write a comprehensive guide with some tips to ensure you can get the job you want.

For a security officer or a police officer or a fire fighter, everyday is stressful and risky which means you need a lot of physical and mental abilities along with the right skills. Your education and experience may not be as important as your abilities and skills.

We will tell you all about how to describe everything from your profile on your professional security officer resume including your skills. Let's get to it then!

What to notice in job winning security officer resume examples?

You need to notice and adapt these aspects of a job winning security officer resume to ensure you get the job you want!

• Past tense and third person
• No pronouns for formal language
• Simple document label i.e. Your Name Resume
• Compatible document format i.e. Microsoft word & PDF
• Symmetrical margins and fonts along with white space management
• Accurate language with right grammar, spelling and details (Proofread twice)

The formats & templates

Before you start writing your security officer resume, make sure you do some research on your role, job description, industry, job responsibilities and some of the potential employers. The research will give you some insight into writing your resume in the most effective manner with highlighting the right parts of your profile.

After the research you need to figure out the format and template. There are various formats and templates you can choose from.

Templates allow you to maximize the visual appeal easily with a ready layout with right margins and everything. You can choose the right template once you decide the right resume format. You may want to use resume builder as well which are quite similar to templates.

• Functional: Focuses on skills and education, right for the freshers and recent graduates with no experience
• Reverse chronological: Focuses on work history, right for experienced and seasoned professionals
• Combination: Focuses both on skills and experience, right for those looking for a career change

Security officer resume header

• Your name: Type in a bit larger fonts than the rest, ensure the accuracy of spelling.
• Your contact number: Mention your mobile phone number with area code accurately, make sure you mention the number where you are always available.
• Your professional email ID: Mention your email ID that is formal and professional
• Your home address: In case you want to mention your home address, you can mention it briefly however it is not mandatory

Compelling resume summary

Whether you are writing a professional security officer resume or armed security officer resume or any other kind of security officer resume, you need a compelling resume summary.

Your resume summary should be written in bullet points no more than 5 and no less than 3. Resume summary is important because grabs and holds the recruiter's attention.

You need to mention your total years of experience, a little background (worked in private sector, for individual client property or for a security service provider agency, worked on commercial premises or residential etc.) and your role or the job title.

You need to describe your key accomplishments or aspects of the past jobs. You can also incorporate your most important and relevant skills. Do not include everything but pick and choose the important things from your resume to highlight in the resume summary.

Professional experience & work history

Your professional security officer resume should have a well described professional experience section. You need to mention your role, your employer's name and your employment period. Mention the details in bullet points and avoid fluff content.

Mention your usual job duties or job description, include your exceptional performances in case of any safety incidents or security breaches. Showcase your skills and abilities. Talk about how to were able to detect signs of danger and avoid a security breach, how well you handled the security related technology and equipment.

You can also highlight your soft skills such as your communication skills which may have helped you keep dangerous elements away without any dangerous engagement. Communication skills may have helped you manage the staff and residents as well.

You can also describe how your communication skills helped you keep the people away from restricted areas without causing any issues. A security guard must know the first aid as well, you can also talk about your experience with providing first aid in case of medical incidents.

Experienced security officers are expert at ensuring prohibited articles are not snuck in by the visitors because they are able to figure out smallest of signs with their security officer abilities.

Trivia

(Source: https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/home-security/home-invasion-statistics/)

Education

More than your degrees or courses, your abilities and knowledge are important when it comes to your role of security guards or security officers.

While there may not be many relevant degrees or courses out there for the security guards, you may have acquired some physical training as well as learning process for various protocols, rules and regulations of the industry and the usual how to dos of your role which you can mention in your security officer resume.

You may have received training to learn handling how to protect property, what are the company rules, how to provide company service to the client site, how to handle modern technology such as security alarms and equipment and so on.

In addition to your training details, you should also mention your high school diploma. You can mention the name of the education institute as well.

Skills section

The skills section on your security officer resume should be a list of your top skills that are most important. These skills should be your strengths, the areas where you are the best. You will have included skills in other sections too such as your resume summary section and experience section.

• Handling building and equipment controls
• Basic security
• Overseeing security cameras
• Monitoring surveillance equipment
• Security operations
• Knowledge of client and company policies
• Maintaining safe and secure environment
• Providing security for industrial or commercial premises
• High quality security services
• Managing medical emergencies
• Managing client property and their safety concerns
• Knowledge of assigned client site premises
• Handling fire control equipment
• Handling security systems
• Providing incident reports
• Inspect protection devices
• Coordinating with fire departments in case of emergencies
• Knowledge of property access points
• Alertness for suspicious activity
• Carrying out security investigations
• Provide personal protection
• Keeping prohibited articles out of the property
• Taking incoming phone calls
• Responding to security alarms
• Patrolling property
• Checking security badges
• Knowledge of company property
• Regular safety reports
• Detect signs of danger
• Handling medical emergency
• Keeping restricted areas in check

You can also check out various security officer job description and pick security officer skills from the same for your own security officer resume.

Extra

If you have any more extra information that may be relevant you should mention it as well. For example, your language proficiencies, your personal interests, your knowledge and experience with relevant aspects of your job may be mentioned on your resume in a separate section.

Extra sections are advised to be added only in case of your information being valuable and relevant. Avoid including irrelevant information.

Relevant keywords

You may or may not have heard of the applicant tracking systems or software, they are used by the recruiters across he globe to scan and filter the hundreds and thousands of resumes they receive upon posting a job.

These ATS or applicant tracking systems function based of the set parameters which are the relevant keywords. Relevant keywords are words related to your job title, job description, job responsibilities and industry.

If you use the relevant keywords throughout your security officer resume, you will easily beat the ATS and get shortlisted. Make sure you use the keywords sensibly throughout the security officer resume, do not stuff the keywords (anywhere or many times) because the recruiter will figure it out.

Certifications

Being security officer requires you to be physically fit and to be of sound mind with discipline, alertness and quick reflexes in case of a security breach. All these traits cannot be claimed verbally because your employers and clients would prefer some sort of a proof for the same.

Which is why you need physical security certification and any more certifications you may have, mentioned on your security officer resume. You need to mention the name of the certificate along with the organization or platform you acquired it from.

Your certificates reassure the recruiter of your skills and abilities and these certificates may also help you stand out from your fellow job applicants.

Often such certifications are also legal requirements in which case you must mention them on your security officer resume and provide them to your client for validation.

Cover letter

You may think cover letters are not mandatory so I don't want to waste my time writing a cover letter. What you may not know is how effective and impactful your cover letter can be.

When the hiring manager takes a look at your cover letter, they will be more inclined to consider your candidacy for the job. You can use the cover letter to describe your inspiration, journey and exceptional aspects of your experiences. You can use the cover letter to address the hiring manager directly and convince them.

A cover letter is not always demanded in job description or job application portal however if you enclose one voluntarily, the hiring managers will have a better impression of your intention and competency.

References

As a security officer, feedback of your past clients can be very valuable for you because the real test of your skills is when a breach of security takes place and it is not likely that your potential new client goes through breach of security everyday.

So your new client may be concerned about your ability and other characteristics such as discipline, time management, alertness and such. Only your past clients can give any feedback regarding these aspects of your performance.

Which is why you might want to include some references of old clients in your resume so that your new potential employer or client can get some reassurance and hire you.

References should be mentioned with the name of the reference person, their contact information, and you can also add your job title you had with them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, your security officer resume should reflect how sincere and able you are to do your job as a security officers or security guards. Your security officer skills and your nature consisting of alertness and awareness along with general discipline should be showcased well throughout your resume.

Your security officer resume should also be accurate and professional to maintain the professionalism and a sense of discipline.

Your resume must have:

• Relevant keywords
• Important skills
• Relevant experience
• Compelling resume summary
• Professionalism
• Reflection of discipline
• Accurate contact information

Now that you know all about writing a security officer resume, you may want to check out our collection of resume examples and templates. You can also go through various resume writing guides. Good luck with the job search!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)