Athletes and Sports Competitors Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

Athlete and Sports Competitor Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience

Tips for Writing a Better Athletes and Sports Competitors Resume

Now that you’ve seen some examples of athlete and sports competitor resumes, we’ll walk you through how to adapt our methodology to build your document and land your next interview. At the professional level, it’s doubtful that you’ll be required to submit a resume, as athletes in these phases of their career are much more likely to be recruited or drafted. The primary situations in which you’ll use this type of document is for a college application, or a coaching position. Highlighting your athletic achievements in high school or college can be helpful here in demonstrating your knowledge and expertise in your sport. Below, you’ll find three expert tips to guide you as you craft your resume during the job search.

1. Feature your athletic achievements

Showcasing your athletic accomplishments is important, especially while pursuing a role as a head coach of a sports team. Although you can coach without having played a particular sport, being an athlete provides unique perspectives and insights that can significantly enhance your coaching pedigree. In the example below, the candidate mentions specific recognitions and athletic achievements that demonstrate they have a strong hands-on knowledge of football at the college level:

2. Highlight your coaching and leadership skills

Whether you’re a professional coach or a high school athlete applying to college, showcasing your leadership skills can help enhance your application’s strength. Whether mentoring fellow athletes or coaching a team of students, your ability to lead and collaborate with others will send a strong message regarding who you are as a professional. In the example below, the candidate showcases their ability to mentor students to achieve success both in sports and academics:

3. Showcase stats and awards

When showcasing your athletic accomplishments for your college application, you should draw attention to your high school stats and any awards you achieved as a student-athlete. In the example below, the candidate does an excellent job of laying out their statistical averages and providing insights into how they contributed to championship high school teams both as a participant and team leader:

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Athletes and Sports Competitors Resumes

You likely won’t encounter any issues related to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for a college application. Still, you will need to incorporate appropriate keywords while applying for coaching positions at the collegiate or high school level. In addition to the initial ATS scan, incorporating key terms from the job description will also help hiring managers to see that you have skill sets and qualifications that align with the needs of their organization. Below, you’ll find a list of potential keywords that you may encounter during your job search:

Common Action Verbs for Athletes and Sports Competitors Resumes

It’s easy to find yourself running short on action verbs to describe your professional experience, especially within the sports industry. Sometimes there’s only a limited number of verbs available that you can use to paint a picture of your career accurately. To help you keep your content fresh and compelling, we’ve provided a list of action verbs you can use to build out your resume:

How to Align Your Athletes and Sports Competitors Resume With the Job Description

Contrary to popular belief, resumes for athletes and sports competitors can be a helpful tool in a variety of different situations. Although they aren’t a mandatory requirement, building a resume can be extremely useful for student-athletes during the college application process. These documents are also crucial for securing coaching jobs, as having experience as an athlete is a great way to showcase your knowledge of a particular sport.

Aligning your document with the organization’s needs remains one of the most important aspects of the resume-building process. For example, if you’re a student-athlete applying to college, you may want to provide insights into your volunteer experience while pursuing a scholarship at a university with a clear emphasis on public service. As a professional coach, you may want to emphasize your experience mentoring students to excel both on the field and in the classroom to achieve their long-term goals. Researching the organization you are applying to and customizing your document towards individual applications will help you to maximize your resume’s impact and secure your next job opportunity.

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).