What does a sergeant do?
A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military. Furthermore, it is a Sergeant's responsibility to serve the public and report to the higher-ups, instill discipline to oneself, and serve as a role model to lower-ranked soldiers.
Sergeant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sergeant resumes:
- Manage critical incidents including barricade gunmen, VIP visits, homicides, shootings and in-progress crimes.
- Manage and submit all schedules for maximum security unit, and all non security staff assign to that unit.
- Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
- Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.
- Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
- Implement USAF, DoD and MAJCOM security policies while balancing operational needs with security requirements for the protection of classify information.
- Coordinate training in communication, personnel management and logistics to develop leadership and problem-solving skills.
- Train soldiers to preform combat and peacekeeping missions.
- Coordinate the logistics of multiple flights within very tight windows.
- Provide technical and doctrinal advice to the S3 and commander.
- Inspect and inventory all firearms within the sector of responsibility.
- Train and certify on NCIC to check backgrounds on personnel.
- Access NCIC to check license plates for wants or warrants.
- Instill team work throughout the battery through effective communication and servant leadership.
- Operate and install signal support systems into HMMWV's, MRAP's and other USMC vehicles.
Sergeant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Sergeants are proficient in Safety Procedures, Patrol, and Direct Supervision. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Interpersonal skills, and Negotiating skills.
We break down the percentage of Sergeants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Safety Procedures, 16%
Performed operational and preventive checks as well as inspections according to pertinent technical manuals, directives and safety procedures.
- Patrol, 14%
Patrol Supervisor, Port Authority Bus Terminal Supervision and coordination of all uniformed patrols and investigations including plainclothes activities and operations
- Direct Supervision, 9%
Provided direct supervision and responsible for field level implementation of health, safety and environmental policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Emergency Situations, 7%
Administer fortifications construction, issue of ammunition, and weapons emplacement and manage team during emergency situations/infantry dismounted battle drills.
- Combat, 6%
Trained team in Joint Service responsibilities resulting in lower supervision and greater proficiency in preparation of deployment into a combat zone.
- CPR, 5%
Completed CPR instruction for all security and management personnel.
Common skills that a sergeant uses to do their job include "safety procedures," "patrol," and "direct supervision." You can find details on the most important sergeant responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a sergeant 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." Sergeants often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "performed ammunition supply stock control and detailed accounting duties applying both automated excel and manual procedures. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling sergeant 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 sergeant resume, here's how sergeants can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "cited for exceptional leadership, problem solving and interpersonal skills, and commended as the youngest squad leader in my platoon. "
Negotiating skills. sergeants are also known for negotiating skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to sergeant responsibilities, because "correctional officers must be able to assist in resolving conflict in order to ensure safety." A sergeant resume example shows how negotiating skills is used in the workplace: "researched and purchased materials and assets while negotiating with dod sales representatives for lowest cost. "
Physical strength. For certain sergeant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical strength." The day-to-day duties of a sergeant rely on this skill, 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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sergeants do: "performed duties relating to physical security management, administration management, training and development management, operations management, and communications. "
Self-discipline. Another crucial skill for a sergeant to carry out their responsibilities is "self-discipline." A big part of what sergeants relies on this skill, since "correctional officers must be able to control their emotions in hostile situations." How this skill relates to sergeant duties can be seen in an example from a sergeant resume snippet: "served as role model for student body -acquired self-discipline, self-confidence, and responsibility -actively impacted the macon through servant leadership"
The three companies that hire the most sergeants are:
- Management & Training14 sergeants jobs
- Indiana State Police8 sergeants jobs
- SeaWorld6 sergeants jobs
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Compare different sergeants
Sergeant vs. Deputy chief of staff
A Chief Of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department. They plan, coordinate, supervise, and evaluate police department operations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, sergeant responsibilities require skills like "safety procedures," "patrol," "direct supervision," and "emergency situations." Meanwhile a typical deputy chief of staff has skills in areas such as "human resources," "federal agencies," "logistics support," and "direct support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Deputy chief of staff tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $102,164. In contrast, sergeants make the biggest average salary, $46,533, in the government industry.On average, deputy chief of staff reach higher levels of education than sergeants. Deputy chief of staff are 16.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 6.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sergeant vs. Commanding officer
Each career also uses different skills, according to real sergeant resumes. While sergeant responsibilities can utilize skills like "safety procedures," "patrol," "direct supervision," and "cpr," commanding officers use skills like "direct oversight," "coast guard," "financial management," and "human resources."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Commanding officers tend to reach higher levels of education than sergeants. In fact, they're 14.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sergeant vs. Deputy commander
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from sergeant resumes include skills like "safety procedures," "patrol," "emergency situations," and "combat," whereas a deputy commander is more likely to list skills in "logistics support," "oversight," "emergency operations," and "combat support. "
Deputy commanders typically earn higher educational levels compared to sergeants. Specifically, they're 20.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sergeant vs. Chief of police
Types of sergeant
Updated January 8, 2025
