Resume’ & Cover Letter

Resume’

Brandon William Hathaway

rattlerb99@gmail.com | (804) 892-4217

EDUCATION

Longwood University                                                                                                Farmville, Va

Bachelor of Science in Criminology                                                                         December 2025

Minor: Environmental Science

ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Ducks Unlimited Longwood Chapter                                                                     Farmville, Va

Member                                                                                                             Spring 2023-Present

  • Promote wetland and waterfowl conservation
  • Chapter events hosted in the Spring and Fall to raise money and awareness for Ducks Unlimited

CVJBA | Central Va Junior Bass Anglers                                                              Richmond, Va

Member                                                                                                          Spring 2021-Fall 2022

  • Tournament Bass Fishing League
  • Promote ethical, technical, and legal fishing practices
  • Monthly tournaments at different lakes and rivers
  • Ex. – Lake Chesdin, James River, Appomattox River, Chickahominy River

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Roc Solid Foundation                                                                                       Prince George, Va

Volunteer                                                                                                                             July 2024

  • Other volunteers and I helped build a new playground set for a little girl whose was battling cancer and her siblings.
  • The real reward in participating in volunteer work like this is being able to connect with those within your community and seeing how happy the child is when they see their new play set and knowing that you were able to give them the gift of joy and happiness.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Chester Recreational Association                                                                                Chester, Va

Lifeguard                                                                                                      May 2021-August 2022

  • Completed training to become CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguard certified.
  • Developed stronger alertness and communication skills.
  • Engaged with the people of my community while keeping them safe.
  • Gained experience in learning and enforcing rules and regulations.

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE

Chesterfield County Police Department                                                             Chesterfield, Va

Intern                                                                                                            June 2025-August 2025

  • Assisted sworn officers with their daily duties including report writing, community engagement, and enforcing laws and regulations.
  • Gained hands on experience in law enforcement procedures and public safety operations. For ex. traffic stops, vehicle searches, serving warrants, traffic control, etc.  
  • Helped develop communication, observation, and critical thinking skills in a law enforcement environment.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Water Quality and Food Availability as an Agent of Sportfish Populations in Briery Creek Reservoir, February 2024

Briery Creek Resarch.pdf

SKILLS

  • Programs: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SPSS
  • Welding and Woodwork
  • Certifications: Hunter Safety Course, Boating Safety Course
  • Avid Outdoorsmen
  • 10+ years fishing experience
  • 10+ years hunting experience
  • Considerable experience operating boats and ATVs

Conservation Police Officer (CPO) Recruiting Information | Virginia DWR

Cover Letter

Department of Wildlife Resources

Henrico, Va 23228

Dear CPO recruiter,

The field of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a multitude of different fields and career paths to follow, with each having their own importance and duties. With a long background of being an outdoorsman and advocating for the conservation and preservation of wildlife here in Virginia, my dream career within the Criminal Justice department is a conservation law enforcement officer. This being my goal in mind is why I am applying for the position of a Conservation Police Officer (CPO) with the DWR.

I am interested in working for and with the Department of Wildlife Resources because of the values that you all hold and steps that have been taken to ensure the conservation of our wildlife here in Virginia. With being an avid outdoorsman, hunting, and fishing, there are always times in which I could cross the path of a CPO. All of my experiences with CPO’s have been remarkable, with one experience leaving a lasting impression on me. When I was 9 years old, I had the opportunity to harvest my first whitetail buck. A Conservation Officer with the DWR approached me and my grandfather to check our licenses and to make sure we tagged the deer properly. Since then, I have grown to love and respect the outdoors more and more and have dreamed of becoming a Conservation Officer myself. In hopes of protecting, educating, and inspiring those who love the outdoors just as much as I do and possibly leaving a lasting impression on future outdoorsmen just as that officer did for me. My commitment and passion for protecting and conserving our nature and wildlife here in Virginia for future generations is like no other.

Throughout my time at Longwood University, I have been lucky enough to conduct a research experiment on a Briery Creek Lake, a lake that is prized by Virginia because of its ability to hold world class bass. I have also had the opportunity to be part of the Longwood Ducks Unlimited Chapter here in Farmville. With this I have learned even more about conservation and preservation of not only our migratory waterfowl species but also our wetlands.

Based on my experience, personal values, and appreciation for the work that is conducted by the DWR. I believe that I would be a perfect candidate for this job because of my compassion for our outdoors and this line of work.

Sincerely,

Brandon Hathaway

My resume’ and cover letter serve as tools of impression management, which allows me to express and control how potential employers perceive my self. My resume and cover letter also act as a “presentation of self,” by highlighting my skills, relevant experience, and professionalism to express a desirable image of myself as a competent, capable, and motivated person for being a CPO. The résumé functions as my “front stage,” where everything from formatting to word choice is presented to reflect an ideal version of myself. Whereas my cover letter functions as my “backstage”, because it expresses my true self that not all people see, but it discusses my dreams and my behaviors that align with why i want to be a CPO.

There are many different aspects of being a law enforcement officers that can cause stress. One thing being the things that could be seen while working on the job, for example, dead people. You can never get used to seeing things like that no matter how much you see it or say how much it doesn’t affect you, but mentally it can weigh you down and cause stress. Another stressor could be being in dangerous situations or altercations with people. Another thing that cause stress is the overall weight of the job and its duties on you. What I mean by this is as a law enforcement officer you are held to higher standards than the regular person, you are an authority figure that has a certain type of power above others and that can cause stress.

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