A sports coach plays a very important role in a school’s community. Though a coach’s main responsibility is to train young athletes, a successful coach also contributes positively to the school’s reputation by leading a strong team. Landing coaching jobs can be difficult, especially in districts with competitive programs. Therefore, it is really important for a sports coach to focus on writing a good resume, as a resume is the first impression a hiring committee has of a candidate.
Effectively describing past work experience and responsibilities in a resume are essential, as is highlighting work achievements. If you are an experienced sports coach, below are a few tips that can help you improve your resume writing so that you can land an interview for your dream job.
1. Be Descriptive
As in any other resume, emphasizing your assets is paramount while preparing a resume for coaching jobs. This includes adding separate sections for listing experience, certifications, and education, and prioritize the section on experience. Be as descriptive as possible so that your reader has a strong sense of your background. Articulate your in-depth knowledge of the chosen sport. Consider incorporating a variation of some of the following phrases:
- 1. Taught players the rules, guidelines, and fundamentals of the game
- 2. Helped improve players’ performances by teaching them proven strategies and techniques
- 3. Identified players with potential and placed them in positions that made them flourish
- 4. Identified players’ weaknesses and helped them work towards resolving them
- 5. Built tailored training programs for players to assist them in achieving their goals
- 6. Inspired athletes to play with passion, integrity, and sportsmanship
2. Quantify Your Achievements
Highlight your achievements by quantifying them. Measurable accomplishments make a resume more appealing, which increases the probability of landing an interview. Make your achievements measurable by assigning them values in terms of rankings, percentages, and timeframes. Below are some examples:
- Coached high school soccer team to 2nd place in the region
- Helped the team maintain a .700 winning percentage
3. Choose the Right Action Verbs
Many resumes suffer from poorly worded phrases. Using the right language can lead to a more persuasive and convincing resume. Target verbs such as manage, supervise, program, etc. in your experience and achievements sections. Use the action verb that makes the sentence the most concise. You can often revise the sentences you already have to highlight the strongest word. Consider the difference between the following two sentences:
- 1. Worked as a supervisor for the school’s sports programs
- 2. Supervised the school’s sports programs
Notice how the second sentence is more powerful and concise. The word ‘supervisor’ was the strongest word in the first sentence. By changing it to a past tense verb – ‘supervised’ – the revised sentence became much clearer.
4. Tailor Your Resume to the Job Description
Make sure your qualifications match the job description. Read the job posting thoroughly to make sure that you are meeting the minimum qualifications. All of the information should be easy to find on your resume. The recruiter should be able to easily identify your credentials that best reflect the desired qualifications in the job description. Be sure to list any relevant sport-specific certifications.
If you would like additional information on resume writing for coaching jobs, click here.
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