Coaches are, first and foremost, teachers. They guide athletes and help them learn not just a sport, but how to achieve. Coaches often hold several positions depending on the season. That means they may be in the job hunt more often.
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To ensure you’re working in every sports season, you need a coach resume that’s always up-to-date and at its best so you’re always ready to impress the athletic director. A coach’s focus is on athletes and teams, and using a service such as Resume.io to aid your job hunt will free up more time for what’s most important. We offer resume guides and resume examples for 350+ professions, plus a resume builder that stores your information for next season.
In this guide, you will find a coach resume example and information to smooth the creation of your application package including:
- What does a coach do?
- How to write a coach resume (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a coach resume
- Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional resume layout and design hints
What does a coach do?
There are many types of coaches, but you’re a coach in the traditional sense: You work with athletes either individually or as part of a team. Yes, the goal is to win – after all, athletes are competitors, but you are also teaching a host of skills, especially if you work with school-age athletes.
Among their responsibilities, coaches:
- Instill sportsmanship
- Teach healthy nutrition
- Explain the rules of the game or sport
- Planning practices
- Developing specific plays and strategies for winning
- Encourage teamwork
- Help athletes reach their personal bests, and then reach higher.
In addition to their direct work with athletes, coaches may be responsible for scheduling matches and games, hiring and managing assistant coaches, transportation to and from competitions, and any administrative tasks.
Coach job market and outlook
Here’s the great news: Coaches have many job opportunities as the demand is expected to grow by 20 percent over the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts. That figure includes all levels of coaching from amateur to professional.
Salaries for coaches vary widely, from college and professional coaches, who may earn millions of dollars, to those who work part-time in schools or local leagues and earn anywhere from $20,000 on up. Full-time coaches typically earn between $44,925 and $59,949, according to Salary.com.
How to write a coach resume
Coaches help structure their athletes’ lives, so they should be familiar with the benefits of consistency. A coach resume should also follow a structure that athletic directors and other hiring personnel are familiar with.
To do that, they need to understand what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Choosing the best resume format for a coach
The award you’re looking for with your coach resume is an interview. The best way to get there is to present your career details in the manner that is easiest for your readers and that typically means reverse chronological order or latest job first, first job last.
One other option for coaches who coach multiple sports is to group experience in each sport separately (but still start with your most recent position in each sport). The athletic director wants to know what you’ve done lately plus, it’s most likely that your position of most responsibility will be the latest position you’ve held.
Ideas for a first-job resume
If you’ve never coached before, that’s OK. Everyone has had a first job. You are probably an athlete, in which case your experience as a competitor is valuable and can be listed in a section titled “Athletic Experience.”
Perhaps you have earned a degree in exercise physiology, sports management, athletic training, or another related field. You may reorganize your sections so that your education sits higher than your experience.
Remember that you should complement your coach resume with a cover letter that expands upon your reasons for wanting to coach and presents your passion for athletics.
Resume summary example
Think of the summary of your coach resume as the pregame pep talk. You pump up the players, give them an overview of the game strategy, and tell them why they are winners. Within your summary, you do the same for your career.
First, you pump up your overall career (without veering into bragging), then you give an overview of your greatest achievement as a coach, and finally, you tell the athletic director what you can do to turn the program into a consistent winner. And you do it all in about 4 sentences.
Significant record of success coaching athletes to rise to new levels of physical fitness. Life-long dedication to living and instilling in others the ideals for a balanced and healthful life style. History of instructing a wide range of wellness topics. Self motivated with a balanced, perceptive, authentic and supportive nature.
The summary example below will give you an idea to start with, but if you’re looking for more specifics, head over to one of our related coach resume samples:
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- Athletic Trainer resume sample
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- Fitness Instructor resume sample
- Personal Trainer resume sample
- Yoga instructor resume sample
Employment history sample
Whether you’ve decided to organize your coach resume strictly chronologically or by sport, you need to impress in your employment history. What are your greatest achievements? Has an athlete or team under your guidance won a championship or greatly improved their record?
Coaches are judged on their won-loss records, so make sure you highlight yours (if it’s impressive!).
Head Coach, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
March 2016 - Present
- Coach Cleveland State's Women's teams in various sports.
- Instill a spirit of teamwork in practices and matches to encourage athletes to improve confidence and performance of their peers.
- Successfully coached team to win several major conferences.
Girls' Varsity Coach & Physical Education Teacher, Loveland High School, Loveland, OH
September 2012 - August 2016
- Instructed various classroom subjects and physical exercise activities.
- Educated student-athletes on effective exercise methods and practices for promoting physical wellness.
- Coached Varsity team to bring home several championship and runner-up wins.
- Motivated students of all physical capabilities and athletic performance levels to participate in and enjoy physical activities.
Sports Therapist Intern, Theradynamics, Cincinnati, OH
June 2011 - July 2012
- Completed internship in physical therapy services facility.
- Contributed to screening, evaluation and treatment of facility patients.
- Assisted physical therapists with patient evaluations and treatment plans.
- Entered and updated patient admittance and billing data.
- Use strong verbs and perhaps a bit of sports language to punch up your bullet items.
- Be proud of what you have helped your athletes achieve.
- Go overboard or use phrases with unclear meaning just to be cute.
- Take all the credit. Teamwork is important in sports, so make sure you recognize your co-workers and the athletes themselves.
CV skills example
Athletic directors have a lot of responsibility and spending time reading your coach resume may not be high on the list. That’s where your skills section comes in. Choose the attributes you believe are most important for the position and that match well with the job listing.
This at-a-glance section may be the first (and only) element of your resume that anyone sees, so be thoughtful. Paying attention to the skills the athletic department seeks will not only show that you understand the job, but may boost your resume in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) rankings.
- Physical Education
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Performance Management
- Motivational Speeches
- Databases & Recordkeeping
- Wellness Coaching
- MS Office Suite
- Physical Therapy
- Injury Recovery Plans
- Health & Nutrition
Coach resume education example
Most coaches have a bachelor’s degree in a field related to athletics. They must also prove that they have detailed knowledge of the sport(s) they wish to coach. Highlight these qualifications in the education section of your coach resume. Include any seminars or certifications you have completed.
MS, Exercise & Sport Science, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
September 2009 - May 2011
BA, Health & Human Performance, Berea College, Berea, KY
September 2005 - May 2009
You may want to add an Awards and Accolades section that shines a spotlight on your trophies and championships.
Resume layout and design
The layout and design of your coach resume should complement, not outshine, the content. You’re a professional, so steer clear of sporty icons or other imagery. Instead aim for clean lines, easy-to-read fonts, and crisp organization.
Not an artist? Try one of our customizable and expertly designed resume templates to take the pain out of formatting and ensure a professional impression. Make sure you use spellcheck and a grammar check such as Grammarly to avoid errors. To be doubly sure, have a friend proofread before you hit send.
Key takeaways for a coach resume
- Opportunities abound for coaches, so be ready in any season with an up-to-date and impressive resume.
- Coaches need a winning record, but they also need rapport with athletes, teaching skills, and expert knowledge in their sports.
- The summary of a coach resume is akin to a pregame pep talk.
- Organize your application document chronologically or by sport.
- Present a professional image with an uncluttered and easy-to-read design.
