What skills should a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Installation, Speaking, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Exacq Technologies software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Hyperterminal, and Microsoft Office software. 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Alarm Technician, Fire Alarm Technician, Installation Technician, and Service Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer 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.

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer resume example

A resume for a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer needs to show the work itself: install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Day to day that means work like this: install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans; mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components. 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.

Alarm Technician
Fire Alarm Technician
Installation Technician
Service Technician
Home Security Alarm Installer
Install Technician
Installer
Security Installation Technician
Security Installer
Security Technician
Alarm Installation Tech
Alarm Service Tech
Fire Alarm Service Tech
Fire Alarm Systems Tech
Security Service Tech
Access Control Technician
Alarm Adjuster
Alarm Installation Technician

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.

Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.
Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.
Demonstrate systems for customers and explain details, such as the causes and consequences of false alarms.
Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications.
Feed cables through access holes, roof spaces, or cavity walls to reach fixture outlets, positioning and terminating cables, wires, or strapping.
Examine systems to locate problems, such as loose connections or broken insulation.
Test backup batteries, keypad programming, sirens, or other security features to ensure proper functioning or to diagnose malfunctions.
Drill holes for wiring in wall studs, joists, ceilings, or floors.
Inspect installation sites and study work orders, building plans, and installation manuals to determine materials requirements and installation procedures.
Consult with clients to assess risks and to determine security requirements.
Mount raceways and conduits and fasten wires to wood framing, using staplers.
Adjust sensitivity of units, based on room structures and manufacturers' recommendations, using programming keypads.

16 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.

Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Demonstrate systems for customers and explain details, such as the causes and consequences of false alarms, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications, 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.

Autodesk AutoCAD
Exacq Technologies software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Hyperterminal
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft operating system
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Operating system software
Traceroute
Word processing software

Tools and equipment

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

Adjustable widemouth pliers
Battery analyzers
Bayonet Neill-Concelman BNC cable strippers
Bayonet Neill-Concelman BNC crimpers
Bubble levels
Butane soldering irons
Channel lock pliers
Claw hammers
Color bar generators
Cordless drills
Crimping lugs
Decibel meters

What this job rates as most important

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

01Critical Thinking
02Installation
03Speaking
04Active Listening
05Complex Problem Solving
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Operations Monitoring
08Quality Control Analysis
09Reading Comprehension
10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

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

Public Safety and Security
Computers and Electronics
Customer and Personal Service
Telecommunications
Building and Construction
Engineering and Technology
English Language
Mechanical

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.

49%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
41%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
8%Some College Courses

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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer do?: Install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Day to day that includes work like install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans and Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.
What skills should a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Installation, Speaking, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Exacq Technologies software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Hyperterminal, and Microsoft Office software. 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Alarm Technician, Fire Alarm Technician, Installation Technician, and Service Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer 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.