What skills should a Security Guard put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Coordination, and Critical Thinking 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 Guard list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, FaceTime, IBM Lotus 1-2-3, McAfee, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Guard work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Safety and Security Officer, Security Agent, Security Officer, and Armed Security Officer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Security Guard need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 79% 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 Security Guard 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 Guard resume example

A resume for a Security Guard needs to show the work itself: guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. Day to day that means work like this: lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings; patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates. 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.

Safety and Security Officer
Security Agent
Security Officer
Armed Security Officer
Campus Security Officer
CSO
Custom Protection Officer
CPO
Customer Service Security Officer
Hotel Security Officer
Loss Prevention Officer
Loss Prevention Rep
Alarm Investigator
Armed Guard
Armed Security Guard
Armored Car Driver
Armored Car Guard
Bag Checker

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

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Campus Security Officer (CSO)
Custom Protection Officer (CPO)
Security Guard

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.

Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings.
Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
Respond to medical emergencies by administering basic first aid or by obtaining assistance from paramedics.
Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences.
Warn persons of rule infractions or violations, and apprehend or evict violators from premises, using force when necessary.
Answer telephone calls to take messages, answer questions, and provide information during non-business hours or when switchboard is closed.
Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire or presence of unauthorized persons.
Operate detecting devices to screen individuals and prevent passage of prohibited articles into restricted areas.
Inspect and adjust security systems, equipment, or machinery to ensure operational use and to detect evidence of tampering.

14 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.

Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Respond to medical emergencies by administering basic first aid or by obtaining assistance from paramedics, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Answer alarms and investigate disturbances, 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.

Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
FaceTime
IBM Lotus 1-2-3
McAfee
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Word
NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
Wireshark

Tools and equipment

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

Desktop computers
Digital video cameras
First aid kits
Flashlights
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Metal handcuffs
Multi-line telephone systems
Multipurpose fire extinguishers
Nightsticks
Patrol cars
Patrol golf carts

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
FaceTime

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
02Monitoring
03Speaking
04Coordination
05Critical Thinking
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Reading Comprehension
08Social Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas

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

Public Safety and Security
Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Administration and Management
Education and Training
Telecommunications
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.

79%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
10%Some College Courses
5%Associate'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 Security Guard do?: Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. Day to day that includes work like lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings and Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
What skills should a Security Guard put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Coordination, and Critical Thinking 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 Guard list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, FaceTime, IBM Lotus 1-2-3, McAfee, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Guard work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Safety and Security Officer, Security Agent, Security Officer, and Armed Security Officer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Security Guard need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 79% 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 Security Guard 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.