Security officer CV examples & tips

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

Your CV structure will depend on the specific CV format you use. The skills-based or functional CV format relies mostly on skills. The chronological CV format relies mostly on experience. Regardless of the CV format you use, you’ll need to include all of the following CV sections.

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

The next section on your CV will typically be your personal statement or CV summary. This is also known as a professional statement and helps describe your background and qualifications. This section summarises your biggest qualifications and skills and is ideal for including a statement about your overall career goals.

Your skills section should be tailored toward the specific type of security officer position 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
• 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.

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 CV will point recruiters to the most important activities you’ve done as a security officer in previous jobs, typically including a short job description. Highlighting your ability to manage security guards is very important when creating your security office CV

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 GCSE, include it here. If you have any college or university experience, you can also include it in this section. You will need to pass identity and criminal record checks and have a valid SIA license. These items should be referenced in this section.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when writing your security officer CV:

Do:

• Present yourself professionally. Even when applying for a security officer position, a hiring manager will still expect a professional CV 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’t:

• 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 CV just to make your CV look more impressive. All your skills should serve an important purpose.