Athlete Resume Example
Starting a career as an athlete gives you the chance to gain experience in training for competitions and representing team brand. A strong resume for athlete applications showcases your skills, experience and achievements and helps you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we'll highlight tips and examples for creating an athlete resume that makes a winning impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
This comprehensive guide will give you all the tools you need to craft an athlete resume that positions you strongly against other candidates. Just like in sports, success comes from strategy, preparation, and execution, and your resume should reflect the same winning mindset.
The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your athlete resume.
What to include in an athlete resume
The key sections to include in an athlete resume are similar to those for any role or profession. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header with Contact Details
A athlete resume header contains your name and contact information. Add your first and last name, your phone number and your email address. Include your address or location, but avoid adding any other personal information. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can add the URL to your header so the hiring manager can get a better understanding of your work history and experience. Create a clear, well-structured header that acts as the headline of your resume. Use color accents and blocks to help this section stand out and catch the eye of the reader.
Make sure the email address you list in your header is professional-looking and doesn't contain any inappropriate content such as nicknames or unsuitable language. Opt for an email address based on your name or profession, or a combination of both. Finally, check your contact details before sending your resume, to ensure everything's up-to-date.
Ralph Mitchell
ralph.mitchell@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, IN
linkedin․com/in/ralph–mitchell123
Resume Summary
The next section is the resume summary. The section might also be called 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. This is a brief introduction to you, your key skills and your career achievements and ambitions. While a resume summary focuses on your career achievements and experience, a resume objective typically focuses on your ambitions for the future. In addition, your objective should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for athlete roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description.
Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.
A strong resume summary focuses on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for athlete roles in a clear, quantifiable way. It also gives an insight into your personal qualities, to help the reader understand why you're a suitable candidate. You can see some positive examples of a resume summary for athlete jobs below.
Dynamic and dedicated former Professional Athlete with a proven track record of excellence in competitive sports. Demonstrated commitment to rigorous training, teamwork, and strategic planning. Possesses strong leadership skills, a competitive spirit, and the ability to perform under pressure. Eager to leverage athletic discipline and performance-driven mindset in a new professional arena
Involved in sports with some experience in training and working with others. Have been part of teams and made plans for games. Known for being competitive and handling pressure well. Looking to use skills from sports in a different job setting
Conversely, a bad resume summary might be too generic, lacking focus on the specifics of the job description. It will also fail to provide any useful insights on what makes you a unique candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your athlete resume summary.
Skills
In your skills section, list any skills you've acquired or developed that are relevant to athlete positions. Consider adding data analysis skills, teamwork and collaboration or any other necessary skills for the job. Again, include any skills that match those listed in the job description. Focus particularly on technical skills required for athlete jobs and transferable skills that show your qualities as an athlete.
Listing hard skills on your athlete resume
Hard skills are specific skills related to the job you're applying for. They include particular abilities, technical skills and industry knowledge that relate directly to jobs as an athlete. Furthermore, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in athlete roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for an athlete resume.
- Strength and conditioning
- Sport-specific techniques
- Data analysis skills
Adding soft skills to your athlete resume
Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for an athlete position and the organization. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, and can often apply to multiple jobs and industries. Indeed, without soft skills, you may struggle to adapt to athlete roles or meet the standards expected of you. So make sure you include several key soft skills on your resume. It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities.
A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for an athlete resume, see below.
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Time management skills
- Communication and leadership
Education
Your resume's education section provides space for you to list your highest and most relevant qualifications for athlete roles.
Candidates aren't usually required to have a degree for athlete positions, but it's still worth listing your highest or most relevant qualifications. If you have a recognized certification or qualification, such as Personal Trainer Certification, be sure to include this. You might also want to include any educational achievements that showcase data analysis skills or sport-specific techniques.
List every relevant qualification, including the name and level of the course, the name of the school, college or university, its location and your graduation date. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.
If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.
Bachelor of Science in Sports Management, 2017 - 2020
University of Florida, Gainesville
Licenses and Certifications
In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as an athlete. These might be licenses that show you're qualified to operate certain equipment, or certifications that give you the edge over candidates with otherwise similar career history. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.
Read on to see some relevant example certifications for an athlete resume:
- Certified Strength Coach, 2022
- Nutrition Specialist Certification, 2022
- Personal Trainer Certification, 2022
Work Experience
Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for an athlete position. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.
Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to athlete roles.
A good resume work experience section includes your most relevant previous jobs and highlights your key achievements in each role. To make the best possible impression on hiring managers, make sure each entry in your work experience section references skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you added value to each role with quantifiable evidence and outcomes. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.
Professional Athlete, January 2022 - Present
Peak Performance Athletics, Santa Ana
- Gold Medalist in 100m Sprint at the 2020 Olympics, setting a new world record with a time of 9.58 seconds
- MVP of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three consecutive seasons (2018-2020), leading the team to two championships
- Winner of the Tour de France in 2017 and 2019, wearing the yellow jersey for a total of 30 stages
Professional Athlete, January 2022 - Present
Peak Performance Athletics, Santa Ana
- Excelled in various athletic competitions, consistently demonstrating high performance and dedication to the sport
- Recognized for outstanding contributions to team success and individual achievements in sports
- Achieved significant milestones and accolades throughout a distinguished athletic career
Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Hear from experts:
Emphasize hands-on experience and relevant skills, such as customer service, teamwork, or problem-solving, to showcase your readiness for the role. (1) Use bullet points to organize your resume and keep it easy to read, especially for hiring managers scanning for key qualifications. (2)
Optional Resume Sections
As well as the main sections of an athlete resume, optional sections can help you prove your credentials to employers. Take a look at the sections below and add any that help you show how and why you're right for the job.
Hobbies and Interests
Adding your hobbies and interests is a legitimate way of showing off your skills and personal qualities. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteering
Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for athlete roles. Write your volunteer section in a similar format to your work experience, including your role, the organization name, relevant dates and the details of your contribution.
References
Although it's rare to include references on an athlete resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.
References can be provided upon request.
Best strong verbs for your an athlete resume
Using strong action verbs in your work experience bullet points can make a stronger impression on employers and show the value you added to your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.
- Trained
- Competed
- Excelled
- Strategized
- Achieved
- Motivated
- Collaborated
- Persevered
- Improved
- Inspired
Jobseeker's clean, attractive resume formats can help your applications make a strong impression on employers. Check them out for help designing a winning resume, and see our cover letter templates to help win over recruiters and hiring managers.
Sample resume for athlete positions
Now we've covered the main sections to include in your athlete resume, let's take a look at how it all comes together in the example below:
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, IN
•
ralph.mitchell@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/ralph–mitchell123
Former Professional Athlete with a distinguished career in competitive sports, demonstrating exceptional dedication, discipline, and teamwork. Proven ability to perform under pressure, set and achieve high goals, and maintain peak physical condition. Adaptable, quick learner with a strong work ethic and a passion for continuous improvement.
Professional Athlete
2020
-2022
Elite Performance Management (Cleveland)
- Won Olympic Gold Medal in 100m Sprint, setting a new world record of 9.58 seconds
- Secured MVP award in National Basketball Association finals, leading team to championship victory
- Achieved Ironman Triathlon World Championship title, completing the race in under 8 hours
Strength and conditioning
Sport-specific techniques
Data analysis skills
Teamwork and collaboration
Time management skills
Communication and leadership
Certified Strength Coach
Nutrition Specialist Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Do's and don'ts of an athlete resume
- Use strong action words to demonstrate the impact you've made in each athlete role (e.g. 'strategized', 'achieved', 'motivated').
- Quantify the impact you've made in different roles by offering evidence of your key abilities and your contribution.
- Adapt your resume depending on the job you're applying for. Take a look at the job description and make sure you reference all the required key skills and experience.
- Make a strong first impression with a concise, impactful athlete resume summary that showcases your key qualities.
- Use a clear, professional resume format to make your document as accessible as possible, including a readable font and appropriate headings, margins and line spacing. This will make your resume easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read.
- Don't use jargon or acronyms when you can use simple, straightforward language to say the same thing.
- Don't mention hobbies or interests unless they help you prove a skill required for the role, that you haven't included elsewhere.
- Don't add personal information such as your age, gender, a photo or marital status, as these can lead to bias in the hiring process.
- Don't exaggerate, lie or hide details about yourself as these can all undermine your chances of success with athlete applications.
- Don't clutter your document by trying to add too many details. Focus on core athlete skills and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Tips on creating an ATS-optimized resume
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to streamline their hiring process. They can store and process data, including applications and applicant data, quickly and efficiently. One of the jobs ATS applications are increasingly responsible for is initial candidate screening. The systems can quickly scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the job description. When writing your athlete resume, a few simple tips can help you pass the ATS stage with a higher-ranking resume, giving you a better chance of success with your applications.
Here are a few quick tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:
- Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
- Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Use design elements that help make your resume more readable. These might include white space, clear, professional fonts and subtle color accents to help certain elements stand out.
- Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.
For help crafting a winning resume, read our in-depth career blog and review our resume examples for inspiration.
FAQs for an athlete resume
Now that you know how to write a professional athlete resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Before you write your cover letter, think about whether you need a formal, professional letter or if a brief, less formal email might be more suitable.
If you decide you want to write a traditional cover letter, follow the standard letter-writing conventions around layout and structure. In the main body of the letter, write an opening paragraph to introduce yourself and explain why you're applying for the athlete role. Your second paragraph is typically where you highlight your key relevant skills and achievements. Finally, close by expressing your enthusiasm for the role and leave a call to action to encourage the hiring manager to make contact with you.
For help creating an eye-catching cover letter that impresses recruiters and hiring managers, use Jobseeker's professional cover letter templates.
For an experienced athlete, the resume is an account of your achievements and the skills you've gained through your career. As an experienced athlete candidate, you'll want your resume to highlight your relevant work history. As such, consider going further back than the standard 10 to 15 years with your employment history. Add any optional sections that reinforce your image as a knowledgeable, respected professional in your field. This might include awards and other recognition, successful projects or a dedicated achievements section.
If you want to create a strong first impression in your athlete application, a resume headline can help. A well-written resume headline is also a way to increase your chances of passing the ATS resume scanning stage, by referencing keywords that match the job description. Take the time to draft a concise, eye-catching headline which includes the job title, one or two key skills and reference to either your experience level or track record.
See below for an example of a well-constructed resume headline:
- Emerging Talent in Junior Athletics
- Elite Professional Athlete with Global Recognition
- Veteran Athlete with Proven Excellence
The best resume format for you depends on two things. Firstly, it depends on your experience level. Secondly, it depends on the type and level of position you're applying for. For roles where you're lacking experience, such as graduate jobs or career changes, you could use a functional or skills-based resume format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. If, however, you have experience in your chosen profession, a traditional, reverse chronological resume format might be the way to go. This showcases your relevant skills and achievements in your work experience section.
Takeaways for your athlete resume
The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.
HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
