What does a corporal do?
A police corporal is a person who leads a team or squad depending on how many corporals are there in a platoon. Police corporals supervise the performance of the police personnel assigned under their command. They are tasked to oversee, train, organize, and direct the activities of law enforcement personnel. It is their duty to take care of and observe the conduct of soldiers. Their leadership role is necessary and maintained on and off the battlefield.
Corporal responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real corporal resumes:
- Manage transport of supplies/equipment and perform planning and execution functions to support movement in both training and combat environments.
- Train in CPR and a use.
- Supervise USAF military and contractors on base.
- Receive a wealth of medical training knowledge including CPR and emergency care.
- Tool room NCO in charge of inventory and checkout of tools and parts.
- Work and utilize teamwork to complete complicate task in an effective and timely manner.
- Work center training NCO in charge of scheduling training and maintenance duties for subordinate marines.
- Promote teamwork; request and evaluate proposals, and assure all legal compliance are met.
- Conduct walk-around and walk-through of buildings to ensure doors, windows and gates are secure.
- Maintain maintenance cycle records - keeping track of reoccurring problems - ordering parts, supplies and hazmat materials.
- Respond to any domestic and non domestic activity occurring within these vicinities (base entry gates, restrict areas etc )
- Create PowerPoint presentations for training exercises.
- Prepare consolidate ARNG response to reports/findings.
- Identify target locations, participate in reconnaissance operations.
- Used Microsoft PowerPoint extensively to create and facilitate presentations and trainings.
Corporal skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Corporals are proficient in Public Safety, Combat, and Non. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Interpersonal skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Corporals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Public Safety, 16%
Completed supervisor training with Georgia Public Safety Training Commission.
- Combat, 10%
Operate motor transport tactical wheeled vehicles and equipment transporting passengers and cargo in support of combat and garrison operations.
- Non, 8%
Graduated from Non Commissioned Officers Academy.
- Vehicle Maintenance, 8%
Provided advance vehicle maintenance and restored Humvee by welding and bench work.
- Weapons Systems, 6%
Supervised and prepared training for soldiers Responsible for personal and weapons systems Trained in investigative skills
- Emergency Situations, 5%
Responded to emergency situations as they arose and provided necessary documentation regarding those emergencies.
"public safety," "combat," and "non" are among the most common skills that corporals use at work. You can find even more corporal responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a corporal to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "correctional officers and bailiffs follow and enforce procedures in correctional facilities and courts to ensure safety." Corporals often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "facilitated communication between commander and platoon - to include detailed map reading and large scale project development and implementation. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling corporal duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "correctional officers and bailiffs must be able to interact and communicate effectively with people in custody, visitors, and other officers of penal institutions and the court to maintain order." According to a corporal resume, here's how corporals can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "demonstrated sound judgment, stress tolerance, decisiveness, leadership, interpersonal insight, and persuasiveness. "
Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of corporals is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday corporal duties, as "correctional officers and bailiffs must be able to physically subdue people as necessary, including those in or visiting penal institutions and those attending court proceedings." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "led the platoon in daily physical fitness exercises. "
Self-discipline. A big part of what corporals do relies on "self-discipline." You can see how essential it is to corporal responsibilities because "correctional officers must be able to control their emotions in hostile situations." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical corporal tasks: "practiced teamwork, self-discipline, responsibility, leadership development, self-reliance, competence, and confidence. "
The three companies that hire the most corporals are:
- Americorps1 corporals jobs
- University of Pennsylvania1 corporals jobs
- University of Houston1 corporals jobs
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Compare different corporals
Corporal vs. United states marine
Also referred to as the U.S. Marines Corps, United States Marines is a United States Armed Forces branch that takes responsibility to conduct amphibious and expeditionary operations. The Marines play a significant role as the first force on the military ground. This military position is considered an elite fighting force. It offers a quick-strike force in protecting the interests of the country anywhere in the globe. Also, they provide detachments and forces to ground operations and naval ships.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, corporal responsibilities require skills like "public safety," "vehicle maintenance," "emergency situations," and "logistics." Meanwhile a typical united states marine has skills in areas such as "dod," "logistical support," "teamwork," and "electrical systems." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, united states marines reach similar levels of education than corporals. United states marines are 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Corporal vs. Deputy jailer
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, corporal responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "public safety," "combat," "non," and "vehicle maintenance." Meanwhile, a deputy jailer has duties that require skills in areas such as "booking," "correctional facilities," "control room," and "law enforcement agencies." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Deputy jailers tend to reach similar levels of education than corporals. In fact, they're 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporal vs. Jail officer
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a corporal is likely to be skilled in "combat," "non," "vehicle maintenance," and "weapons systems," while a typical jail officer is skilled in "booking," "security procedures," "direct supervision," and "master control."
Jail officers typically earn similar educational levels compared to corporals. Specifically, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Corporal vs. Juvenile detention officer
Types of corporal
Updated January 8, 2025
