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Petty officer resume examples from 2026

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Land interviews using Zippia's AI-powered resume builder.

Updated March 26, 2025
7 min read
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How to write a petty officer resume

Craft a resume summary statement

A well-written resume summary is basically an elevator pitch. You are summing up your skills and experience in a few sentences to wow recruiters, hiring managers, and decision makers into giving you an interview. Here are some tips to putting your best foot first with your resume summary:

Step 1: Start with your professional title, or the one you aspire to.

Step 2: Detail your years of experience in petty officer-related roles and your industry experience.

Step 3: What are your biggest professional wins? Here is your opportunity to highlight your strongest accomplishments by placing them at the start of your resume.

Step 4: Don't forget, your goal is to summarize your experience. Keep it short and sweet, so it's easy for recruiters to quickly understand why you're a great hire.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some petty officer interviews.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

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List the right project manager skills

Your Skills section is an easy way to let recruiters know you have the skills to do the job. Just as importantly, it can help your resume not get filtered out by hiring software. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:

  1. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description in your resume. Look at the job listing and consider which of the listed skills you have experience with, along with related skills.
  2. Include as many relevant hard skills and soft skills as possible from the listing.
  3. Use the most up to date and accurate terms. Don't forget to be specific.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some petty officer interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a petty officer resume:

  • Preventative Maintenance
  • Law Enforcement
  • Logistics
  • Sailors
  • Coast Guard
  • Combat
  • Firefighting
  • Electrical Equipment
  • Diesel Engines
  • Hazmat
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Corrective Maintenance
  • USS
  • CPR
  • Troubleshoot
  • Terrorism
  • Warfare
  • Support Equipment
  • Flight Deck
  • Routine Maintenance
  • PowerPoint
  • Damage Control Equipment
  • Ribbon
  • E-5
  • USCG
  • Auxiliary Equipment
  • Test Equipment
  • Hydraulic Systems
  • Electrical Systems
  • Training Programs

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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How to structure your work experience

Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the petty officer position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:

  1. List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
  2. Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
  3. Include only recent, relevant jobs.

How to write petty officer experience bullet points

Your resume is your chance to show your biggest accomplishments. Don't just list your job responsibilities, instead take the opportunity to show why you're really good at what you do. Here is how you do that:

  • Start with strong action verbs like managed, spearheaded, created, etc. Your goal is to show what you did and verbs will help demonstrate your contributions.
  • Use numbers to quantify your achievements. Did you save time with a new report? Increase revenue? How large was the team you managed?
  • Keep it concise. You're highlighting your achievements. Consider if all details you are sharing are relevant, or can be written more efficiently.

Here are effective examples from petty officer resumes:

Work history example #1

United States Marine

U.S. Navy

  • Communicated effectively with senior management on recommendations concerning human resource issues, procedures, and practices through interpretation of organizational polices.
  • Excelled in combat operations as necessary during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
  • Trusted to hold a TS/SCI Security Clearance.
  • Awarded 10 medals/ribbons and Letter of Commendation from Vice Admiral LaPlante while serving in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
  • Awarded the Navy-Marine Corps achievement medal for Special Weapons Coordinator.

Work history example #2

Petty Officer

US Army

  • Advised and clearly communicated these requirements to the operational, transportation and support staff to ensure combat effectiveness and seamless operations
  • Selected by Garrison Commander to conduct a comprehensive investigative review of policy and procedures in two separate complex issues.
  • Planned and executed missions during combat operations.
  • Assisted personnel performing various non-invasive diagnostic testing procedures, including pediatric testing.
  • Rated best platoon leader in the battalion during deployment.

Work history example #3

United States Marine

US Army

  • Presented counseling statistics via PowerPoint to the Battalion Commander on a weekly basis.
  • Managed logistical aspects of our platoon, maintaining accountability for the fleet, as well as for the soldiers under me.
  • Retired US Army Colonel.with more than a quarter-century decorated combat experience and selfless service.
  • Assigned to 1st platoon, Bravo Company, 3-8 CAV, 1st Calvary Division.
  • Presented Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement upon completion of 12 month assignment.

Work history example #4

Petty Officer

Allied Barton Security SERV

  • Monitored CCTV, lobbies, and all entry/exit points.
  • Provided Full-Spectrum Security for Cleared DoD/IC Contractor Clients.
  • Provided expert deployment and extensive crisis experience, including combat operations, in various locations in the US and overseas.
  • Monitored loading dock, lobbies, parking garage, and CCTV system for ongoing activities.
  • Developed, executed, and supervised application of government-approved security policies, plans, and procedures.

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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Add an education section to your resume

The education section should display your highest degree first.

Place your education section appropriately on your resume. If you graduated over 5 years ago, this section should be at the bottom of your resume. If you just graduated and lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.

If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education. If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

Bachelor's Degree in civil engineering

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

2004 - 2007

Highlight your petty officer certifications on your resume

If you have any additional certifications, add them to the certification section.

To list, use the full name of the certification and the organization that issued it, along with the date of achievement.

Here are some of the best certifications to have on petty officer resumes:

  1. EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA)
  2. Certified Aviation Manager (CAM)
  3. First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor

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