Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Private detective skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical private detective skills. We ranked the top skills for private detectives based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 18.1% of private detective resumes contained insurance fraud as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a private detective needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 private detective skills for your resume and career

1. Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud refers to any willful illegal act committed with the intent to deceptively receiving payment from an insurer, insurance company, or agent for financial gain or advantage to which they are not entitled. Deceitful claims make up a significant proportion of all claims received by the insurers and cost enormous sums of money each year. This may include the exaggeration of otherwise justified claims, intentional misrepresentation of the facts, or complex organized manipulation of the claims process to achieve financial advantage where no actual loss has occurred.

Here's how private detectives use insurance fraud:

Conducted undercover investigations for the state of Maryland related to medical, workers compensation, and disability insurance fraud.
Testify in Court proceedings Conduct Insurance Fraud Surveillance Conduct Domestic Surveillance for Adultery Purposes.

2. Background Checks

Here's how private detectives use background checks:

Provide fingerprinting services to various individuals requiring state and/or federal background checks and conduct background investigations.
Experienced in fixed/mobile surveillance, background checks, and accident investigations

3. Background Investigations

Here's how private detectives use background investigations:

Utilized information resources and electronic equipment to conduct surveillance, personal injury and background investigations.
Conducted a background investigation of the claimant, to assist in determining the claimant's prior activities and credibility.

4. Law Enforcement Agencies

Here's how private detectives use law enforcement agencies:

Assisted various law enforcement agencies with investigations including Federal Bureau of Investigation, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
Work in conjunction with various law enforcement agencies over a multiple county jurisdictions to pursue criminal organizations for apprehension and prosecution.

5. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how private detectives use loss prevention:

Investigate cases (fraud, loss prevention, infidelity, missing person, wrongful death, workman's comp).
Contracted to Giant Eagle Corporation providing Loss Prevention in all Erie County stores.

6. Workers Compensation

Here's how private detectives use workers compensation:

Expose fraudulent insurance, workers compensation claims and federal subsidized housing fraud.
Complete knowledge of secondary and third party liabilities and workers compensation.

Choose from 10+ customizable private detective resume templates

Build a professional private detective resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your private detective resume.

7. Insurance Claims

Here's how private detectives use insurance claims:

Testified in Massachusetts courts on videotaped evidence of suspected fraudulent Insurance claims.
Conduct investigations on insurance claims.

8. Computer Database

A database or a computer database is a cluster of structured information stored in an electronic archive. This electronic data is administered through a database management system (DBMS), both (data and DBMS) of which are collectively referred to as a database system. The data is normally portrayed in the form of rows and columns for easy organization, management, alteration, and access. The organization of data in computer database enables users to write and query data efficiently.

Here's how private detectives use computer database:

Research multiple computer databases to develop and locate confidential information used to develop investigations.
Perform national comprehensive computer database searches.

9. Child Custody

Here's how private detectives use child custody:

Investigate activities of individuals in divorce and child custody cases.

10. Video Cameras

Here's how private detectives use video cameras:

Conduct live surveillance of suspects using professional video cameras.
Observed and documented activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using video cameras.

11. Conduct Surveillance

Here's how private detectives use conduct surveillance:

Conduct surveillance of suspects using binoculars and cameras and other instruments.
Conduct surveillance for up to 8 hours at a time to observe the person or company in question.

12. Subpoenas

Subpoenas are formal and legal documents issued mostly by a court or some other government agency that demands the presence of the person the document is addressed to, to show up at court. Subpoenas are issued to individuals whom the court wants to appear either as a witness in a particular case in order to testify or to provide any evidence such as an object or a document.

Here's how private detectives use subpoenas:

Delivered legal documents such as subpoenas.
Served subpoenas and coordinated the request and compliance from a subpoena.

13. Court Trials

Here's how private detectives use court trials:

Testified at hearings and court trials to present evidence on behalf of clients.
Provided expert testimony at hearings and court trials to present evidence.

14. Credit Reports

Credit reports are statements that carry information about your credit affairs and current credit situation like loan payment history and credit accounts status. A credit report acts as history because it contains the record from the day you opened the account till your account balance. Potential lenders and creditors make use of credit reports and decide whether to offer you credit or not and under what conditions.

Here's how private detectives use credit reports:

Retrieve court case information, review credit reports and public records, and search databases for demographic information of individuals.
Review documents such as Name and Address History, Credit Report, etc.

15. Video Surveillance

Here's how private detectives use video surveillance:

Conducted fraud investigations and video surveillance on workman's compensation and auto injury claimants for major insurance companies.
Conducted discreet video surveillance and photographed auto accident scenes, while performing vehicle inspections and interpret auto repair paperwork.

5 Private Detective resume examples

Build a professional private detective resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your private detective resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help Private Detectives find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of private detective skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a private detective resume and required skills for a private detective to have include:

Insurance Fraud
Background Checks
Background Investigations
Law Enforcement Agencies
Loss Prevention
Workers Compensation
Insurance Claims

Computer Database
Child Custody
Video Cameras
Conduct Surveillance
Subpoenas
Court Trials
Credit Reports

Video Surveillance
Fraud Investigations
GPS
Fraud Cases
Surveillance Operations
Court Cases
Criminal Cases

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs