Uniformed services

Prison officer CV: example and template

This example is for officers of the Polish Prison Service in security, rehabilitation and quartermaster departments, for people after their service looking for civilian work, and for educators and psychologists interested in this work.

The employer wants to know which department you work in, what you are responsible for, how you work with inmates, which training you have and how you handle difficult situations. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: prison officer

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Daria Wieczorek

Rehabilitation officer at a prison

Wronki +48 123 456 789 daria.wieczorek@example.com

Professional profile

Prison Service officer with 9 years of service, the last 5 as a rehabilitation officer in a prison's penitentiary department, before that a wing officer in the security department. I run a wing with about 60 inmates, reintegration programmes, interviews and documentation, and I work with the psychologist and probation officers. About 80 people a year take part in the programmes I run.

Work experience

Rehabilitation officer, penitentiary department

03.2021 - present

Prison, Wronki

  • A wing with about 60 inmates, interviews and individual plans.
  • Reintegration programmes: preventing aggression, vocational activation, courses.
  • About 80 programme participants a year.
  • Opinions, applications and penitentiary documentation.
  • Work with the psychologist, court probation officers and non-governmental organisations.

Wing officer, security department

09.2016 - 02.2021

Prison, Wronki

  • Supervising inmates on the wing.
  • Checks and searches.
  • Incident records and reports.

Education

Master's degree, rehabilitation pedagogy

2011 - 2016

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan

Skills

  • Penitentiary work with inmates
  • Social reintegration programmes
  • Conversations in difficult situations
  • Documentation and opinions
  • Security and protective procedures
  • Work with institutions

Training

  • Initial and professional training in the Prison Service
  • Aggression prevention programme training, 2022
  • Qualified first aid course, 2023

Languages

  • English: B1

Additional information

  • Driving licence category B

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a prison officer CV

Professional summary

Write how long you have served, in which department and post and what you are responsible for. Add a result, for example the number of programme participants. If you are moving to a civilian job, say where you want to use your experience, for example in social services or security.

Rehabilitation educator with 2 years of experience at a youth education centre. I run activities and conversations with residents and keep documentation. I am applying to join the Prison Service as a rehabilitation officer.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe the department, post, wing, programmes, documentation and cooperation. Show scale in numbers. Do not give inmates' data or security details. Say which skills you will use in the new job.

Weaker: Work with inmates.

Better: A wing with about 60 inmates, interviews and individual plans.

Weaker: Programmes.

Better: Reintegration programmes: preventing aggression, vocational activation, courses.

Weaker: Cooperation.

Better: Work with the psychologist, court probation officers and non-governmental organisations.

Skills worth listing

List penitentiary work, programmes, conversations, documentation, procedures and cooperation. In your soft skills show composure, firmness and empathy.

Professional skills

  • Penitentiary work
  • Reintegration programmes
  • Documentation
  • Protective procedures
  • Conversations
  • Work with institutions

Personal skills

  • Composure
  • Firmness
  • Empathy
  • Mental resilience
  • Communication

Training

List Prison Service training, programme delivery courses and first aid. The service recruits through a qualification procedure, not a CV alone.

How to become a prison officer

Candidates go through a qualification procedure with a fitness test and medical checks. The penitentiary department usually needs a degree, for example in pedagogy or psychology.

After the service, the experience is useful in social services, probation work, security and youth institutions.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

The security department needs procedures and safety, the penitentiary department rehabilitation work and programmes, and a civilian job in social services conversations and work with institutions. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on a prison officer CV

Questions and answers

What should a prison officer put on a CV?

Length of service, department, post, scope of work, programmes, documentation, cooperation, training and skills useful in the new job.

How do you join the Polish Prison Service?

Through a qualification procedure with tests and medical checks. The Prison Service publishes the notices.

Which jobs suit former officers?

Often social services, youth institutions, security, health and safety and work with young people.

Is a degree needed?

In the penitentiary department usually yes, in the security department secondary education is often enough.

Create a prison officer CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

Resume examples for similar jobs

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