How To Write a Life Coach Resume

If you are looking for a role as a life coach, the first step is writing a resume that emphasizes your ability to improve the quality of life for your clients. Whether you’re pursuing a position with a company or attempting to attract new clients in your own private practice, you must create a document that shows your services are legitimate and valuable. This guide provides expert tips and insights to help you translate your career into an accomplishment-driven resume.

  • Entry-level
  • Mid-career
  • Senior-level
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1. Write a brief summary of your life coach qualifications

Creating a compelling snapshot of your life coach career is the best way to interest a hiring manager. Start by listing your job title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that align with the job posting. In the subsequent sentences, establish yourself as a subject matter expert within your space.

For example, you might draw attention to how your unique coaching style helped clients achieve personal goals. If you developed a coaching system or trained other life coaches to implement your processes, emphasize this in your summary. Providing these types of insights will help you tell your story and highlight the value you can bring to clients and prospective employers.

Profile Example #1


A Master Certified Coach with 10+ years of experience, specializing in life coaching, client relations, professional development, and career coaching. A proven track record of aiding clients in overcoming life obstacles, financial burdens, and relationship issues.

Profile Example #2


A Certified Life Coach with five years of professional experience specializing in career coaching, professional development, and emotionally-focused therapy. A proven track record of providing mentorship to a diverse range of clients to aid them in achieving personal goals.

2. Add a compelling section featuring your life coach experience

Although you can’t display your experiences with specific clients directly, you can create bullet points that demonstrate your background in providing coaching services. Whether you’re applying for a position with a company or growing your own business, clients want to see you have a convincing background in helping individuals overcome life challenges and achieve success.

Quantifying your life coach experience can be difficult, but there are ways you can integrate numbers to make a stronger case for yourself during the job search. For example, you could cite client satisfaction ratings or Google reviews for your services, as these are metrics that interested parties can easily verify.

Professional Experience Example #1


Life Coach, Personal Coaching Co., New York, NY
May 2016 – Present

  • Provide life coaching and career coaching services to 150+ clients across various ages, backgrounds, and industries, including facilitating one on one sessions to evaluate client issues and build strategies according to individual needs
  • Achieve a client satisfaction rating of 94% on customer surveys and lead training initiatives to improve Google ratings from 3.9 stars to 4.7 stars over two years
  • Coordinate with a team of senior life coaches to create a webinar series providing insights into how to achieve and maintain a healthy work-life balance

Professional Experience Example #2


Life Coach, Allison Rosenberg Coaching Services, Philadelphia, PA
May 2018 – Present

  • Provide coaching services to 75+ clients experiencing difficulties with major life transitions, create individual service plans and strategies, and provide emotional support to clients to guide them in improving time management and financial health
  • Attend one on one consultations and coaching sessions with clients, evaluate life circumstances and long-term goals, and provide mentorship to ensure client success
  • Provide educational resources to clients and deliver online webinars covering a wide range of topics, including financial planning, nutrition, and relationship advice

3. Include education and certifications relevant to life coaches

As noted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, no formal qualifications, licenses, or certifications are needed to become a professional life coach. That said, there are industry credentials you can obtain that will go a long way in showing the legitimacy of your services. Because life coaching is technically open to anyone, many prospective employers and clients may be skeptical of the profession. To alleviate these concerns, it would be beneficial to obtain additional licenses.

For instance, earning the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) accreditation from International Coach Federation (ICF) demonstrates that you meet high standards for coaching and implement industry best practices.

Education

Template

  • [Degree Name]
  • [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]

Example

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Psychology
  • Temple University, Philadelphia, PA | 2016

Certifications

Template

  • [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

Example

  • ACC, ICF, 2020

4. List life coach-related skills and proficiencies

Most organizations rely on some form of applicant tracking system (ATS) to identify qualified candidates for job openings. To get your resume through the initial screening process and into the hiring manager’s hands, incorporate keywords from the job description directly into your profile, professional experience, and skills section. Below, you’ll find a list of key terms and skills you may encounter while applying for life coach positions:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Adult learning Career coaching
Client relations Conflict resolution
Crisis management Employee engagement
Financial counseling Goal setting
Leadership development Learning and development
Life coaching Mentorship
Personal coaching Personal development
Professional development Relationship building
Strength assessments Talent development

5. Highlight your leadership and communication skills

As a life coach, communication skills are integral to effectively mentoring clients, guiding personal development, setting goals, and building a trusting relationship. The outcomes clients experience directly result from your ability to identify with them, so your resume should include examples of how you effectively communicate to achieve results.

How To Pick the Best Life Coach Resume Template

When selecting your template, prioritize structure and readability over visual appeal. Overbearing graphics and strong use of color can distract the reader from what is most important: your experience, skills, and qualifications. Seek a template that organizes your content effectively and fits your brand.

Life Coach Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

  • Example #1
  • Example #2
  • Example #3

John Bergsen
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Windermere Rd., Seattle, WA 12345

Profile

A Certified Life Coach with eight years of experience specializing in personal coaching, leadership development, strength assessments, and mentorship. A strong history of aiding clients in identifying personal goals and developing strategies to achieve long-term success.

Professional Experience

Life Coach, Professional Coaches Inc., Seattle, WA
May 2017 – Present

  • Deliver personal coaching to 120+ clients across various industries and levels of experience, including analyzing personal strengths, challenges, and goals to create successful strategies to drive professional growth
  • Create, facilitate, and manage online leadership development seminars for clients, including providing insights into team management and engagement strategies
  • Provide individual coaching sessions to clients, evaluate personal challenges and issues, and deliver insights to help them improve personal relationships and time management

Life Coach, Self-Employed, Seattle, WA
May 2014 – May 2017

  • Provided a variety of personal coaching and career coaching services to clients within the technology industry, which included delivering one on one sessions to improve communication skills, grow confidence, and prepare for interviews
  • Achieved a 4.8-star Google ranking across 80+ reviews for services, which included positive feedback on coaching services and professional development

Certifications

  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coach Federation (ICF), 2017
  • Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coach Federation (ICF), 2014

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Psychology
University Of Washington, Seattle, WA September 2013 – May 2017

Key Skills

  • Personal Coaching
  • Leadership Development
  • Relationship Building
  • Life Coaching
  • Interview Preparation

Frequently Asked Questions: Life Coach Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for life coach resumes?-

It’s easy to run short on action verbs to build your resume. Often there’s only a limited number of verbs to accurately convey your professional experience. That said, differentiating your usage of action verbs can go a long way in improving the reading experience for hiring managers and recruiters. To keep your content fresh and engaging, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs you can use to build your bullet points:

Action Verbs
Analyzed Built
Coached Collaborated
Communicated Conducted
Created Delivered
Developed Enhanced
Facilitated Identified
Implemented Improved
Led Performed
Planned Provided
Resolved Supported
How do you align your resume with a life coach job description?-

According to a study by the IFC in 2019, the average annual salary for life coaches in North America was $62,500. To maximize your yearly income and secure clients, create a resume tailored toward individual organizations and customer needs. Take the time to analyze the job description beforehand, and be sure to integrate relevant qualifications that match what prospective employers are looking for.

For example, suppose the organization is looking for a life coach who has a strong background in career coaching. In that case, provide insights into how you helped to drive the professional development of your clients and aid them in achieving their long-term career goals. By aligning your resume with the job description, you’ll significantly increase your chances of securing your next interview.

What is the best life coach resume format?-

Reverse chronological format is ideal for life coach resumes. This approach ensures that your most recent and relevant experience is featured at the top of your document. Even at the entry level, it’s best to avoid functional resume formats. If you lack hands-on experience, you’d still be much better served by illustrating leadership, mentorship, and professional development experience gained in previous jobs in other industries.

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Expert Advice
Include a cover letter with your resume

Crafting a strong cover letter helps your chances of landing an interview during a job search. The key to creating a compelling cover letter is to customize your document for the organization you’re applying to. Read our personal trainer cover letter guide to learn how. For other related cover letter examples, see our entry-level counseling and social work cover letter guides.

Frank headshot

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).

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