Five key steps to writing an effective law enforcement resume

Earning a position in law enforcement requires many hours of training and dedication. To land a job in this field, it is crucially important to write a resume that not only highlights your commitment to training and professional development, but also your key skills, experience, and accomplishments.

In this guide, we will take you through 5 steps for writing a law enforcement resume that will impress potential employers. Keep reading to learn how to:

• Choose a resume format that fits your experience in law enforcement
• Highlight your professional value in your resume summary
• Showcase a wide range of law enforcement abilities in your skills
• Write a work section that impresses law enforcement employers
• Include the proper law enforcement educational credentials

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1. Choose a resume format that fits your experience in law enforcement

Choosing a resume format is the first big decision you need to make. As a law enforcement professional, it is critically important to select a format that fits your current experience level.

There are 3 main formatting options to choose from:

1. The Reverse-Chronological Resume: This resume format is the most commonly used and the standard most employers expect to see. It focuses on the applicant’s work experience, making this section the largest on the document. This format works well for applicants with at least 1 to 2 years of experience in their chosen field.
2. The Functional Resume: This resume format is designed for applicants with minimal work experience, focusing instead on academics, skills, and unpaid experience. Applicants who have recently graduated from high school or college most commonly use this format, as they often have many years of educational experience but very limited relevant work experience.
3. The Hybrid Resume: The hybrid resume combines elements of both of the above formats. Rather than emphasizing one element in particular, this format spreads out the focus of the document more evenly between all sections. This format is well-suited for applicants with some relevant experience, those who are changing careers, or those with large gaps in their work history.

Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.

2. Highlight your professional value in your resume summary

A resume summary is an essential component of any law enforcement resume.

Well-written resume summaries will introduce the applicant to the employer and offer up specific details and notable accomplishments that highlight the applicant’s value. This will not only help to impress employers but also demonstrate how you can benefit the organization long-term.

With this in mind, let’s examine the following resume summary examples:

Why is this Incorrect?

This example starts out strong by stating the applicant’s years of experience and specialized areas of expertise. However, as the applicant provides more detail they lose this level of specificity, making the overall summary sound weak and unfinished.

Why is this Correct?

In this corrected example, the beginning details are mostly the same but with more engaging wording. The details provided in the second sentence offer a much higher level of detail, highlighting the applicant’s specialty and how they have applied it in the field.

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3. Showcase a wide range of law enforcement abilities in your skills

Law enforcement officers have many technical abilities, such as defensive driving and weapon handling. However, an excellent law enforcement officer will have an equal amount of interpersonal abilities as well, such as their ability to communicate and resolve conflicts with aggressive people.

To impress employers, including both these types of skills on your resume is essential. To help you brainstorm which skills to include, here are 10 examples of both technical and interpersonal law enforcement skills:

4. Write a work section that impresses law enforcement employers

When applying for positions within law enforcement, you want your resume to reflect your best skills and accomplishment in your previous jobs.

As such, you should always strive to include highly specific and quantifiable details in your work experience descriptions. Along with listing your key responsibilities, you should also showcase any major accomplishments you achieved in a previous position.

5. Include the proper law enforcement educational credentials

As a law enforcement officer, you will need to a minimum of a high school diploma or GED to begin the training process. Once one of these credentials is earned, many future officers choose to go directly to a certified training program.

Alternatively, you can also pursue a two or four year degree in a related field to give yourself a more competitive edge, like criminal justice or law.

No matter what law enforcement educational credentials you have, it is crucial to list them properly and succinctly on your resume. If you have opted for a functional resume format, make sure your descriptions of educational experiences are clear and to the point. 

Keep in mind that each state has different standards and requirements for law enforcement, so always check the necessary requirements for your state of residence before submitting a resume.