Resume Keywords for Security Guards: Armed and Unarmed ATS Guide

You spent four years as a Marine 0311. Or eight years as an Army MP. Or a full career as a Navy MA. You apply for a security guard job. You hear nothing back.

That happened to me. After I separated, I sent out 47 resumes and got nothing back for a year and a half. The reason was ATS keyword mismatch. And that hits security applicants harder than most fields. The systems are tuned for very specific certifications and licensing language.

Private security companies like Allied Universal (which acquired G4S in 2021), Securitas, GardaWorld, and Brinks all use ATS platforms. iCIMS. Workday. SmartRecruiters. These systems rack-and-stack every resume by keyword density. Weak matches sink to the bottom of the pile. You do not vanish from the system. You just never surface to the top of the stack.

This guide gives you the exact ATS keywords for armed and unarmed security roles. The state license terms. The industry terms. The military-to-civilian phrase swaps. And the bullet examples that work.

Why Security Guard Resumes Get Buried by ATS

Security is a high-volume hiring field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks about 1.3 million security guard jobs in the country. See the BLS Occupational Outlook for Security Guards for the current numbers.

That volume means recruiters at companies like Allied Universal and Securitas process thousands of resumes a week. They do not read each one. The ATS does the first pass.

Here is the problem for vets. Your resume says "ECP" or "force protection" or "gate guard." The ATS wants "access control" or "perimeter security" or "asset protection." Same job. Different words. The system finds none of the terms it was told to look for. You sink.

The fix is simple but specific. You need to know which keywords match which roles. Armed roles need a different keyword set than unarmed. State licensing keywords matter more than you think. And the cert acronyms have to be spelled out exactly the way the ATS expects.

What Is the Armed vs Unarmed Keyword Split?

Armed and unarmed roles look similar from the outside. They are different jobs to the ATS. Mixing the keyword sets makes both resumes weaker.

An unarmed guard role wants service-and-deterrence keywords. Customer service. Incident reporting. Access control. Patrol. Observation. CCTV monitoring.

An armed guard role wants force-readiness keywords. Use of force. Firearms qualification. Defensive tactics. OC spray. Baton. Handcuffing. Threat assessment.

If you have both backgrounds, build two resumes. One for armed roles. One for unarmed. Send the right one. Do not blend them. ATS systems weight keywords by frequency. Diluting an armed resume with retail-loss-prevention language drops your rank for the armed role.

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Which State Licensing Keywords Do You Need?

Every state regulates security guards. Each state has its own license name. The job posting will list the one it wants. The ATS will scan for it.

You need to put the right state license keyword on your resume. Even if you do not have it yet. List it under a "Certifications in progress" header. Or list it next to the role you are applying for. The keyword presence is what the ATS scores.

Here are the most common state license terms by state. Look up yours and put it on the resume word-for-word.

• California: Guard Card (BSIS), Exposed Firearm Permit
• Florida: Class D Security Officer License (unarmed), Class G Statewide Firearm License (armed)
• Texas: Level II Non-Commissioned, Level III Commissioned, Level IV Personal Protection Officer
• Illinois: PERC (Permanent Employee Registration Card), Firearm Control Card
• Virginia: DCJS Registration, DCJS Armed Security Officer
• Oregon: DPSST Unarmed Private Security Professional (unarmed), DPSST Armed Private Security Professional (armed)
• New York: 8-Hour Pre-Assignment, 16-Hour On-the-Job, 47-Hour Armed
• Washington: Armed Private Security Guard License
• Georgia: Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies registration

If you are applying out of state, list the state you hold the license in. Then list the state you are applying in with the term "license eligible" or "in progress." This signals the ATS that you know the term and lets a recruiter know you have started the process.

What Industry Keywords Should Match the Job Posting?

Security is not one industry. Healthcare security is different from retail loss prevention. Bank security is different from event security. Each vertical has its own keyword set.

Read the job posting. Pull the specific industry terms from it. Then put them on your resume in the exact form the posting uses.

Healthcare security wants: HIPAA awareness, hospital security, patient elopement, behavioral health response, code grey, AVADE training, infant abduction prevention.

Retail loss prevention wants: shrink reduction, organized retail crime (ORC), apprehension policy, civil recovery, CCTV review, internal investigations.

Banking and financial wants: vault security, branch security, alarm response, suspicious activity reporting, anti-fraud monitoring, currency transport.

Event security wants: crowd management, ingress and egress, bag checks, credential verification, mosh pit response, ICOM radio operation.

Executive protection wants: principal protection, advance work, motorcade operations, threat assessment, residential security, route planning. For more on this path, read our military to private security career guide.

How Do You Translate Military Jargon Into ATS Keywords?

This is where most vets lose the rack-and-stack. Your DD-214 or your eval might use military terms. Your resume cannot. The ATS does not know what an ECP is.

Swap the military words for the civilian terms the ATS expects. Same job. Different words. Below is a swap table that covers the most common military-to-security-industry translations.

One more rule. If the job posting uses a military term you also used in service, leave the military term in. The recruiter knows the field. The ATS will match. Just confirm the posting actually uses it first.

Which Federal and Regulatory Keywords Boost Armed Roles?

Armed security at the federal level is its own tier. Higher pay. Higher requirements. The keywords matter even more here.

The OPM has a federal series for security guards: GS-0085. See the OPM GS-0085 Security Guard qualification standard. If you are aiming at federal contract security roles, this series language has to be on your resume.

The terms that boost an armed resume:

• Lautenberg Amendment compliant: No domestic violence misdemeanor on record. Required for armed federal work.
• Firearms background check clearance: Federal and state background check for disqualifying criminal history, required before carrying firearms in an armed security role.
• Use of Force Continuum: Trained on the de-escalation ladder.
• NRA Law Enforcement Instructor: If you hold this, list it.
• Active Shooter Response: A specific cert. Most armed federal roles want it.
• Defensive Tactics: Standard armed-role term. Include even if your service training was called something else.
• Secret / Top Secret clearance: If active, list it. This alone can add $20K to your offer. See our breakdown of what a clearance is actually worth.

If you have a TS or Secret clearance, that one keyword on the resume changes everything. Federal contract security at places like Triple Canopy or Constellis pays significantly more for cleared armed work. The clearance keyword unlocks that pile.

What Certifications Push You to the Top of the ATS Stack?

Certs are the easiest keyword wins. Each cert is a discrete term the ATS scores. Get them. List them. Spell them out the way the issuing body spells them.

The certs that move armed and unarmed security resumes:

• ASIS CPP: Certified Protection Professional. The gold standard for security management. List it as "ASIS CPP" and as "Certified Protection Professional."
• ASIS PSP: Physical Security Professional. Strong for facility security roles.
• ASIS PCI: Professional Certified Investigator. For investigations roles.
• OSHA 10 / OSHA 30: Construction site security loves OSHA 30. Most postings list it.
• CPR / AED / First Aid: Almost every posting wants this. List the issuing org (American Red Cross, AHA).
• Bloodborne Pathogens Training: Required for many healthcare security roles.
• CompTIA Security+: Crosses you into IT security or hybrid roles. Free for many vets, see our guide on CompTIA Security+ training options for vets.

List the cert with the issuing org spelled out. Some ATS systems match "ASIS CPP" but not "CPP" alone. Spell it both ways the first time it appears on the resume.

How Do You Read a Job Posting and Pull the Right Keywords?

This is the skill that separates vets who get calls back from vets who do not. You have to learn to read a posting like an ATS reads it.

Open the job posting. Look at the requirements list. Note every term that appears more than once. Note every cert acronym. Note every state license. Note every soft-skill term (customer service, professionalism, conflict de-escalation). Note every tool name (Lenel, Genetec, Avigilon, S2 Netbox for access control software).

Put all of those on a sheet. Compare them to your resume. Fill the gaps where you legitimately have the experience.

The tailoring is the part nobody wants to do. It is also the part that gets you the call. BMR handles the military-to-civilian translation and the keyword tailoring for security applicants. Paste a posting in. The tool pulls the right keywords and matches them against your background. That part is free.

What Do Strong Security Resume Bullets Look Like?

Keywords are not enough on their own. The bullets have to land. Below are before-and-after examples that show how to take a military duty and write it for a security ATS.

Same job. Different words. The ATS reads the second one. The recruiter reads the second one. The first one is invisible to both.

A few more swaps to get you started:

• Bad: "Served as M9 range coach for battalion qualifications."
  Good: "Trained 80+ personnel on firearms qualification and use-of-force standards as range instructor."
• Bad: "Operated CCTV in TOC during deployment to OIR."
  Good: "Monitored CCTV systems and coordinated incident response across a multi-zone secure facility during a 9-month deployment."
• Bad: "Led 12-man squad in convoy security ops."
  Good: "Supervised a 12-person security team conducting motorcade and route protection for high-value assets."

The pattern: drop the acronyms, swap to civilian terms, quantify where you can, and lead with what the ATS expects to see. For more on the broader translation skill, read how military resume keywords change by industry.

How Does Your MOS Background Shape Which Keywords Hit Hardest?

Different military backgrounds carry different weight in the security ATS. Knowing what is in your background tells you which keywords to feature.

Military Police (31B, 5811, MA, SF) bring the cleanest match. Use law enforcement keywords directly: arrests, citations, investigations, use of force, defensive tactics, field training. For deeper MP transition guidance, see our military police to law enforcement guide.

Infantry (11B, 0311, 0331) brings tactical weapons skills and convoy security experience. Use armed security keywords directly. Avoid combat-arms slang. The Marine 0331 career guide covers this in detail.

Combat Arms (Cav Scout 19D, SOF) brings advanced weapons and HVT-protection skills. Pivot to executive protection language: principal protection, advance work, route security, threat assessment. For the high-end track, read about the military to Secret Service path.

Logistics and Admin MOS holders still have security-relevant experience. Access control on FOBs. Property accountability (which translates to asset protection). Vetting visitors. Frame those duties in security language and you can land unarmed roles.

Veterans with clearance and cleared work experience should look at federal contract security. The pay is significantly better. See our piece on defense contractor jobs and the clearance advantage.

What About Federal Security Roles and TSA?

Federal security is its own track. The keywords overlap with private security but the application is different. USAJobs uses USA Staffing as its ATS. Resume length and structure matter more there.

The federal series for security guards is GS-0085. The federal series for security administration (positions typically titled Security Specialist) is GS-0080. They are different roles with different keyword sets.

If you are aiming at GS-0080, see our GS-0080 security specialist federal resume guide.

For TSA work, the keywords are different again. Officer-specific terms, screening operations, BDO (Behavior Detection Officer) language. We have a dedicated guide for that. Read TSA resume keywords for airport security veterans for the full breakdown.

What Salary Should the Right Keywords Get You?

Security pay varies widely. Unarmed roles start near minimum wage in some states. Armed federal contract work in cleared environments can pay $80,000 or more.

The BLS publishes current numbers. The May 2024 BLS OEWS data for Security Guards (SOC 33-9032) shows the median annual wage for security guards at $38,370. The top 10% earned more than $59,580. Armed and cleared roles sit higher.

The keyword tailoring is what gets you into the higher pay bands. An unarmed guard with a generic resume lands a $15-an-hour role. The same vet with armed certs, a clearance, and tailored keywords lands a $30-an-hour role at a federal contract site. Same person. Different resume.

How Do You Pull This All Together?

Here is the workflow that gets security applicants out of the rack-and-stack basement and to the top of the pile.

1. Pick armed or unarmed. Build a resume for one. If you are open to both, build two.
2. Pick the industry vertical (healthcare, retail, banking, event, executive protection). Pull its keyword set.
3. Add your state license terms exactly as the state writes them.
4. List every cert you hold. Spell out the issuing org. Use both the acronym and the full name.
5. Swap military terms for civilian terms across every bullet.
6. For each job posting, read it carefully. Note the repeated keywords. Add them where you have real experience.
7. If you have a clearance, lead with it. That keyword alone can change the entire offer.

The work pays off. The ATS stops burying your resume. Recruiters start reading you. Calls come in.

If you want this done faster, BMR's military-to-civilian resume tool handles the translation and the keyword tailoring automatically. Paste in a security job posting. Get a tailored resume that hits the right keywords for armed or unarmed roles, the right state license terms, and the right industry vertical. Two tailored resumes are free for every veteran and military spouse. Built by veterans who have been on both sides of the hiring desk.