What does a Detectives and Criminal Investigator do?

Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes. Day to day that includes work like check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse and Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.

What skills should a Detectives and Criminal Investigator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Detectives and Criminal Investigator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes AccessData FTK, Adobe Photoshop, Case management software, Computer aided composite drawing software, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Detectives and Criminal Investigator work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Criminal Investigator, Detective, Investigator, and Special Agent. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Detectives and Criminal Investigator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 32% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Detectives and Criminal Investigator role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Detectives and Criminal Investigator resume example

A resume for a Detectives and Criminal Investigator needs to show the work itself: conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes. Day to day that means work like this: check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse; obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Criminal Investigator
Detective
Investigator
Special Agent
Crime Scene Investigator
CSI
Fugitive Detective
Fugitive Investigator
Narcotics Detective
Narcotics Investigator
Police Detective
CIA Agent
Deputy US Marshal
DEA AGENT
FBI Field Agent
FBI Investigator
FBI Profiler
FBI Sharpshooter

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.
Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival.
Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
Prepare charges or responses to charges, or information for court cases, according to formalized procedures.
Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
Obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence.
Note, mark, and photograph location of objects found, such as footprints, tire tracks, bullets and bloodstains, and take measurements of the scene.
Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects.
Secure persons at scene, keeping witnesses from conversing or leaving the scene before investigators arrive.
Provide information to lab personnel concerning the source of an item of evidence and tests to be performed.

30 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it prior to medical examiner's arrival, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

AccessData FTK
Adobe Photoshop
Case management software
Computer aided composite drawing software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Crime mapping software
DataWorks Plus Digital CrimeScene
DeChant Consulting Services iWitness
DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
Digital Image Management Solutions Crime Scene
Email software
Eos Systems PhotoModeler
ESRI ArcView
Geographic information system GIS software

38 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

35 millimeter cameras
Audio recording equipment
Automated external defibrillators AED
Biohazard suits
Blood collection kits
Body armor
Breathalyzers
Bulletproof vests
Compound light microscopes
Crime scene rulers
Crime scene tape measures
Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA collection kits

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Speaking
03Critical Thinking
04Complex Problem Solving
05Reading Comprehension
06Social Perceptiveness
07Judgment and Decision Making
08Active Learning
09Coordination
10Service Orientation

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Law and Government
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Psychology
Computers and Electronics
Education and Training
Administrative

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

32%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
20%Associate's Degree
20%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Detectives and Criminal Investigator do?: Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes. Day to day that includes work like check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse and Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
What skills should a Detectives and Criminal Investigator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Detectives and Criminal Investigator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes AccessData FTK, Adobe Photoshop, Case management software, Computer aided composite drawing software, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Detectives and Criminal Investigator work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Criminal Investigator, Detective, Investigator, and Special Agent. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Detectives and Criminal Investigator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 32% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Detectives and Criminal Investigator role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.