What skills should a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer aided composite drawing software, Computer aided dispatch software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Crime mapping software, and DesignWare 3D EyeWitness. 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Lieutenant, Patrol Sergeant, Police Captain, and Police Sergeant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 56% 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives 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.

First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives resume example

A resume for a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives needs to show the work itself: directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force. Day to day that means work like this: supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations; prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates. 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.

Lieutenant
Patrol Sergeant
Police Captain
Police Sergeant
Captain
Deputy Sheriff
Detective Sergeant
Police Chief
Police Lieutenant
Shift Supervisor
Homicide Squad CO
Investigation Division CO
Motorized Squad CO
Police CO
Precinct CO
Traffic Division CO
Vehicle Maintenance Unit CO
Chief Deputy

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.

Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations.
Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates.
Direct collection, preparation, and handling of evidence and personal property of prisoners.
Investigate and resolve personnel problems within organization and charges of misconduct against staff.
Explain police operations to subordinates to assist them in performing their job duties.
Maintain logs, prepare reports, and direct the preparation, handling, and maintenance of departmental records.
Inform personnel of changes in regulations and policies, implications of new or amended laws, and new techniques of police work.
Train staff in proper police work procedures.
Discipline staff for violation of department rules and regulations.
Monitor and evaluate the job performance of subordinates, and authorize promotions and transfers.
Review contents of written orders to ensure adherence to legal requirements.
Conduct raids and order detention of witnesses and suspects for questioning.

20 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.

Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Direct collection, preparation, and handling of evidence and personal property of prisoners, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Investigate and resolve personnel problems within organization and charges of misconduct against staff, 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.

Computer aided composite drawing software
Computer aided dispatch software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Crime mapping software
DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
Email software
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS
Law enforcement information databases
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook

24 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
Base station radios
Biohazard suits
Body armor
Breathalyzers
Bulletproof vests
Crime scene tape measures
Desktop computers
Digital cameras
Digital video cameras

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
02Critical Thinking
03Management of Personnel Resources
04Monitoring
05Reading Comprehension
06Social Perceptiveness
07Speaking
08Active Learning
09Coordination
10Instructing

Knowledge areas

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

Public Safety and Security
Law and Government
Customer and Personal Service
Administration and Management
English Language
Psychology
Sociology and Anthropology
Therapy and Counseling

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.

56%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
20%Some College Courses
19%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives do?: Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force. Day to day that includes work like supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations and Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates.
What skills should a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer aided composite drawing software, Computer aided dispatch software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Crime mapping software, and DesignWare 3D EyeWitness. 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Lieutenant, Patrol Sergeant, Police Captain, and Police Sergeant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 56% 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 First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives 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.