

So, athletics on resumes—do they belong only on athlete resumes, or are they fair game for any job? Find out how to put athletics on a resume to score an interview!
Athletics can be a huge part of your life while you’re in high school or college—
But is it really important enough to mention on your resume? Will recruiters care? Maybe it can even hurt your chances of getting the job?
After all, writing a resume is a game of inches:
Even the smallest detail could make or break your application, and you only have a few seconds to impress the recruiter.
What if you say the wrong thing and get your resume slam-dunked into the nearest waste paper basket?
Don’t worry—
You’re about to find out everything you need to know about adding athletics to your resume. You can make it work to your advantage—you just need to know how.
This guide will show you:
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Athlete resume made with our builder—See more resume templates here.
Looking for more resume advice? You may be interested in some of our other guides:
Also, check out some of our resume samples and guides for specific positions:
Let’s take a look at a sample college athlete resume, applying for an entry-level personal trainer job:
William Caraway
Personal Trainer
303-712-8802
will.j.caraway@gmail.com
twitter.com/will.j.caraway
Summary
Goal-oriented entry-level personal trainer with a BSc in Sports Management. Division I student-athlete, captain and QB of the University of Minnesota football team. Led the team to 20 victories, achieved a 119+ passer rating and scored 90+ passing touchdowns in 4 seasons. Seeking to apply my theoretical knowledge and proven workout techniques to helping Good Vibe Gym’s clients achieve their fitness goals in healthy, efficient ways.
Experience
NCAA Division I Football Team Captain
University of Minnesota
September 2019–May 2021
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
NCAA Division I Football Team Quarterback
University of Minnesota
June 2016–May 2021
Education
BSc in Sport Management, University of Minnesota
2016–2021
Skills
Languages
See?
It’s perfectly possible to write an excellent resume with no experience other than college athletics!
Now, here’s how to put athletics on a resume:
The work experience section forms the bulk of your resume. It’s where you’ll list your biggest professional achievements from each job, in reverse chronological order.
So, is it ever okay to use athletics as your work experience?
Yes—
When you have no other experience and you’re applying for a job that’s somehow relevant to your athletic activity or fitness level. Examples could include:
...in short, jobs where fitness, athletic ability, and/or physical strength are key requirements.
If you’re applying for one of those, good for you—
Here’s how to describe your experience on athlete resumes:
So, in some cases, you can put college athletics as work experience on your resume.
However:
If you already have relevant work experience, there’s no need to mention athletics here. Describing your professional accomplishments will be a much better use of this space.
Similarly, if you don’t have experience and your target job is not relevant to athletics, don’t describe your sports achievements as work history. (Here’s a guide for you: How to Write a Great Resume with Zero Experience).
But hey—
Don’t worry! We haven’t even reached halftime:
You can still mention your athletics in another section of your resume. Keep reading to find out where!
Read more: How to Put Work Experience on a Resume: Expert Tips & Examples
Ready for the next part of our training session?
Next up on your resume is the education section. It’s where you’ll list your highest level of schooling—
And for most candidates, it’s also the best place to mention student athletics.
So, if you couldn’t add athletics to your work experience section—
Here’s how to add athletics to your resume education section:
A couple of points to bear in mind:
Never quite made it to the goal line? Find out How to Add an Unfinished Degree to Your Resume
Here’s where the play gets really interesting:
Your resume skills section.
This is where you’ll list up to 10 of your best skills relevant to the job description. Why? Well—
Firstly, it shows you understand what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Secondly, it makes your resume ATS-friendly. ATS is a type of computer software that companies use to screen resumes for keywords.
So—
If you’re applying for a job relevant to your athletic experience (such as a coach or personal trainer position), include specific skills. For instance, you could mention diet planning, resistance training, or weight lifting. Remember to throw in some soft skills, too!
So—here’s a simple technique for coming up with a great skills list for your resume:
Here’s an example from someone applying for a coaching job:
If you’re going for jobs that have nothing to do with sports, don’t worry—
You can still use the skills you’ve gained through your athletic training and practice, no matter what industry you’re targeting.
You just have to be a bit sneaky about it.
Sports provide you with lots of transferable skills—meaning skills that can be used in a range of professions.
Examples of transferable skills you can gain through athletics include:
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
We’re almost at the finish line—
But there’s one more place where you could mention athletics on your resume.
If your sports achievements didn’t qualify for the work experience or education leagues, add athletics to the hobbies and interests section at the end of your resume.
Not every pastime makes for good resume material—
But as it happens, sport works great on job applications: it shows you’re motivated and focused on self-improvement.
As for professional athlete resumes, you can include other sports-related sections, such as:
If you have nothing to put in those sections, it’s never too late to get the ball rolling:
Join an association, do some non-profit work, or invest in a professional cert to make yourself stand out like Barry Bonds at a Little League game!
Read more: The Correct Order for Resume Sections + What to Include in Each Section
Let’s go over the ground rules:
All Major League resumes start with an impressive introduction. Known as a resume profile, this short paragraph at the top of the page is the condensed version of the best bits of your resume. Think of it as a lifetime highlight reel.
Resume profiles come in two types, depending on your starting position. Experienced professionals write a resume summary, while entry-level candidates write a resume objective. Both are focused on immediately impressing the recruiter to get them to read the rest of your resume.
So:
If athletics is one of your main selling points and it’s relevant to the job, you can (and should!) mention it in the profile section of your resume.
Here’s what to include:
Read more: How to Write a Job-Winning Resume Introduction: Guide & Examples
Congrats!
You now have a championship-level resume that mentions your athletic accomplishments in all the right places.
But before you apply for your chosen job, there’s one more hurdle to clear:
Writing a cover letter to match your resume.
The bad news is that yes, you do need a cover letter if you want a shot at getting the job. The good news?
You can use athletics in your cover letter, too!
Just like with your resume, the amount of focus on athletics in your cover letter will depend on the job you are applying for and your level of experience:
Here’s how to write a winning cover letter:
Stick to the standard pitch measurements: the best length for a cover letter is under one page.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
So, can you put athletics on a resume?
Sure! You just need to stay on the ball and make sure to include it in the correct section for your circumstances, with the right amount of detail.
Here’s a quick summary of where to put athletics on your resume:
Thanks for reading! Still not sure whether you should put athletics on your resume? Perhaps you can offer some advice of your own? Drop us a line in the comments below!
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