Security guard CV: example and tips

Keywords in job ads for security guards

Security work comes in many forms: static guard at a shopping centre or office building, mobile patrol driving between clients, store detective, airport security screening, reception guard and door supervisor at bars and events. The ad tells you which kind it is, and it often uses the same words: “service minded”, “conflict handling”, “report writing”, “shift work” and “approved security guard”.

The large security companies use applicant tracking systems that sort candidates by the words in the ad. So use the same words in your CV where they match what you have done. If the ad says “mobile patrol” and “category B driving licence”, and you have both, make both clearly visible. Selja picks out these words from the ad and places them where they match your experience. Our guide to an ATS-friendly CV explains how these systems read your CV. Most ads in Norway are in Norwegian, so it helps to know terms such as vekter (security guard), mobil vakt (mobile patrol) and ordensvakt (door supervisor). These words come up again and again:

• Approved security guard, security guard training and re-approval.
• Static guarding, mobile patrol, store detective and reception guard.
• Conflict handling, service and customer care.
• Report writing, logging incidents and the guard log.
• Alarm response, access control and fire safety.
• Shift work, nights and weekends.
• Category B driving licence, a clean record and good Norwegian.

Formal requirements: age, good conduct and approved training

Security work is regulated by the Security Services Act (vaktvirksomhetsloven), and the requirements should be clearly visible in your CV. You must be at least 18 to carry out security work, although apprentices in the security trade can be employed before they turn 18 (section 8). You must have a satisfactory record of good conduct, and the security company can require a full and extended police certificate. Anyone carrying out responsible security work must have completed approved security guard training (section 9), and on duty you must wear a visible security guard ID card (section 11).

According to the curriculum from the National Police Directorate (Politidirektoratet), the basic training for security guards is 157 hours: a theory course of 112 hours and a practical course of 45 hours, plus a 6 hour exam. You must pass a re-approval test within four years of your exam, or you have to take the whole training again. So list the year you were approved, and the year of your latest re-approval, under courses and certificates.

If you will work as a door supervisor employed directly by a venue or event organiser (egenvakthold), separate basic training for door supervisors has applied since 1 October 2023: 30 hours of theory, 10 hours of practice and a passed exam, with re-approval every four years. There is also a trade certificate in the security trade (sikkerhetsfaget), with two years at school and two years in a company. If you hold it, put it at the top of your education section.

Example of a summary for a security guard CV

The summary is the three to five sentences at the top of your CV. It should say who you are, what you can do and what you are looking for. Here is a made up example you can use as a pattern:

Example: “Approved security guard with four years of experience in static guarding and mobile patrol in the Oslo area. Has handled more than 300 alarms and incidents, from break-ins and fire alarms to disruptive people, and written reports used by both clients and the police. Calm and service minded with the public, with solid experience in conflict handling. Holds a category B driving licence and is happy to work nights and weekends. Looking for a permanent position with the opportunity to take on responsibility as a shift leader.”

Replace the numbers with your own, and only write what you can explain in an interview. You will find more examples in our guide to writing a CV summary.

Bullet points with results: weak versus strong

Many security CVs only say where you have worked. The security company wants to know what you have handled, how big the responsibility was and how you dealt with it. Start with a strong verb in the past tense and show scale with numbers: sites, alarms, incidents, visitors per day or colleagues you were responsible for.

• Weak: “Worked as a security guard.” Strong: “Was responsible for security at a shopping centre with around 15,000 visitors a day, in a team of four guards.”
• Weak: “Drove mobile patrol.” Strong: “Drove mobile patrol covering 40 clients per night, responding to an average of five alarms per shift.”
• Weak: “Handled conflicts.” Strong: “Resolved tense situations by talking rather than using force, with no complaints about use of force in three years.”
• Weak: “Wrote reports.” Strong: “Wrote incident reports that the client and the police used in following up break-ins and thefts.”
• Weak: “Store detective.” Strong: “Detected 60 cases of shoplifting in a year at a grocery store, helping reduce shrinkage.”
• Weak: “Trained new staff.” Strong: “Was the practical instructor for seven new guards and followed them up through their practical training.”

Skills, systems and courses worth including

The skills in a security CV become stronger when they are specific. List your training with the year, and the names of the systems you have used. Include what the ad asks for and what you can actually do.

• Approved security guard training with the year, and the year of your latest re-approval.
• Additional training, for example for cash in transit or escort services, and approval as a door supervisor.
• First aid, fire safety and use of defibrillators.
• Alarm systems, access control, CCTV and the guard log.
• Category B driving licence, and experience driving on duty.
• Languages: Norwegian, English and any other languages you use with the public.

Your first security job, or many years in the industry

If you are applying for your first security job, the theory part of the security guard training must be completed before you are employed, according to section 9 of the Security Services Act. Ask the security company how they organise the training. Highlight what shows that you are reliable and comfortable with people: work in a shop, customer service, reception, the Armed Forces, health care or as a door supervisor. Also say when you can work, for example nights and weekends. Our guide to gaps in your CV helps if you have periods without work, and our guide to a customer service CV shows how to write about service.

If you have long experience, use the space for responsibility and specialist services: shift leader, practical instructor, cash in transit, security screening or large events. If you are aiming for shift leader or operations manager, figures for teams, sites and incidents are what set you apart. Cut older jobs down to one line, and keep the CV to one or two pages.

Common mistakes in a security guard CV

Security companies read your CV to see whether you can be trusted. Small mistakes make a poor impression in a job where reports must be accurate. Look out for these:

• The security guard training is missing, or listed without the year.
• No information about your driving licence, even though the job is mobile patrol.
• Spelling mistakes and unclear sentences. Report writing is part of the job.
• Only employers and dates, without what you have handled.
• Exaggerated stories about use of force or dramatic incidents. Show instead that you resolve situations calmly.
• No information about when you can work.

Apply for more security jobs in less time with Selja

A job in mobile patrol, one as a store detective and one in security screening ask for different things. With Selja you paste in the job ad and upload the CV you already have. In under a minute you get a professional, ATS-friendly CV and cover letter tailored to the job, with your training, driving licence and other requirements where they belong, and the words from the ad where they match what you have done.

Selja never adds experience or approvals you do not have. If the ad asks for something your CV does not show, for example approval as a door supervisor, Selja asks you first and only uses what you confirm. In the app you can also see open positions from arbeidsplassen.no and create a CV and cover letter for them directly. It is free to start: take a free ATS check against the ad, or check your CV for free. Get started when you want to create your first application.

The application and next steps

The cover letter for a security job can be short. Say why you want to work in security, what experience you have with service and conflicts, and when you can work. Mention your training and driving licence here too. See our guide on how to write a cover letter for the structure.

In the interview you are often asked how you deal with someone who is angry or intoxicated, and what you do if you discover a break-in. Practise with the interview questions for the role, and read preparing for a job interview. Ask about supplements for nights and weekends, and work out the full pay. The free pay check shows figures from Statistics Norway (SSB).