INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Security Guard positions are at a 15% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 1,067,700 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 155,600 to 1,223,300 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Security Guard jobs was $31,080 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $25,400, and the highest 10% more than $62,450.
Our conclusion? The Security Guard job market is wide open for candidates.
Top security guard sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a memorable experience section: Security guard resume edition
Checklist: ways to make your experience section stand out
- Find balance: use 4-6 bullet points per position;
- Include positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- Use action verbs when describing your responsibilities and results;
- Highlight your achievements by adding numbers to them (e.g. instead of saying “achieved a steady increase in…”, say “achieved an X% increase in…”);
- Prove that you’re willing to work hard, both individually and in a team.
We’ve gathered the most impressive Security Guard experience sections from real Enhancv resumes. Check them out for some additional inspiration!
- Responsible for impeding criminal activity and ensuring the safety of the company.
- Involved in interacting with a variety of persons including clients, visitors and the general public.
- Contacting the police, authorities and other emergency services when necessary.
- Performing any light maintenance work that may be required.
- Guarding entrance poin
- Perimeter security
- Quick reaction and response Force
- Responsible for Armed Security for a Tactical Base occupied by United States Military Personnel and other civilian contractors in Afghanistan.
- Proficient on the M2 .50 Caliber Machine gun, CROW system, Osprey surveillance Cameras, M4 Rifle, and Gluck 17 pistol.
- Planning, coordinating, and execute activities pertaining to site physical security.
- Perform scheduled and random checks of designated areas throughout the facility to check for any security breaches
- Utilize the company’s guest policies to issue guest passes and make sure that each guest is accompanied by an employee before entering the facility
- Assist the maintenance staff in securing an area during a maintenance emergency
- Collaborate with other members of the corporate security team to
- Ensure that the facility is safe at all times
- Maintain a professional and effective relationship with the local police and fire departments
- Developed upper system security wall with a team of 3 people
- Prevented 9 massive cyber attack
- Found 23 vulnerability and fixed all
- Welcomed and greeted all visitors; screened calls; directed to appropriate staff; opened all incoming mail and distributed to recipients.
- Secures premises and personnel by patrolling property; monitoring surveillance equipment; inspecting buildings, equipment, and access points; permitting entry.
- Maintains environment by monitoring and setting building and equipment controls.
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
- Answered, screened and routed all incoming calls
- Keen attention to detail ensuring the accurate completion of multiple tasks by strict deadlines
- Monitor 50+ room hospital premises to detect and prevent signs of potential threats and ensure security of doors and windows.
- Inspect and adjust security systems, equipment, or machinery to ensure operational use and to detect evidence of tampering.
- Maintain daily logs of irregularities such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.
- Called police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire or presence of suspicious persons.
- Checked passes and credentials of persons seeking to enter the office and storage areas of property.
- Continuously patrolled common areas to provide visible deterrent to infractions.
- Created frequent detailed reports of observations made on site
- Aided patrons with any needs that may have arose in a professional manner
- Precise and thorough execution of routine tasks
- Excellent planning, organizing and troubleshooting skills
- Strong customer service skills to handle diverse clientele
- Ability to execute multiple tasks and projects simultaneously
- Maintain good relationship with client.
- Recieve and process incoming and outgoing cargos.
- Maintaining and updating the filling system of vulnarable shipments
PRO TIP
Include quantitative data throughout your Security Guard resume to impress the hiring manager. Real facts and figures that show off your competency as an audit manager go a long way. Did you reduce the costs of audits? Manage a large team? Boosted efficiency? Show off the real numbers!
Action verbs for your security guard resume
Recommended reads:
Security guard resume: crafting a strong skills section
Do this if you want to make your skills section stand out.
- Check the job advert for keywords and add them to your skills section to pass ATS;
- List only skills that are relevant to the position to keep the hiring manager focused;
- Balance between hard, soft, and technical skills;
- Elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your Security Guard resume, e.g. the experience section or your resume’s summary.
Top skills for your security guard resume
CPR & First Aid
MS Office
Computer Skills
Powerpoint
Access Control
CCTV Installation
Active listening
Conflict resolution
Empathy
Compassion
Adaptability
Nonverbal communication
Critical thinking and observation
Building trust
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Security guard resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your security guard resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Security Guard resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
How to Write an Inspiring Security Guard Resume Summary
Checklist: Writing a resume summary that makes you stand out
- Keep it short and use well-structured sentences;
- Mention your total years of experience in the field and your #1 achievement;
- Highlight your strengths and relevant skills;
- Add keywords from the company’s website or the job description.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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Making the education section of your security guard resume stand out
Education section checklist for your security guard resume:
- List your highest education degree: including your major, year of graduation, and the institution you attended;
- Highlight the extracurricular activities that have helped you gain additional expertise;
- Share more about the certifications you’ve got, especially if they are relevant to the job position;
- Entry-level applicants: Mention relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your security guard resume
Security Guard Training Course
Security Officer Training In Today's Job Market
Security Guard Training complete Bundle
A detailed course on starting your Security Career
Riot Operations for Security Guards
What to do when civil unrest turns into riots for security officers / Basic Riot Control Techniques
Learn What It Takes to Be a Real Event Security Professional
Stand Out from the Crowd! Work the Hottest Events, Get the Best Shifts, Guard the Best Posts & Be Close to the Action!
Information Security Fundamentals (Best Starting Point)
Gain a real world understanding of the fundamentals in 2.5 Hrs & be able to help safe guard your organisations assets !
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Security Guard. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Security guard resume: Formatting tips & tricks
Which came first: the hen or the egg? This question reminds us of the thing our resume experts hear most often in their job – which comes first: the content or the format? Well, we advise you to pick the format first and then go on with drafting your resume’s content.
And how do you choose a resume format? Well, based on your applicant profile. In general, there are three basic resume formats for you to choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Let’s look at each one of them in more detail:
The reverse-chronological resume format is quite straightforward. Here, you describe all your previous jobs in a reverse-chronological form, meaning your latest job comes first. This resume format is great for people with lots of experience and skills who don’t have any career gaps.
If you are a recent graduate or don’t really have much experience in the industry you’re applying for, go for the functional skills-based resume format. This format focuses on skills and character traits, rather than experience. It makes the hiring manager realize you’re the perfect fit for the role without putting too much emphasis on your work history.
And if you’re looking for something a bit more intriguing and exciting, check out the hybrid resume format. It’s a combination of the reverse-chronological and functional skills-based formats, which makes it great for all types of job-seekers. The hybrid resume allows you to showcase both your professional experience and your skills, education, and additional qualifications. If you’re feeling creative, add a separate section about your typical day or life philosophy.
Our top style and layout resume format tips:
- Go for a standard 12p resume font;
- Choose 1-inch resume margins for a professional and easy-to-read feel;
- ry your best to fit your resume in a one-page template. If you’re a professional with over 10 years of relevant experience, having a two-page resume is also fine;
- Make sure to save your resume as PDF – this will help you avoid unwanted editing and formatting issues.
Read this: How to make your resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Test your draft Security Guard resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Other sections that’ll look good on your Security Guard resume
Do you want to move beyond the traditional skills, education, and experience section? Easy-peasy!
Just choose one or two additional sections to help recruiters get a fuller picture of who you are, both as a person and as a professional:
Adding a splash of creativity to your security guard resume
Boring resumes are no longer an option if you’re looking to impress recruiters.
And no matter whether you’re looking to give your old resume a new life or want to start building a new one from scratch, being at least moderately creative is always a good idea. Do this by adding a ‘favorite books’ section or even a pie chart of what your typical day looks like.
What makes a great security guard resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
