Security Guard Resume Example [Guide]

Skilled security guards are in high demand. The following guide will help you write a security guard resume that highlights both your experience and qualifications. 

We will go through all sections of your resume but with focus on especially employment history, licenses, and skills.  

The article will cover: 

• How to structure your security guard resume
• Skills for your security guard resume
• Additional sections for your security guard resume
• Tips for writing your own security guard resume
• Power words to use in your security guard resume

How to structure your security guard resume

When you’re deciding on a structure for your security guard resume the most important section is your employment history section. We recommend using a reverse-chronological resume format. 

The structure should follow this: 

• Header (title, name, contact info)
• Profile (introduction)
• Employment history and job experience
• Any relevant additional sections
• Skills
• Languages
• Education

The order in which you write the different sections doesn’t matter. If you’re more comfortable with writing your relevant employment history first you should go ahead and do that. Often it’s actually easier to write your profile text afterwards.  

Header

Your header consists of your name, your personal information and your title. Your title should be tailored to the specific job ad meaning you should use the title from the position you’re applying for.

Profile

Your profile text is supposed to grab the attention of the recruiter. This is a great place to add some of your most significant accomplishments from your career. As well as with the title in your header you should also tailor your profile text specifically to the job you’re applying for. 

Employment history

As a security guard your employment history is probably the most important part of your resume.

As mentioned earlier, we recommend using the reverse-chronological resume format here. The reason for that is that it’s the most used resume format and it’s the easiest way to create a quick overview of your professional experience. 

Use this checklist: 

• Reverse-chronological resume format
• Describe each position with 4-7 bullet points (include tasks, responsibilities, and quantify your results if possible)
• Tailor your security guard resume to the job position by matching your skills and qualifications to what’s described in the job ad
• Use keywords and power words throughout your resume 

See below for an example of a security guard’s employment history:

Security guard experience

Head Security Officer (armed), Stonewood Center and residential

2018 - Currently working here

• Greet all residents, visitors, and customers with a kind and friendly attitude (+1500 per day)
• Check identification when necessary
• Guide and accompany visitors to their destination when needed
• Patrol area twice per hour to ensure it’s safe and free of dangers
• Provide +1500 residents, visitors, and customers with assistance regarding safety concerns or questions
• Document and report any incidents to staff manager twice weekly
• Observe activities via 30 surveillance cameras both inside and outside of premises

Armed Security Officer, Wells Fargo Bank

2014 - 2017

• Inspected and adjusted security systems and equipment daily to ensure operational use and discover evidence of tampering 
• Trained +10 new security personnel to make sure they lived up to standard security procedures
• Communicated daily reports directly to the CEO
• Maintained a daily log of irregularities such as presence of unauthorized or suspicious persons or unusual occurrences
• Operated and monitored 3 surveillance cameras 

Unarmed Mall Security Guard, Los Cerrito Center

2008 - 2014

• Opened common area to the public daily in the morning and greeted customers and employees
• Informed and warned visitors of rule violations, such as smoking and loitering
• Called police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire, or presence of suspicious persons or objects
• Operated over 80 surveillance cameras to monitor interior and exterior public areas

Relevant additional sections

A lot of resume templates that you may come across have certain predefined sections and that’s how they’re built. With our resume templates you have the possibility to create your own relevant additional sections which we highly recommend you do. 

As a security guard one of the most relevant additional sections is your licenses and certifications. 

In our resume example that you can see below, James has not put a lot of emphasis on his education. It simply doesn’t take up much space. Instead he has added the additional section called Licenses and certifications.

The reason for this is that while education is important, for a security guard it’s more important to show the relevant licenses and certifications. James knows this so he makes sure to place them close to his relevant professional experience by adding an additional section to the template.

Skills

As a security guard your skills are an essential part of you and your resume. This goes for both your hard skills and soft skills. 

Adding your skills to your resume is important. Usually we distinguish between soft skills and hard skills. Where hard skills are the skills we learn through education and experience, soft skills (or interpersonal skills) are not easily taught. As a security guard there are certain skills you need to possess: 

Patience 

To be able to stay vigilant and alert despite long periods without any incidents.

Observation skills

The ability to watch and observe areas without getting distracted.

Physical skills

Being physically fit and able to defend yourself if need be.

Judgment skills

To be able to quickly evaluate a potentially volatile situation and determine the best course of action

Reporting skills

To be able to give a full objective report of events both written and in person.

 

If you have any of these skills, make sure you add them in the skills section of your resume. 

Languages

As a security guard you come in contact with many different types of people during the day. You can expect to meet both tourists and locals. While many people speak and understand English well enough it will certainly give you an advantage if you can show that you speak more than one language. 

Education

As for adding your education to your security guard resume, here’s an example of how to go about it. 

Education

High School Diploma - Bellflower High School, Bellflower

 

Not much else needs to be added here. The important thing is to let the employer know that you went to, and completed, high school. As mentioned above, the real resume juice is in your licenses and certifications as well as your professional experience. 

Now, let’s see our security guard resume example in full. Below the image there is a text you can copy to create your own security guard resume. 

Security guard resume example

Security guard resume (text format you can copy)

James Hansson

Security guard with 13+ years of experience

4965 Alpaca Way

90706 Bellflower, CA

james@email.com

909-220-3940

Profile

Professional Security Officer with more than 13 years of experience in commercial security. Eager to apply my strong observation skills to increase the sense of security and decrease the risk of shoplifting at Bellflower Plaza.

Security guard experience

Head Security Officer (armed), Stonewood Center and residential

2020 - Currently working here

• Greet all residents, visitors, and customers with a kind and friendly attitude (+1500 per day)
• Check identification when necessary
• Guide and accompany visitors to their destination when needed
• Patrol area twice per hour to ensure it’s safe and free of dangers
• Provide +1500 residents, visitors, and customers with assistance regarding safety concerns or questions
• Document and report any incidents to staff manager twice weekly
• Observe activities via 30 surveillance cameras both inside and outside of premises

Armed Security Officer, Wells Fargo Bank

2014 - 2020

• Inspected and adjusted security systems and equipment daily to ensure operational use and discover evidence of tampering 
• Trained +10 new security personnel to make sure they lived up to standard security procedures
• Communicated daily reports directly to the CEO
• Maintained a daily log of irregularities such as presence of unauthorized or suspicious persons or unusual occurrences
• Operated and monitored 3 surveillance cameras 

Unarmed Mall Security Guard, Los Cerrito Center

2008 - 2014

• Opened common area to the public daily in the morning and greeted customers and employees
• Informed and warned visitors of rule violations, such as smoking and loitering
• Called police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire, or presence of suspicious persons or objects
• Operated over 80 surveillance cameras to monitor interior and exterior public areas

Licenses and certifications

• Firearm Safety Certificate since 2008
• California State Driver’s license since 2002
• Taekwondo black belt since 2002
• CPR certification, American Red Cross since 2007

Professional skills

Clear communication (written and verbal)

Problem solving

Customer service

Flexible

Education

High School Diploma - Bellflower High School, Bellflower

Languages

English 

Native 

Spanish

Proficient

Facts about this security guard resume sample

• James has used our Professional resume template to create his security guard resume
• He uses a reverse-chronological format to highlight his relevant experiences
• James succeeds in showing his potential new employer that he has more than 13 years of relevant experience as a security guard. He makes sure to highlight this by customizing the headline from Employment history to Security guard experience. 

Tips for writing your own security guard resume

When you’re looking for your next job as a security guard, or security officer, it’s important to approach your job search in a professional manner. That means creating a professional looking resume and using the right power words. In the security guard resume example we have used a male security guard but the resume sample can of course be used by both men and women alike. 

Tip #1 for your security guard resume - highlights

Take extra care to make sure you highlight your licenses and certificates. These elements are very important and should be placed in the top third of your resume. Ideally, you can add them to your summary (profile) where you’re sure they’ll be noticed. 

Remember, recruiters will be looking for these specific words so make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity to stand out. 

Tip #2 for your security guard resume - be specific

When you describe your work history and professional experience it’s important to be specific. To get the most out of this section you need to provide details. One way you can do this is by telling the hiring manager the types of tasks and assignments you have been performing. If possible, quantify your results. 

Power words for your security guard resume

It’s important that you use the right power words for your resume. Not only will this make you appear more competent and professional. It will also help you pass the applicant tracking systems and it will make you stand out from the crowd. 

Below is a list of great words to add to your resume. Go through the job ad and if any of the words appear there, make sure to use them in both your resume and cover letter.

Key take aways

When you write your security guard resume, there are some key elements to take extra care of. These are: 

• Your employment history, licenses and certifications, and skills
• The resume format - we recommend the reverse-chronological format
• Using the right action verbs and power words 

Ready to create your own resume?