Sports and fitness professionals create programs that improve the health and welfare of their clients. They also teach new skills and encourage excellence in athletes so they can reach the next level. When it’s time to push your own career to new heights, you’ll need a championship sports and fitness resume.
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This writing guide, along with our corresponding sports and fitness resume example, will cover the following topics:
- What do sports and fitness professionals do?
- How to write a sports and fitness resume (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a sports and fitness resume
- Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional resume layout and design hints.
What do sports and fitness professionals do?
Sports and fitness workers are charged with organizing activities for teams or individuals. They may coach one or more sports, work in a recreational facility or gym or train clients in order to improve or maintain their fitness level.
The environments and types of positions sports and fitness workers enjoy are broad. The chart below is a sampling of the opportunities available.
| Coaches | Trainers | Instructors |
|---|---|---|
| High school | Personal | Yoga |
| College | Sports injury | Pilates |
| Team sport | Bodybuilding | Aerobics |
| Individual | Boot camps | Spin |
Some sports and fitness experts also advise clients on dietary needs and set physical fitness goals. They also create programs to help people reach their fitness goals.
Coaches may work in one or more sports, especially if they work with youth or high school athletes. Many school coaches are also teachers.
Fitness trainers and instructors are in great demand! In fact, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts this field will leap 15% in the decade from 2019-2029. The median salary for these jobs is $40,510 annually.
Sports coaches and scouts are also in a growing field. The need for these professionals is expected to rise 12% in the same time frame. You can expect to earn a median salary of $36,330 per year.
Looking for more inspiration, writing material, and advice? See the related Sport & Fitness resume examples listed here below:
- Sports resume sample
- Rowing Coach resume sample
- Soccer Coach resume sample
- Swimming Coach resume sample
- Nutritionist resume sample
- Recreational Facility Attendant resume sample
- Track Coach resume sample
- Tennis Coach resume sample
- Lifeguard resume sample
- Hockey Coach resume sample
- Golf Instructor resume sample
- Football Coach resume sample
- Basketball Coach resume sample
- Baseball coach resume sample
- Athletic Trainer resume sample
- Volleyball Coach resume sample
- Fitness Instructor resume sample
- Personal Trainer resume sample
- Yoga instructor resume sample
How to write a sports and fitness resume
Before you get into the details, you need to know what goes into your sports and fitness resume. Here are the sections your CV should include:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Your resume needs to address the specific organization to which you are applying. That means doing a little research into the people who work there, and the sports and fitness philosophy to which they adhere. That way, you can adopt the appropriate tone, style and message for the job.
Try to find out who the hiring manager or your prospective boss is. The sports world can be a small one. Maybe you have a connection that will come in handy when it’s time for your interview. If you can bring it up in your resume, you have a better chance of getting in the door.
In addition to this framework, keep the following resume ground rules in mind:
- Focus on solving the needs of your prospective employer by highlighting the talents and abilities they require
- Show you’re a winner with a great first impression: Keep your layout and design neat and professional
- Hit the bull’s eye with targeted keywords and phrases that help you fend off elimination by the ATS.
Making the cut: Beat the ATS
More than 99% of large companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to sort and scan resumes. That means your first target is the algorithms that may filter you out -- if your resume doesn’t make the grade.
To help clear that hurdle, personalize your resume for each job by including keywords and phrases your prospective employer names within the job listing.
Don’t, however, exaggerate your skills or force in keywords that will make your resume sound unnatural.
Choosing the best resume format for sports and fitness
What’s the best resume format? Recruiters and hiring managers by far prefer reverse chronological order. Why? Because among the first things they want to know is where you are now and what your current skill and responsibility levels are.
Reverse chronological format begins with your most recent employment and works backwards through all of your relevant experience (going back for 10 years.) Other resume formats, such as the hybrid resume format, may be acceptable in certain situations. This format begins with an “Experience” or “Skills” section before including a shorter employment history section. This is a good option if you’ve had a lot of independent work experience or want to call attention to your areas of expertise right from the start.
Sports coaches rank second only to high school teachers as best education job in U.S. News and World Reports’ ranking.
Resume summary example: energize the team
The summary of your sports and fitness resume is your one shot at revealing your philosophy and personality because it is freeform sentences. The rest of your resume will be tightly formatted bullet items, so grab your chance to strongly make your case here.
Include the career achievements for which you are most proud and illustrate your value to your prospective employer. Sprinkle in strong descriptive words that show who you are as a sports or fitness professional. You have about 4 lines, so don’t try to cram in a story that needs explaining. Give enough information to intrigue the hiring manager so that you can expand upon your career in your interview.
This is a great spot to mention that item that connects you to your prospective place of employment and also to get started on personalizing for the ATS.
Below you can find a resume sample for your summary.
Passionate and Professional Sports Coach with a dynamic background including High School coaching, group work, private training. Knowledgeable about various Sports and adept in planning and implementing effective coaching plans. Seeking a position in Sports where I can best utilize my knowledge and passion.
Employment history sample: your healthy career
The way to impress in the employment history section is to show growth and achievement throughout your career. Think about how you can demonstrate where you started and how you have risen through the ranks to get where you are.
Get the ball rolling by choosing active verbs that describe your career action on your resume. Then, throw in statistics and details that back up your assertions. If you are a coach, did you increase a team’s winning percentage? Take an athlete to a championship tournament? If you are a trainer, did you help your clients reach their fitness goals? Or create innovative fitness programming? If you are an instructor, did you increase participation in the classes you offer? Or suggest a class that brought in new clients?
All these achievements tell your prospective employer what you can do for them and help answer the question, “Why should we hire you?”
Here are some action words to consider.
| Coaches | Trainers | Instructors |
|---|---|---|
| captained | bulked up | encouraged |
| tackled | shaped up | inspired |
| quarterbacked | stretched | created |
Below you will find an adaptable employment history resume example.
- Helped to manage the Sports Department, including budgets, planning, and curriculum.
- Oversaw Coaches and aimed to achieve a cohesive and strong sports program.
- Researched sports techniques and the latest training methods to implement into programs.
- Worked with Coaches, Administrators, and Athletes to achieve goals.
- Brought forth a spirit and enthusiasm for good sportsmanship.
CV skills example: the highlight reel
Don’t underestimate the importance of this seemingly simple CV skills section. The skills portion of your sports and fitness CV is likely to be the first or second section a recruiter glances at. It is here that you bring out the skills and attributes that you think are most important for the job.
Of course, you need knowledge of your sport or activity as well as general health and exercise expertise. But what skills or attributes do you have that make you a great fit for the job? (Don’t forget about matching those skills to the job listing to improve your odds against the ATS.)
Make an all-inclusive list of your skills and attributes that you can cull from when you personalize your resume for each job. Split the list into hard skills, or those skills you have learned on the job, and soft skills, or those interpersonal and organizational skills that enhance your talents.
Below you will find an adaptable skills resume example.
- Effective Time Management
- Ability to Work in a Team
- Leadership
- Athletic Ability
- Sports Management
- Coaching and Mentoring
Sports and fitness education resume example
Depending on the exact nature of your career, you may have mostly on-the-job training, a certification and/or a college degree. This is the section of your sports and fitness resume in which to list all those qualifications.
If you have earned championships or other awards, you may consider adding them here or, if you have space in this 1-2 page document, creating a section called Awards and Accolades or Championships.
Otherwise, simply list your degrees and certifications.
Below you will find an education resume example as a formatting guide.
- Bachelor of Sports Management, Nassau Community College, Garden City
- Sep, 2015 - May, 2017
Resume layout and design: a winning first impression
Make your first impression a great one by choosing a layout and design that says: I’m a winner! Hire me!
How do you do that? Here are some tips:
Here are some tips to do so:
- Keep your design simple (avoid graphics, pictures and too much color)
- Leave ample white space to avoid a cramped look
- Use standard section headings to make it easy for recruiters to find what they need
- Make your contact information stand out
- Have a trusted friend or colleague proofread to avoid spelling or grammatical errors or use an online resume builder such as ours with built-in spellchecking
Key takeaways for a sports and fitness resume
- The market for sports and fitness professionals is growing rapidly, so position yourself well to take advantage of it when you are ready for your next move.
- Highlight your winning ways in your summary and employment history sections.
- Personalize your sports and fitness resume to show you understand the organization’s image and to rank higher with the ATS.
- Try one of our expert-approved resume templates and our online resume builder to take the guesswork out of formatting.
