The police are civilian in uniform who prevent and detect crime as well as maintain public order. Their vigilance, dexterity, and keen foresightedness in tackling crime are the basis that makes citizens feel safe in this society. Joining the police force is the best way to contribute to society, and earn respect from all the strata of society. There are many disciplines in police job that you can take based on your education and skills. You can join in as a police officer, crime scene investigator, state police & highway patrol officers, transit and railroad officer, sheriff, and special jurisdiction police. While the preliminary requirements may differ for each of these posts, what remains common is police resumes. No matter what job position you are applying for, use these guidelines to format your resume.
Pick standard format
Choosing a right format for your police resume is of utmost importance as it communicates your experiences, qualifications, and skills clearly to a potential employer. There are mainly three standard resume formats that are widely considered to be the best and most effective. They are chronological, functional, and combination. Chronological resume is one of the mostly used format that highlights your work experience information in a reverse chronological order with the most recent job at the beginning of the resume. On the other hand, functional or skill-based resume format is used to list skill section at the top of a resume and can be used if you are a career changer or have employment gaps. Combination resume combines the best features of the above two formats by highlighting your skills along with the job history.
Add name and contact information
Add your personal contact information right at the top of resume so that it becomes easy for recruiter to connect with you if you are selected for an interview process. Start with your name in bold so that it is more noticeable. Include your mailing address, valid phone number and professional sounding email address accurately and using good fonts.
Start with an effective career summary
Career summary is like a movie trailer of the resume. Instead of reading each and every line of your resume, hiring managers often look for this section to determine whether they should keep reading your resume. So, this is that part of the resume where you can brag about yourself and let your future employer know who exactly you are and what you are capable of. It should be a brief paragraph (3-5 lines) highlighting your police experience, skills, knowledge and career achievements. If you are a fresher or an entry-level candidate, write a resume objective statement rather than career summary that will showcase your career goals as well as abilities, volunteer and educational experiences related to police work.
For example:-
Include job-specific skills
Adding and matching your skills to what appears in the police job posting is necessary as they give hiring managers an idea about your competence, capability and areas of expertise required. Add this section beneath your career summary in short and bullet points.
Most important skills that are included in a police resume are: knowledge of law enforcement practices, applicable federal or state laws, interrogation or investigation techniques as well as police equipment; ability to deal with high-pressure situations and remain calm, strong physical strength, decision-making, observational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
List your accomplishments with relevant experience
When writing work experience section, include accomplishments along with the roles and responsibilities from your previous jobs otherwise it will look like a job description. Use reverse chronological order for this section and before adding work description, mention your job title, name and address of the organization and dates of employment. You should also use action verbs like accomplished, supervised or monitored as well as relevant keywords like crime analysis, investigation procedures or risk detection that match the job posting to make it more effective.
For example:-
Highlight your educational background
Outline this section in reverse chronological order and include degree and certification programs that have enhanced your experience and skills in the relevant field. Add name of the degree, institution name, and location and the year of completion.
For Example:-
Reference
Add a separate section at the end of your police resume to list references only if they are requested by hiring managers. Each of these references needs to be supplied with detailed information, including name of the person, his/her job position or role, phone number and email address.
Take a look at the given below police resume samples to get a clear understanding of drafting an effective resume.
Checkout our sample lawyer resumes below:
Sample Resume of Chief of Police