When it comes to counterterrorist agents, very few people are as qualified and as skillful as Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer, as many of us know from Fox Television’s Popular TV show 24, is indeed a jack of all trades. He has trained and worked as a government agent, was a member of the US Army Delta Force, worked for the LAPD, the CIA- you name it. Did I mention that he also speaks Spanish and Russian?
So how did Jack land his dream job of working for the US government in the Los Angeles Counter Terrorism Unit? It could have had something to do with his strong resume and wide range of experience within the field of criminal justice.
So what would you find on Jack’s resume?
Jack started by earning his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of California in Los Angeles. He then went on to earn his Master’s degree in Criminology and Law from UC Berkeley where he developed a strong interest in government and criminal justice. Upon graduation, Jack entered the US Army and eventually became a part of the elite Delta Force. From there he landed a job in the LAPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics unit. The experiences he had working on the SWAT team prepared him for his work in the CIA, and it was during his time in the CIA that he was recruited into the CTU.
Jack might also want to call out that he has additional skills in fire arms, explosives, electronic devices, resistance to torture, and flying planes and helicopters. Not bad, right?
What we can learn from Jack Bauer:
While not all of us can say that we’ve been a member of the LAPD SWAT unit or are able to navigate a helicopter, there are steps you can take to improve your resume so that you can also land your dream job.
- Use your resume to market yourself as if you were a product. What are your features or benefits? What makes you unique? The fact that Jack speaks multiple languages is definitely unique and would set him apart from other people applying for the same job.
- Showcase your strengths. Most resumes are reviewed quickly so be sure that your best attributes stand out the most. Jack may want to highlight the fact that he has skills in handling firearms, more so than his ability to resist torture.
- Apply for positions that match your skill set. I don’t know about you, but if Jack applied to an elementary education position that I was hiring for, I probably wouldn’t be interested! (Especially since it seems that the people that Jack is close to are often targeted by terrorists!)
- Highlight your breadth of knowledge and prior experience in related fields. Jack would want to showcase his extensive background in the criminal justice field. There will be no doubt that he is qualified for any position in criminal justice when you look at his past work experiences.
Another important step? Earn a college degree. By earning your degree you will be qualified for more job opportunities, salary increases and promotions. Jack Bauer started it all by earning his college degree, and look where he is now!
So that’s what Jack Bauer would do in terms of advancing his career. What he does on the job is a very different story…
