A security guard resume concisely outlines your key skills and accomplishments relevant to the role that you’re applying for. This helps you grab the recruiter’s attention, present yourself as a strong candidate, and maximize the chances of getting an interview invite.
In this article, you’ll learn how to write a security guard resume better than the majority of the competition. It contains a step-by-step guide that goes through each section, as well as expert tips and strategies that will help you design and format your resume like a professional.
Key Takeaways
The best format for most security guards is chronological, with functional and hybrid formats being useful for entry-level candidates and professionals with employment gaps, respectively.
When emphasizing your professional experience, focus on notable results and accomplishments over everyday tasks, and quantify them with numbers.
Only add skills that are relevant to the job that you’re applying for, and demonstrate your skills by linking them with appropriate achievements in your work experience section.
Write and submit a security guard cover letter to emphasize additional accomplishments, talk about your motivation, and showcase your willingness to go the extra mile.
Standout Security Guard Resume Example
Before we dive into the specifics, let’s show you a complete example of a security guard resume to give you an idea of what the final product should look like:
Keep reading to find out how to create a resume just like this.
What Format to Use for a Security Guard Resume
The security guard resume format you should use depends on your experience and circumstances.
There are three established formats that give the document a professional structure, and they are:
Chronological resume format. This is the most used format because it arranges your past jobs in reverse-chronological order, giving recruiters a straightforward insight into your professional history. It also makes your resume compatible with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Functional resume format. The format emphasizes skills over experience, making them the main section of a resume. This makes it perfect for entry-level security guards without prior work history; however, it can run into issues with ATS.
Combination (hybrid) resume format. This format also focuses on skills, but it substantiates each skill with a list of relevant accomplishments displayed in reverse-chronological order. It’s suitable for applicants who have gained sufficient experience, but also have gaps in employment.
Security Guard Resume Layout
A resume layout represents the design aspect of the document. A good one will make your resume visually appealing while keeping it clean, organized, and easy to read.
Here are some tips on how you can achieve that:
Keep your resume one page long unless the job ad specifically requires a longer resume.
Choose a suitable font for your resume, such as Arial or Calibri. Avoid stylized or script typefaces that are difficult to read.
Font size should be 10–12 pt for regular text and 14–16 pt for section headings.
Margins need to be uniform on all sides and at least 1 inch.
Line spacing should be set to 1.0 or 1.15.
5 Mandatory Sections Every Security Guard Resume Should Have
Every security guard resume needs to contain these five mandatory sections:
Mandatory Details
Contact information
Resume objective or summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
Apart from those, you can include one or more optional sections, provided there’s enough space and that the sections provide important information about your qualifications. Some optional sections to consider include:
Optional Sections
Licenses and certifications
Special training
Language skills
Volunteer experience
Hobbies and interests
If you don’t want to keep track of all these resume sections, formatting rules, and designing strategies, you can use our resume builder. We developed custom software powered by AI that can do everything for you.
You just pick a resume template that suits your needs and fill out the details. AI will polish your writing to make it more impactful, and the builder’s features will help you customize your resume while maintaining its visual appeal and ATS compatibility.
Security Guard Resume Template
Here’s one of the templates that you can choose for your security guard resume when using our builder:
Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major] [University/college name] [Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Security Guard Resume Contact Information
Contact information is a straightforward section that goes in the resume header. It’s the simplest section to write, as you only need to list:
Your name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
In addition to this mandatory information, you can include several optional details, depending on the requirements listed in the job description. This includes:
Your mailing address
LinkedIn profile
Here’s an example of what that looks like:
Contact Information Example
Kenneth McCombs
Security Guard
512-964-9254
Austin, TX
linkedin.com/ln/kennethmccombs
Lastly, here are a few tips to help you avoid making critical mistakes with this section:
Don’t include sensitive personal information (gender, religion, political affiliations).
Don’t add a photo to your resume.
Use a professional email address.
Resume Objective For a Security Guard
A security guard resume objective is a brief 2–4 sentence introductory section. It's supposed to be an elevator pitch and a brief description of your security guard resume, helping it grab the recruiter’s attention by highlighting your key strengths.
Objectives work particularly well for entry-level candidates and those transitioning from other fields, such as retail or the military. They focus on skills, qualifications, and career goals.
Here’s an example of a resume objective written by an entry-level security guard:
Security Guard Resume Objective
Detail-oriented professional with 3 years of experience in customer service and a recently obtained class D security licence, looking for a security guard position in Northside Mall. Seeking to leverage strong observational skills and proficiency in surveillance systems to contribute to the security of your establishment.
Here’s another example, this time written by a security guard with a military background:
Resume Objective for a Security Guard with Military Background
Disciplined veteran with 5 years of experience in the U.S. Army, looking for a corporate security guard position at Data Invest Inc. Certified in first aid and weapons handling. Seeking to bring advanced training, situational awareness, and experience in tactical situations to the role on the road to becoming CSO.
If you have plenty of experience in the field, you’re better off writing a resume summary. It’s a similar section to the objective, but it focuses on your accomplishments instead of your skills.
How to Add Professional Experience as a Security Guard
One of the best ways to add professional experience as a security guard is to list your past jobs and achievements in reverse-chronological order.
When doing so, don’t mention everyday tasks and assignments; instead, focus on notable accomplishments and exceptional results that will demonstrate your excellence. Here are some tips on how to do that:
Use bullet points instead of blocks of text. They are easier to read and make your resume more organized. Aim for 3–5 bullet points per job.
Add numbers to quantify your work. They add measurable value to your efforts, helping validate your accomplishments.
Leverage action verbs and power words to make your writing more impactful and memorable.
Let’s put this into practice and take a look at two examples, starting with an experienced security guard:
Work Experience Example
Work Experience
Security Guard Excellent Warehousing New York, NY
March 2024–Current
Designed optimal evening and night patrol routes, reducing instances of reported property vandalism by 17%.
Conducted regular inspections on property doors and windows to ensure their integrity and discover any potential vulnerabilities, improving security effectiveness by 31%.
Coordinated with a team of 7 unarmed guards to ensure 100% compliance with state DOS regulations
The second example is for a security guard who has no experience in the profession and is leveraging accomplishments from their position as a customer service representative:
Work Experience For An Entry-level Security Guard
Work Experience
Security Guard Target Austin, TX
June 2022–November 2025
Monitored entrance zones during peak hours to ensure a safe shopping environment for more than 500 daily customers.
Consistently resolved more than 15 verbal conflicts each week, using de-escalation techniques to maintain a calm atmosphere.
Maintained 100% accuracy when documenting sales and incident logs, and during cash-handling procedures.
Security Guard Resume Education Section
The education section of your security guard resume should showcase your highest degree. The baseline requirement for many security roles is a high school diploma or GED. You want to include it along with the school’s name, location, and your years of attendance.
Let’s see that in an example:
Education Section
Education
High School Diploma Austin High School, Austin, TX 2017–2021
If you’re writing a security guard resume as a fresher with no experience, you can add more information to this section. This is best done by adding a bullet list, just like with your work history.
You can include details like relevant coursework or extracurricular activities relevant to the job. Additionally, you can add your license here if you have it and don’t plan to add it to a dedicated section.
Security Guard Resume Skills
When adding skills to your security guard resume, you first want to create two concise lists: one for hard skills and the other for soft skills. Resume skills shouldn’t be included haphazardly and instead need to be relevant to the role that you’re applying for.
That’s why it’s essential to carefully read the job ad and to research the company before writing your resume. This will allow you to create tailored lists that are most likely to grab the attention of recruiters.
Once you’ve added the lists to the section, you also want to highlight your skills throughout the resume. This is best done in your resume objective and work experience sections. Link a skill to a related accomplishment to show it in action and provide proof of your competence.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are job-specific and typically learned via traditional means (e.g., school, courses, specialized training). You can consider adding some of the following hard skills to your security guard resume:
Key Hard Skills For A Security Guard
Surveillance
Patrolling
Access control
Emergency response (First Aid, CPR)
Legal knowledge
Software proficiency
Two-way radios
Walk-through metal detectors
Door and window sensors
Report writing
Soft Skills
Soft skills are transferable between professions. They represent a combination of personality traits and interpersonal abilities that are typically acquired and refined through real-life experience. Still, they are highly sought-after by many employers, so here are some that you should consider for your resume:
Soft Skills To Highlight
Attention to detail
Critical thinking
Teamwork
Organization
What Other Sections Can You Add to Your Resume?
There are many other sections you can add to your security guard resume. However, you should only include them if they demonstrate qualifications related to the position you’re after, and if you have enough room after including all the mandatory sections.
Licenses and Certifications
Licenses demonstrate that you’re legally qualified to perform your duties. Some examples include licenses such as a Class “D” Security Officer license or a firearms permit.
On the other hand, certifications represent proof that you’re professionally prepared for the role. They can range from role-specific certifications to OSHA, CPR, and First Aid certifications.
Special Training
Special training, similar to certifications, shows that your expertise goes beyond the fundamentals. Many types of special training come with certificates of completion, like the Initial Security Officer Program (ISOP), though that’s not always the case.
Since security work can vary widely from one role to another, demonstrating special training (e.g., de-escalation techniques, emergency response, or proficiency in surveillance systems) can help you get ahead in the sea of similarly qualified candidates.
Language Skills
Language skills are critical when interacting with culturally diverse clientele or members of the public. Since security guards are usually the first point of contact with these people, they need to know how to understand them and communicate to prevent misunderstandings and defuse tense situations.
When adding language skills to your resume, pick an established frame of reference and list the languages you know in descending order.
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer experience shows personality traits, such as reliability, responsibility, and a service-oriented mindset. Employers value these characteristics and will likely see you as a driven person willing to take initiative.
Keep in mind that you can also include volunteer experience in the work history section if you’re an entry-level candidate. You can use it as a substitute for previous employment and include it in the same manner, using bullet points with notable results.
Hobbies and Interests
Hobbies and interests can humanize your resume while subtly hinting at valuable soft skills. This is especially true if you partake in martial arts, fitness, team sport disciplines, and similar activities that are related to your profession.
Do I Need a Cover Letter as a Security Guard?
You need a security guard cover letter to show genuine interest and willingness to go the extra mile. Taking the time to write a letter (that’s usually not mandatory) and submit it alongside your resume demonstrates dedication.
Plus, you can use the document to point out additional accomplishments that didn’t fit in your resume. To get the most out of your cover letter, you should talk about your motivation and reasons for applying to that company in particular.
Keep in mind that the cover letter should also be concise and between 250 and 400 words, or 3–5 paragraphs.
4 Tips for Creating a Professional Security Guard Resume
Before we conclude this comprehensive guide, here are four expert tips that will turn a solid security guard resume into a perfect one:
Emphasize your license. Depending on your state, you may not be able to legally work as a security guard without a license. That’s why you should make sure that your license is clearly displayed with all the necessary details (e.g., number and expiration date).
Highlight the environments. A security guard’s job varies greatly depending on the environment. Specifying whether you’ve worked in retail loss-prevention, residential complex overnight security, or similar positions tells recruiters about the kind of pressure you’re used to.
Demonstrate that you understand prevention. Many security guards focus on response after something has gone wrong. While these are necessary skills to have, you should also showcase your ability to spot and report vulnerabilities or adjust behavior in anticipation of malicious activities.
Underline your report writing skills. Employers care a lot about documentation. Your ability to describe incidents and write reports helps in legal situations, during insurance reviews, and with law enforcement follow-ups.
Ready to craft an exceptional security guard resume with ease?
Make my resumeClosing Thoughts
A predicted job outlook for security guards is 0% between 2024 and 2034. However, even with growth stagnation, this still amounts to about 162,300 new openings each year, mainly due to professionals retiring or transitioning to other fields. Still, getting one of those spots can be challenging due to competition, which is why you need a strong security guard resume.
This article will help you write one, and our resume builder can provide further assistance. Following that, we also have a guide to help you prepare for common interview questions as a security guard, to maximize your chances of a favorable outcome.
Security Guard Resume FAQs
#1. How long should a security guard resume be?
A security guard resume should be one page long. Many recruiters skim through lots of resumes in search of good candidates, so chances are they’ll skip a resume that’s longer than one page. That’s why you should focus on quality over quantity and only include qualifications relevant to the role.
#2. What skills should I include on a security guard resume?
The skills you should include on a security guard resume should depend on the specific position that you’re applying for. Some of the essential hard skills to consider include surveillance, patrolling, and access control, while sought-after soft skills are situational awareness, conflict resolution, attention to detail, and communication.
#3. How can I make my security guard resume stand out to employers?
To make your security guard resume stand out to employers, specify and quantify your accomplishments. Include numbers and statistics to back up your claims, mention security environments in which you’ve worked, and highlight any certifications or other capabilities that can give you an advantage over other candidates.
