Correctional Officer Resume: Templates & Examples

A resume for a correctional officer position shall display a strong sense of responsibility. For this reason, it is vitally important that you suggest that you possess them by carefully crafting your correctional officer resume.

Recruiters often seek officers who are serious, responsible, and empathetic but can instill discipline when required. Therefore, make sure your correctional officer resume displays those qualities.

1. Let’s differentiate between a correctional officer resume and a CV.

A CV and a resume are different in many ways. A CV is mainly used for academia, therefore a prison officer CV would often serve for an institution, whether for research or as a professor, in a criminal studies department.

A correctional officer resume is used for job postings. For institutions, such as penitentiaries, a correctional officer resume is an adequate document.

2. Tailor your correctional officer resume based on the job posting.

An effective correctional officer resume provides career skills and experience that are applicable to the job position.

In your correctional officer resume, make sure to list specific duties and abilities. Moreover, insert relevant keywords that you find in the job description.

3. Make an ATS-friendly resume.

Recruiters often use Applicant Tracking Systems to automatically screen resumes before reading them. Your correctional officer resume has a better chance to reach employers if they are ATS-friendly.

The best option is to follow an easy-to-read and text-based format for your correctional officer resume.

👍 Tip: Adopting keywords used in the job description also makes your correctional officer resume compatible with the system.

4. Refer to correctional officer resume samples and templates online.

Modify any elements you find valuable to your correctional officer resume after looking up resume examples for a correctional officer job.

 5. Mention any past roles regarding the justice department.

This step is specifically for individuals making a correctional officer resume. Even if the positions aren’t directly related to a correctional facility, listing experience with different roles as an officer can aid your correctional officer resume.

6. List any physical training or experience.

It is evident recruiters want strong officers, so having relevant physical training in your correctional officer resume further assures you are the right person for the job. Such examples are martial arts, weight lifting, among other disciplines.

7. Quantify results or outcomes.

Any quantifiable performance will best showcase your capabilities to undertake such a position, so try to include such numbers in your correctional officer resume.

A resume objective or a career objective is a short paragraph at the top of your resume and talks about the aim or purpose of your career and details the line of work you want to work in. 

You can include this, or go for a resume summary (which will be addressed after this section).

While making a career objective for your correctional officer resume, consider the following three elements:

Now that we have covered the basics, here are some examples of how a career objective looks like in a correctional officer resume:

If you have a lot of experience dealing with inmates, you can opt for a resume summary instead of a career objective.

A correctional officer resume summary is a concise overview of your credentials that demonstrates why you are a good candidate for the job, which may include your accomplishments, experience, training, and skills.

Before moving on to the examples, consider these aspects for elaborating a great professional summary for a correctional officer job:

Skills define if you are capable or not for the job in a security facility. There are two formats relevant to a correctional officer resume, which are Simple Bullet List and Expanded Bullet List.

Three elements to consider while crafting your skills in your correctional officer resume:

👍 Include both hard and soft skills.
Your correctional officer skills in your resume will be fully prepared if it contains both personal skills and technical skills relevant to the position.

👍 Keep it well-organized.
You know inmates have to follow orders for organizational purposes. The same goes for skills in your correctional resume. No employer wants to read a sloppy skills section, so have your skills list in an organized manner.

👍 Double-check the job posting.
You may have missed an aspect at your first glance, possibly a key skill. Make sure to check the job listing again to make the best correctional officer resume.

Here are more example skills for a correctional officer resume:

If you happen to lack work experience or you are going through a career change, don’t worry! We have your back on making a correctional officer resume with the following pieces of advice:

✍🏻 Point out your educational background.
Your education will receive the most attention in your correctional officer resume as you lack professional experience. Depending on where you are applying for (judicial penitentiary, federal prison, etc.), you may need to add relevant training or certificates.

✍🏻 Choose a career objective over a resume summary.
For a correctional officer position, a resume objective aligns you with the correctional job demands by stating your skills and passion.

✍🏻 Adopt a functional resume format.
For your correctional officer resume, there are four different forms of resume formats to pick from: chronological, functional, hybrid/combination, and tailored resumes. Among all, a functional resume format emphasizes skills over job experience, which is ideal for freshers.

✍🏻 Send a cover letter.
Writing a correctional officer cover letter is a way to tell the employer why you should be picked and taken into consideration. Describe your skills, qualifications, and motivation to apply for the position.

✍🏻 Create a personal website or blog.
Getting a customized website illustrates that you have put in a sincere initiative in your work quest in ways a correctional officer resume cannot, such as essays, testimonials, photographs, and additional media.