Skills
Correctional Officer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in correctional officers, and how to build and show them.
Correctional Officers need technical skills such as facility security procedures, search and contraband detection, and use-of-force policies, plus people skills like firm, fair communication and situational awareness. They also use tools such as Radios and Restraints.
Technical (hard) skills
- Facility security procedures
- Search and contraband detection
- Use-of-force policies
- Report writing
- Defensive tactics
- Emergency response
People (soft) skills
- Firm, fair communication
- Situational awareness
- Composure
- Integrity
Tools, equipment and technology
- Radios
- Restraints
- Metal detectors and scanners
- Facility security systems
- Logbooks and reporting software
- Body cameras in some agencies
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how correctional officers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Facility security procedures” and “Search and contraband detection.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “firm, fair communication,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as State corrections officer certification near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our correctional officer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Correctional Officer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.