On this page
- Resume guide for a security guard resume
- How to write a security guard resume
- Choosing the best resume format for a security guard resume
- Include your contact information
- Make use of a summary
- Right vs wrong: the same security guard summary, twice
- Outline your security experience
- Name your guard license, its class, and what it lets you carry
- Build a snapshot of your key skills
- List your education and certifications
- Choose the right layout and design
- Security guard job market and outlook
- What salary you can expect as a security guard
- Mall security guard resume example
- Security officer vs security guard resume: which title to use
- Key takeaways for a security guard resume
- Related security and protective service resume examples
- FAQ
A security guard resume is a one-page document. It names your state license, whether it carries an armed endorsement, and the posts you have held. Below are security guard and security officer resume examples for mall, armed and hospital posts.
The last of those is where the money sits. In general, the median wage for security guards and gambling surveillance officers was $38,050 a year, or $18.29 an hour, as of May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). However, inside healthcare and social assistance the median for the same occupation is $44,920. Inside retail trade it is $35,640. Same card, same job title, a gap of more than $9,000 a year decided almost entirely by which post you can be placed on.
Resume guide for a security guard resume
To that end, this guide and the corresponding security guard resume example will cover:
- To begin with, how to write a security guard resume, section by section
- Then, why the license class and its armed endorsement belong above your experience
- Also, three adaptable summaries: unarmed contract officer, armed healthcare officer, and supervisor
- In addition, which post types each license opens, and what each one pays
- Finally, what the job market looks like and what you can expect to earn
How to write a security guard resume
Overall, six sections: contact header, summary, license and endorsements, post history, training and certifications, and skills. One page for your first decade. Two only once you supervise, hold a professional certification, and have sites to account for rather than shifts.
In fact, the order is not the usual one. License sits above experience because it is a gate rather than an achievement. Most states require security guards to be licensed by the state in which they work, and armed guards face additional licensing and more stringent background checks (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). After all, an unlicensed file is not a weak file, it is a closed one.
SectionWhat it is answeringWhere it goes
- License and endorsementsCan this person legally stand the post I need covered?Directly under the summary
- Post historyWhat kind of site have they actually held down?Reverse chronological, site type named
- Training and certificationsWhat can I put on their file for the client?Its own block, with dates
- SkillsWhich systems and procedures do they already run?Grouped, not a single list
Put your guard card number in the header
Put the card number, the expiry and the armed status in the header
Every licensed employer verifies the card before an offer, and many verify it before the interview. A file that lets them do that in ten seconds moves through the queue faster than one that does not.
Write it as one line under your name: "Ohio Department of Public Safety security guard identification card #OH-SG-0418772, firearm-bearer notation, current through August 2027."
Three facts in that line do work: the authority tells a recruiter which state's rules cleared you, the notation tells them which posts you can be assigned to, and the expiry tells them whether a renewal has to be planned around your start date.
Run the finished file through the ATS resume checker before you send it. National guarding firms parse applications before anyone reads them, and a card number inside a graphic is one the system never records.
Choosing the best resume format for a security guard resume
Reverse chronological, one page, no photograph. Guarding is an occupation where the timeline is the evidence: which site, which post, which shift, how long, and whether you stayed.
Meanwhile, short assignments are normal in contract guarding and do not need hiding. Indeed, a functional format that buries the dates reads as an attempt to hide them, which is the opposite of what a background investigator wants to see. Group short assignments under the contract employer that placed you, then list the sites beneath it: "Contract employer, 2022 to 2024. Posts held: regional distribution center, 18 months on nights; two retail centers on relief; a data center lobby post, 4 months." That reads as a clean two years. In contrast, the same two years as five separate job entries reads as five separate departures.
Include your contact information
Darnell Whitaker
Armed Security Officer, Healthcare PostsOhio DPS card #OH-SG-0418772, firearm-bearer notation, current to Aug 2027(614) 555-0712, darnell.whitaker@example.com, Columbus, OHDarnell Whitaker
Reliable security professional seeking new opportunityLicensed and certified(614) 555-0712, bigd_security614@email.comThe title line under your name should be the post type you want, not the one you last held. Similarly, if you are moving from retail contract work into a hospital, write "Security Officer, Healthcare Posts" and let the post history show where you came from.
Make use of a summary
In effect, four lines: license and endorsement, years and post types, what you cover on a shift, and one number that only someone who has stood the post would know.
Entry level security guard adaptable resume summary example
Armed healthcare security officer adaptable resume summary example
Security supervisor adaptable resume summary example
Right vs wrong: the same security guard summary, twice
On one hand, the right column can be assigned to a post on Monday. On the other hand, the left column has to be interviewed first to find out what it means, and the account manager filling that post does not have the week.
Outline your security experience
Then give the site type, employer, city, post, shift and dates. Then three to five bullets. Specifically, each bullet names something measurable: a site size, a headcount, a patrol frequency, a response volume, a system you ran.
- Instead of
Patrolled the property and reported suspicious activity
UseRan two exterior patrols an hour across a 140,000 square foot distribution site as the sole night officer
- Instead of
Monitored security cameras
UseRan a 64-camera Genetec system across three buildings, with a documented review of every alarm on the overnight shift
- Instead of
Controlled access to the building
UseIssued and reconciled roughly 120 contractor badges a month against the visitor management log
- Instead of
Responded to incidents
UseResponded to an average of 9 combative patient calls a week in the emergency department and behavioral health unit
Adaptable resume employment history example
Armed Security Officer, Emergency Department and Behavioral Health, Cardinal Hill Medical Center, Columbus, OH, March 2023 to Present
Cover the emergency department, the behavioral health unit and the ambulance bay on a rotating 12-hour shift, armed post, roughly 9 combative patient calls a week.
Certified in crisis prevention and physical intervention; restraint used as the last step of a documented escalation sequence, with a nurse present and the clinical team leading.
Requalify annually on the range as required for the firearm-bearer notation on my Ohio card, with no lapse since 2021.
Run badge access for the after-hours entrances, reconciling roughly 120 contractor badges a month against the visitor log.
Trained 22 new officers on the campus post orders and signed off their first unsupervised shift.
Name your guard license, its class, and what it lets you carry
This is the block almost nobody writes; however, it is the one that decides which posts you can be offered.
In particular, guard licensing is a state matter and the structure differs everywhere, so name the state and the board rather than writing "licensed and certified". In Ohio, the Department of Public Safety licenses providers under Chapter 4749 of the Ohio Revised Code and issues Class A, B and C licenses: Class A covers both private investigation and security services, Class B covers private investigation only, and Class C covers security services only. Individual employees of a licensed provider carry a department-issued identification card rather than the provider license itself (Ohio Department of Public Safety, accessed September 2026).
Moreover, carrying a firearm is a separate step layered onto that card. Ohio requires a firearm-bearer notation on the identification card, and the notation requires 20 hours of handgun training plus 5 hours of training in the use of other firearms, a separate application, and annual requalification on a firearms range (Ohio Department of Public Safety, accessed September 2026). An officer without the notation may work, but only unarmed posts.
Security guard post types and what they pay
Write all of that out. Three lines cover it:
Adaptable resume license and endorsement example
License: Ohio Department of Public Safety security guard identification card #OH-SG-0418772, issued 2021, current through August 2027.
Endorsement: Firearm-bearer notation, 20 hours handgun and 5 hours other firearms training completed 2021, requalified on the range annually since, most recently November 2025.
Post types held: Contract distribution and retail (2021 to 2023), acute care hospital including emergency department and behavioral health (2023 to present), university residence halls on relief (2022).
The third line is the one that changes the offer, because post type and pay move together. For example, the BLS industry medians for this occupation, all May 2025, run like this:
| Where the post sits | Median annual wage, May 2025 | What it usually asks for beyond the card |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare and social assistance | Crisis prevention and physical intervention training, hospital orientation, often armed or taser endorsed | |
| Educational services, state, local and private | Clery Act familiarity, campus report writing, student conduct handover | |
| Accommodation and food services | Guest-facing manner, alcohol service awareness, night audit cooperation | |
| Investigation, guard and armored car services | Whatever the client contract specifies; assignment can change weekly | |
| Retail trade | Loss prevention procedure, civil recovery paperwork, apprehension policy |
If your card and training already clear one of the top two rows, say so in the first four seconds. If they do not, then the page's job is to show the shortest route there: the crisis intervention certificate, the behavioral health hours, the campus post you covered on relief.
Build a snapshot of your key skills
For skills, similarly, ten to fourteen entries in four groups: post procedure, systems, response, and paperwork. Therefore, do not write one undifferentiated list; the reader scans for one group at a time, depending on the post being filled.
Adaptable resume skills example
Post procedure: Access control and badge reconciliation, Interior and exterior patrol routes, Opening and closing lockdown, Trailer and seal verification, Key and asset control
Systems: Genetec Security Center, Lenel OnGuard badging, Visitor management systems, Two-way radio and dispatch protocol, Body-worn camera handling
Response: Crisis prevention and physical intervention, CPR, first aid and AED, Automated external defibrillator retrieval, Fire alarm and evacuation procedure, Active threat response drills
Paperwork and compliance: Daily activity logs, Chain of custody for found property, Firearms requalification records, Post order compliance, Handover to law enforcement
List your education and certifications
License first, then the training the card required, then any professional certification, then education. A high school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education for this occupation and there is no expectation of a degree (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026), so do not pad this section. Also put the certifications that unlock posts at the top of it.
Adaptable resume education and certifications example
Ohio Department of Public Safety security guard identification card #OH-SG-0418772, firearm-bearer notation, current through August 2027
Certified Protection Professional (CPP), ASIS International, 2025
Crisis Prevention and Physical Intervention, renewed annually, most recently 2026
CPR, first aid and AED, American Red Cross, 2026
Associate of Applied Science, Criminal Justice, Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH, 2022
Firearms requalification, Ohio range course, November 2025
For instance, the ASIS International Certified Protection Professional is the credential that moves a guard file into a management pile. It asks for five to seven years of related security experience with at least three in responsible charge of a security function, full-time employment in a security role, and no disqualifying criminal convictions; the exam runs 200 scored and 25 unscored multiple choice questions across seven domains (ASIS International, accessed September 2026). If you hold it, it belongs above your education.
Choose the right layout and design
Generally, single column, plain type at 11 or 12 point, clear headings, no photograph and no shading behind text. That is because guarding firms run high-volume applicant systems, and a two-column template is where a card number goes missing.
Do
- Name the issuing state and board, the card number and the expiry.
- State armed or unarmed plainly, and give the requalification date if you are armed.
- Name the site type for every post, not just the employer.
- Put a number in each bullet: site size, camera count, badge volume, call volume.
- Group relief and short contract assignments under the employer that placed you.
- Keep it to one page until you supervise.
Don’t
- Do not write "licensed and certified" without saying by whom.
- Do not list a lapsed card without marking it lapsed, because the board's record will show it.
- Do not name the client site if your contract forbids it; write "a regional distribution center" instead.
- Do not describe an incident in a way that identifies a patient, a student or a member of the public.
- Do not use a two-column template for a national guarding firm's portal.
Security guard job market and outlook
A very large occupation with almost no growth and enormous replacement demand, so hiring is constant and the competition is not for a job but for the better posts.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Security guard and gambling surveillance officer jobs, 2025 | 1,304,000 |
| Projected change, 2025-35 | 1% (slower than average), +11,200 |
| Projected annual openings | ~157,200 |
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $38,050 |
Most guards work for a contractor, and that is where the pay floor is
Investigation, guard and armored car services employ 58% of all security guards, more than every other industry combined, and the median inside that industry is $37,350 as of May 2025. Educational services employ 7% at a median of $44,250, and healthcare and social assistance employ 6% at a median of $44,920 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026).
Nearly six in ten officers work for the lowest-paying employer type, and the two best-paying settings together account for roughly one in eight posts.
That is the whole strategy of a security guard resume. You are not writing to get hired; with about 157,200 openings a year you will get hired. You are writing to move out of the 58% and into the 13%, and the things that do it are named on the page: the armed endorsement, the healthcare or campus post already covered, the crisis intervention certificate, and the systems you can run on day one.
Where security guard jobs are
Where the jobs sit:
| Industry | Share of employment | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation, guard and armored car services | ||
| Educational services, state, local and private | ||
| Healthcare and social assistance | ||
| Retail trade | ||
| Accommodation and food services |
What salary you can expect as a security guard
The median annual wage for security guards and gambling surveillance officers was $38,050 as of May 2025, which is $18.29 an hour (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026).
In other words, the spread around it is industry, not seniority. Moving from a retail contract post at a $35,640 median to a hospital post at a $44,920 median is a larger single change than most officers get from any number of years in place, and it is a move you qualify for with training rather than time.
Likewise, the gambling surveillance side of the same occupation shows the same pattern more sharply. Surveillance officers working in administrative and support services had a median of $64,420 as of May 2025, against $43,920 in casino hotels, $43,610 in local government excluding education and hospitals, and $38,600 in gambling industries other than casino hotels (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). In fact, almost half of those officers, 47%, work in local government.
What a resume can move, then, is placement rather than rate. In short, three things do it: a current and requalified armed endorsement, a post type on your history that matches the one being filled, and a certification that lets a client bill you at a higher grade.
Mall security guard resume example
A mall security guard resume leads with the guard card, then the retail post itself: the size of the center, the shift, the patrol routine and the incidents you handle. Customer contact matters here, so show calm handling of shoppers, tenants and police handovers.
Mall security guard resume sample
Security Officer, Northgate Commons Shopping Center, Columbus, OH, June 2022 to Present
- Patrol a 90-store enclosed mall and two parking decks on a rotating 8-hour shift, unarmed post
- Respond to 15 to 20 calls a shift: lost children, shoplifting holds, medical calls and lockouts
- Write incident reports the same shift and hand cases to police with camera footage logged
- Open and close the center with tenant alarm checks and a full door sweep
License: Ohio Department of Public Safety security guard identification card, current through August 2027
Certifications: CPR, first aid and AED, American Red Cross, 2026
Security officer vs security guard resume: which title to use
Use the title in the job posting. Employers use security guard and security officer for the same work, so the label matters less than the facts under it. Then match the post type, armed status and shift the posting names, because those decide the placement.
- Posting says security officer: put "Security Officer" under your name, even if your last card or badge said guard.
- Armed security guard resume: add the firearm endorsement, the training hours and your last range requalification date.
- Retail or mall post: stress patrols, customer contact, shoplifting holds and report writing.
- Hospital or campus post: stress crisis prevention training, de-escalation and the call volume you handle.
Before you apply, run the file through the ATS resume checker so the card number and dates parse as text.
Key takeaways for a security guard resume
- Firstly, lead with the license: issuing state, board, card number and expiry.
- State armed or unarmed plainly, and give the date of your last requalification.
- Name the post type for every entry, since post type is what sets pay.
- Secondly, put a number in every bullet: site size, camera count, badge volume, call volume.
- Equally, group short contract assignments under the employer that placed you.
- Moreover, add the certification that opens the better post, not a longer list of duties.
- Finally, keep it to one page, single column, and parseable by a guarding firm's portal.
Related security and protective service resume examples
- Security officer resume
- Security and protective services resume
- Police officer resume
- Correctional officer resume
- Firefighter resume
- EMT resume
- Dispatcher resume
- Lifeguard resume
- Military resume
- Criminology resume
- Federal resume
- Government resume
Security guard resume questions, answered
How long should a security guard resume be?
One page for your first decade. Two once you supervise a shift, hold a professional certification such as the ASIS Certified Protection Professional, and are accounting for sites rather than shifts. A two-page file from an officer with three years of posts reads as padding.
Do I need a license before I apply?
In most states, yes. Most states require security guards to be licensed by the state in which they work, and armed guards face additional licensing and more stringent background checks (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). Rules vary widely, so name your own state's board. Some employers sponsor an unlicensed applicant through the process, but you must be able to say where you are in it.
What do I put on a security guard resume with no experience?
Anything with a post, a procedure and a record: military or reserve service, corrections or dispatch, event stewarding, retail loss prevention, a door post. Then the basics the occupation screens on, which are being at least 18, passing a background check, and completing training (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). Add CPR, first aid and AED, which almost every post wants and few applicants hold.
Should I say I am armed if the job is unarmed?
Yes, but put it below the post types rather than in the headline. A firearm-bearer notation tells a recruiter you cleared a more stringent background check and a range qualification, which is useful even for an unarmed post. Do not lead with it for a school or hospital lobby role, where it reads as a mismatch.
How do I describe an incident without breaching confidentiality?
Describe the category and the volume, never the person. "Responded to roughly 9 combative patient calls a week in the emergency department" is a strong line. Anything naming a patient, a student, a client site under a confidentiality clause, or the detail of one event will worry a reader more than it impresses them.
Is a criminal justice degree worth it for this job?
Not for the guard post itself. The typical entry-level education for the occupation is a high school diploma or equivalent (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026). It matters if you intend to move into supervision, corporate security management or law enforcement, where it sits alongside a certification such as the CPP rather than replacing it.
What should a mall security guard put on a resume?
Lead with your guard card and expiry. Then describe the post: the size of the center, your shift, the patrol routine and the calls you handle, such as shoplifting holds, lost children and medical calls. Add CPR, first aid and report writing.
Is a security officer resume different from a security guard resume?
Not in substance. Employers use both titles for the same work. Use whichever title the posting uses in the line under your name, then show the license, the post types and the numbers that prove you can hold the post.
What goes on an armed security guard resume?
Everything on an unarmed resume, plus the firearm endorsement on your card, the training hours behind it and the date of your last range requalification. Put the armed status in the license block so a recruiter can verify it fast.