How to Write a Correctional Officer Resume: 2023 Guide With Examples

How to create a correctional officer resume?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job growth of correctional officers is projected to decline 7 percent from 2020 to 2030. This means the competition will increase massively, for the average 35,700 openings for a correctional officer job.

A correctional officer’s job is to oversee the inmates in prison. The job carries high risk while maintaining discipline in prison, inspecting inmates and visitors, and solving disputes.

And people who have these skills and want to get into correctional officer jobs should effectively showcase these qualities in their resumes.

Below is a professional correctional officer resume example and a guide to writing a perfect correctional officer resume by yourself. It will increase your chances of landing your chances of getting your interview by 10x.

Table of Content:

• What correctional officers do?
• What are the Correctional officer duties and responsibilities?
• How to select the right format for correctional officer resume?
• What are the basic design tips for correctional officer resume?
• How to create a perfect correctional officer resume header?
• Best practice to write a correctional officer resume summary?
• How to craft the correctional officer resume experience section?
• How to create a key skills section for the correctional officer resume?
• How to write your education and certification in the correctional officer resume?
• What other sections can you include in the correctional officer resume?
• Correctional Officer Resume Examples

What Correctional Officers Do?

Correctional officers maintain discipline in an enforcement center, such as a prison or jail.

They oversee the daily activities of inmates and workers and ensure safety and security around the facility.

Correctional officers are also involved in creating rehabilitation programs for inmates to help them get back to society.

They also inspect the facility periodically and search for unsafe conditions, contraband, security breach, or any other type of disturbance. Correctional officers also search the visitors and scan mails for prohibited items. Additionally, they prepare daily reports detailing inmate activities and any unusual activities.

It’s a high-risk job, and correctional officers may need to use both physical training and intellect to diffuse hostile situations. They also need to be masters of their emotions to handle emergencies.

Correctional Officer Duties and Responsibilities

Given below is a sample job description for a correctional officer job:

Corrections Officer Job Description

We are looking for a strict correctional officer who has experience managing a correctional center and disciplining inmates with great success. The candidate will be responsible for enforcing federal rules on inmates, inspecting facilities, supervising inmates, and scanning visitors and parcels to minimize risk.

Following Below are the responsibilities of a correctional officer:

• Comply with prison rules and regulations
• Conduct periodic inspections on facility and inmate cells for unusual activities
• Organize rehabilitation activities for inmates
• Screening parcels and visitors coming into the facility
• Supervise meals and bathroom for ensuring sanitations
• Manage and deescalate confrontations with inmates
• Create daily reports of inmate activities
• Review inmate papers and search for contraband

Corrections Officer Requirements:

• High school diploma
• Proficiency in law enforcement, security
• Emotional awareness
• Ability to quickly respond to emergencies
• Good interpersonal skills

Also Read: Top Correctional Officer Interview Questions

How to Select the Right Format for Correctional Officer Resume?

There are three common resume formats used in the industry:

• Reverse-chronological resume format
• Functional resume format
• Hybrid resume format

The format you should choose will depend on your years of experience, career gap, and many other factors.

Reverse Chronological Resume

This resume format is best for people who have a linear career graph and have good experience as correctional officers. This resume format highlights your experience and achievements in the best way possible.

Functional Resume

If you have less experience or you are an entry-level candidate, you can choose a functional resume. Even though this is not the format most recruiters prefer, it focuses on your skills rather than your accomplishments, which will be less in the initial days.

Combination Resume

The combination resume is the best of both reverse chronological and functional resumes. It highlights your skills while showcasing your experience and accomplishments in bullet points. And this format is suitable for both entry-level and experienced professionals.

However, since most recruiters are comfortable with reverse chronological resume format, we recommend using that format to create your correctional officer resume.

Design Tips for Correctional Officer Resume

• Make sure to limit the resume to one page.
• Keep a 1-inch margin on all sides of the resume.
• Write the resume experience section in bullet points.
• Use a professional font to write the resume, such as Ariel, Times New Roman, Verdana, etc.
• Keep the font size between 11 - 12 points.
• Make sure the resume does not look congested. Use plenty of white spaces.
• Send the resume in PDF format to the recruiters.

Also Read: How to format your resume?

Correctional Officer Resume Header

The resume header is the first thing a recruiter sees in your resume. So it needs to be engaging enough to grab the recruiter’s attention.

Here are some elements you need to include in the resume header:

• Your name (font size 14-16)
• Job title
• Residencial location
• Email address
• Contact number
• LinkedIn Profile ID
• Link to portfolio

Pro tip: When adding an email address, try to use a professional email address. Such as:

• john.doe@gmail.com
• doe.john@gmail.com
• johndoe@gmail.com
• j.doe@gmail.com
• john.d@gmail.com

Correctional Officer Resume Examples: Header

Also Read: How to write a stellar resume header?

Correctional Officer Resume Summary

Correctional officer resume summary is there to hook the recruiter’s attention to read your resume. So, make sure to include relevant skills and accomplishments in that section. You can also include your years of experience and any certifications in the resume summary.
Below are some of the best practices to write the correctional officer resume summary:

• Start the resume summary with years of experience or any certifications
• Highlight top three relevant skills for the job you are applying
• Include a professional accomplishment.
• Wrap up the summary within 2-3 sentences
• Write the resume summary in paragraph format

Correctional Officer Resume Examples: Summary

Also Read: How to write a resume summary?

Correctional Officer Resume Objective

You can write the objective statement instead of a summary if you’re an entry-level professional or have no work experience. Unlike the resume summary, on the objective statement, focus on your skills, academic knowledge, leadership, and volunteer experience.

Correctional Officer Resume Professional Experience

Recruiters spend most of their time in the professional experience section of the correctional officer resume. So, you need to take maximum time to create this section correctly. And, it’s not hard to do.

Below are some tips for creating the correctional officer resume professional experience section:

• Write your experiences in the reverse chronological order
• Add the title, company name, joining date, and leaving dates
• Write the experiences in bullet formats and start the bullets with Action verbs
• Always try to develop an action-result formula to highlight your achievement
• Use numbers and stats as much as possible to back up your statements

Correctional Officer Resume Examples: Professional Experience

Also Read: How to write a resume professional experience for maximum effectiveness?

Correctional Officer Resume: Key Skills

Recruiters don’t have the time to look for the relevant skills in your resume. So, you have to make it easier for them by creating a separate “key skills” section. Here you can add all your relevant core skills.

Given below are some points you need to remember when creating the correctional officer resume key skills section:

• Make sure to add the relevant core skills that are mentioned in the job description
• Do not list your soft skills in the key skills section, like “Problem Solver,” “Critical Thinker,” etc.
• Do not add critical skills that you can not show any work experience around.
• Key Skills section also helps your resume get past the ATS scanner. So, don’t skip it.

Here are some correctional officer resume skills:

• Inmate Management
• Public Safety
• Correctional Facility Supervision
• Emergency Responses
• Security Checks
• Incident Reporting
• CPR
• Control Room Supervision
• Incident management
• De-escalation
• Disciplinary Actions
• Defensive Tactics
• Physical Restraint
• Staff Management
• Report Generation & Management
• Visitor and Parcel Screening
• Facility Inspection
• Radio Communication

Correctional Officer Resume Examples: Key Skills

Also Read: How to create a proper resume key skills section?

Correctional Officer Resume Education Section

The minimum requirement for becoming a correctional officer is a high school degree. However, having a degree in psychology will significantly help your resume during a job interview.

Below are the elements you need to add to the correctional officer resume:

• Your highest level of education degree
• Joining and end date
• Relevant coursework
• Projects
• Honors and awards

Correctional Officer Resume: Certification

The certification section is a vital part of the resume. However, It’s not mandatory to add certification. But if you got any, you can add it to the resume, especially if you are an entry-level professional.

You can add the certification section in the resume education section or a separate section.

Below are the top 10 certifications for a correctional officer

Correctional Officer Resume Examples: Education And Certification

Also Read: How to create a certification section in a resume?

Correctional Officer Resume: Additional Sections

Volunteer Experience

Do you have any volunteer experience? If yes, don’t hesitate to add it to your resume. It’s more important if you are a fresher and looking for your first correctional job.

Also Read: How to write the volunteer experience in a resume?

Conferences

If you have attended any relevant conferences like ICPA or AJA conferences, you can add them to the resume. It shows that you’re not applying just to get a job, but actually have an interest in the field.

Hobbies & Interests

If you have any relevant hobbies that you think will add value to the resume, you can add them to your resume for correctional officers.

Also Read: How to add hobbies and interests to your resume?

Correctional Officer Resume Example

Key Takeaways

Given below is a recap of what makes a perfect correctional officer resume:

• Choose the correct resume format based on your experience and career situation to send the right message
• Read the job description carefully and identify key skills that you can include throughout the resume
• Write the resume summary in paragraph format, and wrap it up within 3-4 sentences
• In the professional experience section, start the bullet points with power verbs
• Add a separate education section, and add all your educational experience in that section, including any certifications you have
• Add statistics and numbers to back up your statement in the professional experience section
• Create a distinct “key skills” section and add all relevant hard skills in that section for recruiters to see easily

If you want to create a correctional officer resume with this guide, go to Hiration Online Resume Builder Platform and choose from 20+ resume templates to create.

You can also write to us at support@hiration for any resume-related queries.