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The Perfect Personnel Security Specialist Resume Writing Tips


Do you want to apply for a Personnel Security Specialist position to help you get closer to your career goals? Applying for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and other job boards can be a time-consuming process, however, to streamline the process, you can ensure your resume writing helps you to stand out from the crowd, and your online profile helps you to get an interview!

If a recruiter or hiring manager are looking for a Personnel Security Specialist, they are searching for specific transferable skills. With less than ten people being interviewed for the job and hundreds of people, just like you, applying, The Perfect Resume team have created Resume Writing Tips to help you stand out from the others.

What do recruiters look for in a Personnel Security Specialist resume or an online profile?


Tailoring your resume to a Personnel Security Specialist position is mandatory today to ensure that your application will pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). In doing so, your resume will be read by the prospective employer. Then, fingers crossed, you will be shortlisted as a potential candidate and be called for not one, but multiple job interviews!

Firstly, before you apply to be a Personnel Security Specialist, you need to be acquainted with what a Personnel Security Specialist does!

Personnel Security Specialists handle the background checks on applicants who apply for government jobs that require a security clearance.

Hiring Managers are looking for a resourceful Personnel Security Specialist to assist in reviewing statements of personal history, investigating information provided in interviews, and recommending whether security clearances should be granted.

To be successful as a Personnel Security Specialist, you should have knowledge of necessary corporate procedures, be open to learning, and have strong communication skills. Ultimately, a high performing Personnel Security Specialist should be able to achieve keen investigative skills resulting in reliable security clearance recommendations and the ability to accurately interpret security-related information.

Knowing this, your resume and online profile should include the hard and soft skills that the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for in a candidate.

The Personnel Security Specialist position description template will also contain pivotal information about what the candidate will need to do daily. Such as:

• Determining the employment suitability of applicants who require security clearances.
• Reviewing questionnaire answers, statements of personal history, and other related data prior to starting formal background checks.
• Investigating pertinent background information, such as credit bureau reports, local agency checks, criminal records, and traffic violations.
• Evaluating interview answers and investigating potentially adverse information.
• Drafting follow-up questions for cases where insufficient information was provided.
• Determining the authenticity and veracity of all background information, interview answers, and statements.
• Preparing reports and recommending whether security clearances should be granted, suspended, revoked, or denied.
• Documenting processes and ensuring the protection of sensitive information.
• Developing and maintaining sound background investigation practices, as well as ensuring compliance.


You will also have some requirements and personal attributes that you will need to demonstrate in your resume to ensure your potential employer will take your application seriously, such as:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Five years’ experience as a personnel security specialist, or in a similar role.
• Extensive knowledge of security policies, systems, procedures, and investigation techniques.
• Proficiency in office software and task management solutions, such as MS Word, Excel, and monday.com.
• Experience in gathering and reviewing background information.
• Advanced knowledge of information verification techniques.
• Exceptional ability to make recommendations and adjudicate on the granting of clearances.
• Advanced ability to document processes, report findings, and protect sensitive information.
• Ability to develop and maintain sound background investigation practices.


You may also want to do some industry research to find out what other companies want in their Personnel Security Specialists.

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