If you are thinking about writing your own resume (rather than using a professional resume writing service) to reflect the experience, accomplishments, and other critical information that helped shape your career in loss prevention, then you need to do your homework.
Having a loss prevention resume that appropriately describes all that you’ve accomplished while sending the message that you wish to portray as a professional is a critical aspect of any LP job search. It is important to get it right.
Unfortunately, many of the current tools and resume templates that are currently available online are outdated. Finding the right tools to characterize your career in loss prevention and the opportunities that best meet your professional needs can be a daunting task.
My advice is that you should hire a certified professional resume writer just like you do for many professional services that you pay for currently. However, if you still prefer writing your loss prevention resume yourself, then there is a lot to consider. Here are a few areas to think about:
Objective Statements vs Qualifications Summary: Turn the typical self-serving objectives statement into a qualifications summary by showcasing your relevant experience. This will allow you to provide an executive overview of your resume, which will capture the reader’s interest, maintain their desire to review the rest of your resume, and hopefully schedule an interview. Think of it as an equivalent to your five-minute elevator pitch and the best way to establish your personal brand.
Using Keywords: A study conducted by Ladders.com revealed that recruiters will typically spend around six seconds reviewing your resume. How do you stand out from the crowd— and more importantly, make your loss prevention resume stand out—in order to build your career and get the job you’re truly looking for? One way to distinguish yourself is by using keywords that describe your actual experience within your resume in a way that is tailored to the job description of the loss prevention job that you are applying for. Using keywords appropriately will get you noticed, which should help lead to an interview. Once that is accomplished, the rest is up to you!
Resume Format: Your resume should be written in a clear and concise format with bold highlighting where appropriate, including bullet points. Try to keep it to one page; do not make it more than two. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Grammatical mistakes are an immediate turn-off because you can easily check your document yourself. Not taking this simple step shows a lack of attention to detail, and your resume will likely end up on the bottom of the pile.
Be sure to include an established track record of results. Go beyond your job description. What value did you add beyond what was expected? Create a section such as ‘Notable Accomplishments’ or ‘Key Accomplishments.’ Hiring managers and recruiters are interested in seeing what you’ve achieved during your loss prevention career. Listing these successes in a way that highlights your professional abilities and credentials could lead to an interview. Additionally, you should consider integrating some of your key accomplishments as part of your qualifications summary.
Securing an Interview: The objective of a well-written, concise, and well-formatted resume is to get the interview that will lead to a job offer. You can increase those odds by mirroring your resume on your LinkedIn profile and other online resources. Don’t forget to add recommendations from both your current and previous employers, and include your contact information.
LinkedIn is the number-one source where LP industry recruiters and hiring managers will find you, so leverage this resource as a way to market yourself and find the loss prevention job that you’ve been looking for. (The best part is that the site is free.) If you include a photograph as part of your LinkedIn profile, it should be a professional headshot and not a casual photo that you would use on personal social media pages like Facebook or Instagram.
For more information about loss prevention careers, visit www.lpjobs.com. This article was originally published in 2015 and was updated November 27, 2017.
