You’re diligent, know the law like the back of your hand, and can make fast-paced decisions in the toughest moments. Everything you do on the job helps you protect and serve your community.
But are you confident writing a great cover letter, and is your resume template serving you?
We have your back. Our NYPD police officer resume templates have helped many law enforcement professionals land promotions, transition careers, or get started in the field.
What Matters Most: Your NYPD Police Officer Skills & Experience
Police officers in the NYPD make tough, detailed decisions every day. You’ll want to show you have the necessary skills on your resume to ensure you stand out.
You know how to be relatable when working with people in critical moments. Apply those same skills to your resume to explain why you’re a great fit for your desired position in the NYPD.
The key is to show you have the technical skills to perform your duties and enforce the law while still relying on people skills to help those around you.
Here are some examples of the best NYPD police officer skills to list on your resume.
9 best NYPD police officer skills
- Conflict resolution
- Crime scene analytics
- Weapons handling
- Surveillance expert
- Community relations
- Armed security license
- HR 218 license
- CPR/first aid
- Defensive driving
Sample NYPD police officer work experience bullet points
Police officers make crucial decisions that can have a community-wide impact. Showing relevant experience will help the NYPD’s decision-makers know you’re a reliable choice for the position.
Make sure everything you list exudes leadership, reliability, and community support. Everything should be relevant to the duties of a police officer and show positive impact.
A great way to show impact is by using numbers, just like you’ll see in our sample resumes. Quantify your achievements as an officer or during training to show why your experience is noteworthy:
- Used detailed surveillance tactics as part of a 5-unit patrol system that helped reduce crime rates by 32% in 1 year.
- Applied crime scene analytical skills to help the precinct solve 22 cases and reduce the number of open cases by 15%.
- Performed CPR and first aid in first-response situations to reduce the number of crime-related casualties and serious injuries by 27%.
- Led a community relations campaign where officers worked with volunteers in the New York community to clean up litter on sidewalks and storefronts, which boosted community support of the NYPD by 40%.
Top 5 Tips for Your NYPD Police Officer Resume
- Both technical and interpersonal skills matter
- Officers apply technical skills like weapons handling and fast-paced analytics while working interpersonally with community members to provide positive support. You should include elements of both these types of skills on your resume.
- Proofread before submitting
- In a position where every detail counts to know and enforce the law, check your resume for that same effort. Proofread for any grammatical errors before submitting.
- Brief and relevant descriptions go a long way
- It takes about six to eight seconds for someone to make a first impression on your resume. Brief and highly relevant descriptions, such as how you applied your analytical knowledge to identify and prevent 15 percent more crimes, will make your experience pop.
- Keep your NYPD officer resume to one page
- You’re passionate about your job and the community you serve. However, keep your resume to one page to provide an organized overview of the critical skills that will make you an asset to the NYPD.
- Use the right resume formatting
- Format your NYPD resume reverse-chronologically to show your most recent experiences first. In addition, make it readable with well-formatted headings to break up essential information and a 12-14 point font to make everything easy to read.
Listing anything related to your training at the law enforcement academy or other jobs involving leadership or customer service will help. For instance, you could mention how you completed your weapons training at the academy with 97 percent accuracy.
Officers with more than ten years of experience can benefit from including a resume summary. Listing an overview of key achievements backed with numbers related to reducing crime or improving key processes can help you stand out.
Your education, like completing training at a law enforcement academy or a degree in criminology, is a qualification you should include. In addition, include certifications like CPR/first aid or an HR 218 license.
