Create Your Sports
Resume in 5 Easy Steps

  • Step 1: Add Contact Info

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  • Step 2: Include Work Experience Details

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  • Step 3: Provide Education Details

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  • Step 4: Select Your Skills

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  • Step 5: Fill in Your Background

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Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Sports Resume

Whether you are seeking a sports role on the court, on the field or in the office, a great resume is required to get you there. Written by certified resume writers, LiveCareer’s sports resume examples show you how to write, design and format a resume that will knock it out of the park.

When you are ready to write your own, use our Resume Builder, which suggests pre-written, sports-specific content for every section of your resume. Here are just a few examples of the professionally-written content our builder might recommend for your sports resume:

  • Helped team win two championships in four years
  • Directed ambitious practice sessions to boost athletic abilities and teamwork of 15 gymnasts
  • Officiated 700+ games in four years
  • Organized bus and air transport for players for away games and tournaments

6 Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Sports Resume

  • Do describe your experience in measurable terms. Action verbs are great, but numbers give employers a crystal-clear idea of your abilities. For example, an assistant basketball coach might note that she “developed offensive and defensive plans resulting in a 70% win rate over four seasons.” Quantifying your accomplishments makes it easier for hiring managers to understand both past contributions and how you’ll add to their organization if hired.
  • Do include your social media metrics if you’re an athlete or coach. Fan engagement using social media is an increasingly popular way for organizations to boost attendance, revenue and other important industry factors. Showcase your social media savvy on your resume using easy-to-understand metrics, like: “Managed all aspects of Instagram engagement and grew following by 225% between 2017 and 2019.”
  • Do turn your professional summary into a personal highlight reel. This is the first resume section that hiring managers read, so it’s important to lead with your greatest hits. Did you coach your last team to three state championships? Referee over 250 games last year? Include your biggest and brightest accomplishments in your professional summary.
  • Don’t overdo it, though. Don’t list every single tournament you’ve ever participated in or exaggerate your coaching or athletic performance. If you think that hiring managers won’t verify your stats, think again.
  • Don’t exclude your education. It’s tempting to assume that your bachelor’s degree in sociology doesn’t really matter to employers now that you’re knee-deep in your sports career, but it does. If you’ve taken any continuing education or other relevant training courses, such as those in coaching or officiating, include those as well.
  • Don’t forget to proofread. While good grammar may not seem like a prerequisite for most sports jobs, a typo-free, well-worded resume shows your attention to detail.

Beat the ATS with These Sports Resume Skills

For many sports organizations, applicant tracking systems (ATS) are part of the hiring game plan. A company inputs the skills and experience it’s seeking into the ATS, and the software scans resumes for those words, weeding out any that don’t incorporate them. These resumes are then eliminated from consideration.

Including the right combination of keywords and skills on your resume is vital for beating an ATS and moving on to the next round of the hiring process. Our Resume Builder helps accomplish this by providing suggestions for the most highly sought-after sports industry proficiencies, such as:

  • College recruiting
  • Agility drills
  • Ergonomic assessments
  • Contract negotiation
  • Umpire experience

Sports Resumes for Every Professional Level

Entry-Level

Assistant Coach

Because it focuses more on skills than job experience, a functional resume format is often a perfect choice for entry-level job seekers. In this example resume, the candidate is able to illustrate his abilities in detail, while downplaying his lack of work experience. He notes, for example, that he’s adept at technique and planning, and then he goes on to use metrics, such as including the number of practices he completed each week and the number of wins his team accomplished. This allows a hiring manager to more easily imagine how he’d contribute if hired. Build my Resume

Mid-Career

Team Manager

The combination resume format offers mid-career professionals the best of both worlds. It pays roughly equal attention to both skills and work experience, thereby allowing the job seeker to demonstrate both a solid skill set and real-world work experience. In this resume example, the candidate draws attention to certain proficiencies, such as sports nutrition and program management, by leading with them up top. The skills section is followed by a work history section that wisely uses metrics such as “coordinated logistics for 14 players during games, scrimmages and practices” to further illuminate many of those skills. Build my Resume

Executive-Level

Sports Official

If you’re a seasoned veteran in your industry, a chronological resume format is typically the best choice because it emphasizes your work history. In this sports resume, for example, the job seeker has been officiating games for over a decade. The chronological resume format works in his favor by offering plenty of room to provide useful metrics and details about his career, such as the fact that he’s officiated 125 soccer games per year and has experience examining equipment functionality. Build my Resume

More sports resume samples

Find resume examples for your desired sports career. Get access to expert writing recommendations, do’s and don’ts and everything you need to write a perfect resume.

Resume Success Stories

Statistics and Facts About Sports Jobs

Popular Sports Job Titles (2019)

  • Agents
  • Athletes
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Coaches & Scouts
  • Umpires & Referees

Source: O*NET

Median Annual Salaries for Popular Sports Job Titles (2019)

Agents$73740
Athletes$51370
Athletic Trainers$48441
Coaches & Scouts$34840
Umpires & Referees$28550
020K40K60K80K
Source: O*NET

Projected Job Growth (2018–2028)

Athletic trainers11% (much faster than average)
Coaches and scouts11% (much faster than average)
Agents9% (faster than average)
Umpires & Referees5% (average growth)
Athletes4% (average growth)
01020
Source: O*Net

Education Level Most Commonly Required

  • Athletic Trainers Master’s degree
  • Coaches and Scouts Bachelor’s degree
  • Agents Bachelor’s degree
  • Umpires and Referees High school diploma or equivalent
  • Athletes Some high school

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Athletes, Coaches and Officials Workforce: Gender Diversity by Age (2017)

Male Workforce61.9% (171,000)
Average Age of Males Employed34.8%
Female Workforce38.1% (108,000)
Average Age of Females Employed31%
03570
Source: DataUSA

Athletes, Coaches and Officials Workforce: Racial and Ethnic Diversity (2017)

White$219980
Black$28440
Asian$9324
Other$7297
Two or More Races$13152
Native American$821
041K83K125K166K208K250K
Source: DataUSA

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