Correctional Officer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Correctional Officer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Correctional officers are the folks who make sure that prisons, jails, and other detention facilities run smoothly. They’re responsible for the safety and well-being of inmates and staff alike, so they need to be calm under pressure and able to think on their feet.
Correctional officers are often tasked with maintaining order in highly stressful environments where violence and drug use are common. They also have to follow strict rules and regulations when interacting with inmates, which means they need to be highly disciplined and follow directions carefully.
If you’re looking for a job where your hard work will be appreciated, correctional officer might be the perfect role for you. Here are tips and an example to help you write a correctional officer resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Correctional Officer Resume
Here’s how to write a correctional officer resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters will see. And since they’re so important, it’s crucial that you use them to your advantage.
The best way to do that is to use them to describe your experience and qualifications. So rather than saying you “provided security for inmates at a correctional facility,” you could say you “provided security for 1,000+ inmates at a maximum security correctional facility, ensuring all inmates remained safe and secure at all times.”
The second bullet point is much stronger because it provides specific details about what you did and the results of your work.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job as a correctional officer, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. The ATS will search for specific terms related to the duties of a correctional officer, like “inmate management” or “crowd control.” If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right keywords, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of common correctional officer keywords as a starting point:
- Correctional Services
- Correctional Safety
- Law Enforcement
- Correctional Treatment
- Criminal Justice
- Emergency Management
- Crime Prevention
- Public Safety
- Firearms Handling
- Corrections
- Patrol
- Security
- Criminal Investigations
- Police
- Criminal Law
- Physical Security
- Interrogation
- Investigation
- U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS)
- Patrol Officer
- Government
- Police Work
- Interpersonal Skills
- Customer Service
- Teamwork
- Time Management
- Risk Assessment
- Critical Thinking
- Supervisory Skills
- Leadership