As an investigator, crafting a resume that effectively showcases your analytical skills and attention to detail can be challenging. Our guide provides expert advice on how to highlight your investigative experiences and accomplishments, ensuring your resume stands out to potential employers.
- Sample industry-leading professional resumes for inspiration and investigator resume-writing know-how.
- Focus recruiters' attention on what matters most - your unique experience, achievements, and skills.
- Write various resume sections to ensure you meet at least 95% of all job requirements.
- Balance your investigator technical expertise with personality to stand out amongst candidates.
If the investigator resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
The ultimate formula for your investigator resume format
Our best advice on how to style your investigator resume is this - first, take the time to study the job advert requirements.
The resume format you select should ultimately help you better align how your experience matches the specific role.
There are four crucial elements you need to thus take into consideration:
- How you present your experience. If you happen to have plenty of relevant expertise, select the reverse-chronological resume format to organize your experience by dates, starting with the latest.
- Don't go over the top with writing your resume. Instead, stick with a maximum of two-page format to feature what matters most about your profile.
- Headers aren't just for "decoration". The header of your resume helps recruiters allocate your contact details, portfolio, and so much more.
- The PDF format rules. It's the most common practice to submit your investigator resume as a PDF so that your resume doesn't lose its layout. However, make sure the read the job well - in some instances, they might require a doc file.
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If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.
The key to your investigator job-winning resume - present your expertise with these sections:
- A header to make your resume more scannable
- Snapshot of who you are as a professional with your resume soft skills, achievements, and summary or objective
- Job advert keywords in the skills section of your resume
- Resume experience quantifying your past job successes with metrics
- A relevant education, certification, and technical sills section to provide background to your technological/software capabilities
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
- Experience with investigations in a specific sector (e.g., law enforcement, corporate, insurance fraud, etc.)
- Knowledge of relevant laws and regulations pertaining to the investigative field
- Proficiency in using investigation tools and technology (surveillance equipment, software for computer forensics, databases, etc.)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for reporting findings and testifying in court
Five dos for building your investigator resume experience section
The best strategic approach to your investigator resume experience section is to support your particular responsibilities with actions and achievements.
For example, you could list:
- Up to six responsibilities in your day-to-day work, supported by why they're important for your role, department, or organization;
- Experience items that have helped you sustain and enhance your technical knowledge within the field, or, perhaps, have helped you grow as a professional;
- Any metrics that pinpoint your success within your past roles;
- How you've solved specific problems in your day-to-day work;
- Strategies and solutions you've implemented for growth - and how that growth was measured.
The investigator resume experience is your best shot at making a good first impression on recruiters. That's why we've included some real-world professional examples to get you thinking about how you present your experience:
- Led a high-profile investigation into financial fraud, uncovering a scheme that affected over 1000 customers and protected assets worth over $5 million.
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive digital forensics strategy to trace and identify cybersecurity threats, successfully mitigating risks and safeguarding sensitive data.
- Directed cross-functional teams in conducting interviews, surveillance, and evidence gathering, which improved investigative efficiency by 40%.
- Managed a portfolio of cases involving intellectual property theft, conducting in-depth investigations that led to the recovery of stolen assets valued at over $2 million.
- Expertly used advanced digital tools to uncover electronic evidence, ensuring a 98% success rate in the prosecution of cases.
- Mentored junior investigators in evidence handling procedures, increasing departmental accuracy and compliance.
- Performed undercover operations to penetrate fraudulent insurance rings, resulting in the successful indictment of 25 individuals for insurance fraud.
- Efficiently managed a caseload of over 75 complex fraud investigations, documenting findings clearly and concisely for use in legal proceedings.
- Collaborated with law enforcement agencies, enhancing inter-agency cooperation and sharing of best practices in fraud detection.
- Orchestrated a large-scale corporate embezzlement investigation, utilizing forensic accounting techniques to trace illicit transactions across international borders.
- Successfully implemented investigative report-writing protocols, which heightened the clarity and impact of investigative findings presented to the executive team.
- Presented findings to regulatory bodies and worked with prosecutors to secure convictions in 90% of pursued cases.
- Directed extensive background investigations on prospective employees, uncovering undisclosed criminal activity and reducing hiring risks by 25%.
- Coordinated with cybersecurity teams to initiate proactive fraud detection measures, decreasing potential financial losses by an estimated $1.5 million annually.
- Implemented an innovative case management system that improved tracking and resolution of investigations by 35%.
- Conducted thorough and efficient workplace misconduct investigations, leading to a 50% reduction in related incidents within one year.
- Expertly utilized surveillance technology to gather evidence in internal theft cases, resulting in the recovery of over $300,000 in missing assets.
- Revamped the incident reporting process, streamlining communication and enabling swift corrective action.
- Executed comprehensive background checks and conducted due diligence reviews for mergers and acquisitions, directly contributing to sound investment decisions and mitigation of financial risks.
- Employed cutting-edge data analytics tools to parse through large datasets, unearthing fraudulent patterns that saved $750,000 in potential losses.
- Established a standardized investigative framework that was adopted company-wide for consistent and thorough analysis of financial data.
- Performed critical role in a multi-agency task force battling organized retail crime, apprehending a network responsible for over $2 million in stolen property.
- Developed a comprehensive training program on investigative techniques for retail loss prevention, leading to a 20% increase in detection of shoplifting incidents.
- Facilitated partnership-building with local law enforcement, enabling real-time information sharing and strengthening community security measures.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the number of cases successfully closed to demonstrate efficiency and success rate.
- List the total amount of financial fraud or waste recovered to highlight financial impact.
- Mention the percentage increase in compliance due to investigations led, showcasing improvement capabilities.
- State the number of investigative reports written to emphasize communication and documentation skills.
- Quantify the scale of investigations by including the number of subjects or entities involved to show experience with complex cases.
- Indicate the decrease in incident recurrence as a result of investigative actions to underline preventative success.
- Detail the number of cross-functional teams collaborated with to display teamwork and interdisciplinary skills.
- Present the amount of time reduced in investigation cycles to showcase efficiency improvements.
Action verbs for your investigator resume
Guide for investigator professionals kicking off their career
Who says you can't get that investigator job, even though you may not have that much or any experience? Hiring managers have a tendency to hire the out-of-the-blue candidate if they see role alignment. You can show them why you're the best candidate out there by:
- Selecting the functional skill-based or hybrid formats to spotlight your unique value as a professional
- Tailoring your investigator resume to always include the most important requirements, found towards the top of the job ad
- Substituting the lack of experience with other relevant sections like achievements, projects, and research
- Pinpoint both achievements and how you see yourself within this specific role in the investigator resume objective.
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
Defining your unique investigator skill set with hard skills and soft skills
In any job advertisement, a blend of specific technologies and interpersonal communication skills is typically sought after. Hard skills represent your technical expertise and indicate your job performance capacity. Soft skills, on the other hand, demonstrate how well you would integrate within the company culture.
Incorporating a balanced mix of both skill types in your investigator resume is crucial. Here's how you can do it:
- In your resume summary or objective, incorporate up to three hard and/or soft skills. Make sure to quantify these skills with relevant or impressive achievements; less
- The skills section should list your technical know-how.
- The strengths section is an ideal place to quantify your competencies by focusing on the achievements facilitated by these skills.
Top skills for your investigator resume:
criminal law knowledge
surveillance techniques
evidence collection and analysis
interviewing and interrogation
report writing
computer literacy and cyber investigations
forensic science
research and data analysis
knowledge of fraud detection and prevention
understanding of legal procedures
critical thinking
attention to detail
communication
problem-solving
empathy
discretion and confidentiality
stress management
adaptability
teamwork
integrity
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
Qualifying your relevant certifications and education on your investigator resume
In recent times, employers have started to favor more and more candidates who have the "right" skill alignment, instead of the "right" education.
But this doesn't mean that recruiters don't care about your certifications .
Dedicate some space on your resume to list degrees and certificates by:
- Including start and end dates to show your time dedication to the industry
- Adding credibility with the institutions' names
- Prioritizing your latest certificates towards the top, hinting at the fact that you're always staying on top of innovations
- If you decide on providing further information, focus on the actual outcomes of your education: the skills you've obtained
If you happen to have a degree or certificate that is irrelevant to the job, you may leave it out.
Some of the most popular certificates for your resume include:
The top 5 certifications for your investigator resume:
- Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) - ASIS International
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) - Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
- Certified Criminal Investigator (CCI) - American College of Forensic Examiners Institute
- Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) - National Association of Legal Investigators
- Board Certified Criminal Defense Investigator (CCDI) - Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council
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The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
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The ideal investigator candidate resume summary or objective
You may have heard that your resume top one-third plays an important part in your application.
It basically needs to show strong alignment with the job advert, your unique skill set, and your expertise.
Both the resume summary and resume objective could be used to ensure you've shown why you're the best candidate for the role.
Use the:
- Resume objective to pinpoint your current successes, that are applicable to the field, and your vision for your career. Remember to state how you see yourself growing within this new career opportunity.
- Resume summary as an instrument to pinpoint what is most applicable and noteworthy form your professional profile. Keep your summary to be no more than five sentences long.
At the end of the day, the resume summary or objective is your golden opportunity to shine a light on your personality as a professional and the unique value of what it's like to work with you.
Get inspired with these investigator resume examples:
Resume summaries for a investigator job
- With over 8 years of dedicated experience in financial fraud investigation for major banking institutions, this forensic expert boasts an extensive skillset in data analysis, regulatory compliance, and AML protocols. Recognized for dissecting complex embezzlement schemes, leading to the recovery of $3 million in misappropriated funds.
- Adept in digital forensic investigation with 10 years of experience specializing in cybercrime, this professional offers a comprehensive knowledge of encryption technologies, network security, and malware analysis. The pinnacle achievement includes the disruption of a large-scale cyber-attack, safeguarding sensitive data for a Fortune 500 company.
- Former law enforcement officer with 12 years on the force transitioning to private sector investigations. Bringing forward a robust understanding of criminal investigations, surveillance techniques, and evidence gathering. Successfully spearheaded a multi-agency operation to dismantle a regional trafficking ring, resulting in 25 arrests.
- A seasoned educator with a Ph.D. in Psychology, eager to apply 15 years of expertise in human behavior analysis to the field of investigation. Proficient in statistical data interpretation and psychological assessment, aiming to leverage extensive interviewing skills to advance in investigative consultancy.
- Aspiring to launch a career in corporate investigations, with a background in law and fresh from completing a Master of Criminal Justice degree. Keen to utilize strong legal research abilities and a solid foundation in forensic accounting to contribute to high-profile investigation teams.
- Recent Criminology graduate with honors seeking to enter the professional world of financial investigations. Adept in criminological theory and possesses a deep interest in forensic technology, aiming to blend academic knowledge with practical application in resolving complex financial crimes.
Recruiters' favorite additional investigator resume sections
When writing your investigator resume, you may be thinking to yourself, " Is there anything more I can add on to stand out? ".
Include any of the below four sections you deem relevant, to ensure your investigator resume further builds up your professional and personal profile:
Key takeaways
- Invest in a concise investigator professional presentation with key resume sections (e.g. header, experience, summary) and a simple layout;
- Ensure that the details you decide to include in your resume are always relevant to the job, as you have limited space;
- Back up your achievements with the hard and soft skills they've helped you build;
- Your experience could help you either pinpoint your professional growth or focus on your niche expertise in the industry;
- Curate the most sought-after certifications across the industry for credibility and to prove your involvement in the field.
