Coaching Resume Sample, Template & Writing Guide for 2024
The passionate and motivational teachers who coach sports help develop the next generation of leaders. Whether they coach professionally, scholastic-level, or kids' sports, all coaches are teachers and motivators first and foremost. And regardless of what level of sporting activities they coach, they'll need a well-written and engaging coaching resume to be considered for an open position.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are nearly 200,000 paid coaches in the United States. They range from elementary to collegiate and professional sporting organizations to coaching interscholastic sports.
Regardless of the level of coaching position you seek, writing a good coaching resume requires attention to detail, organization, and following a proven plan of attack for completing the project with efficiency and quality top of mind.
So, if you're looking to create an engaging coaching resume template that you can use to apply to multiple positions or customize specifically for that dream job, this article will be beneficial. In the information below, we'll provide two coach resume examples for you to review.
We will also provide a plan for writing and editing your sports coaching resume, how to format the head or assistant coach resume, and the keywords that will help you gain that valuable interview.
Let's get started.
Sports Coach Resume Examples
A coaching position is typically awarded to a candidate with the right experience and education who is not afraid of pushing athletes to their limits. In most cases, these jobs are posted by individual institutions with hiring managers vs recruiters. They are also significantly judged on their level of success on and off the field. Nevertheless, before you have a chance to dazzle a general manager or educator during an interview, you've got to make an impression with your resume.
The problem most coaches struggle with is learning how to write and structure their coaching resumes. Should they use a coaching resume template – or is it best to free-form the resume for maximum impact? Does a high school coach's resume need to be different than a professional-level position? The truth is that all sports coaching resume documents should follow a similar structure but include relevant specifics and skills suited for those coaching positions.
Let's provide two coaching resume examples to explain what we're talking about. The first resume is for our mythical job candidate Herb Brooks, who is seeking a high school football coaching job. His 20+ years of experience provides a common path for many coaching candidates.
The other sample resume is from our second mythical job candidate – David Smith, a former MLB utility baseball player of 9-years. He has also been coaching at the high school baseball level for 8-years. Let's explore how these diverse coaching candidates explain their qualifications on their sample coaches resumes.
High School Football Coach Resume Sample
Our first resume sample is from Coach Herb Brooks, who is a former graduate of El Camino High School and is looking to join the team as the Varsity head coach. His resume is well-organized, easy to scan and read, and written in a conversational tone of voice. Still, it also includes a level of professionalism you'd expect from the head coach.
Essentially, his resume is a living example of his core coaching qualifications. It articulates his experience in high school football, including serving as an assistant head coach for a team in the same division as the El Camino Wildcat football team he wants to lead.
The resume includes a contact section, resume summary, work experience, education, skills, and references. Within his work experience section, he lists the former employer's location and name, dates of employment, and several bullet points of key accomplishments.
His education section lists his highest completed education and his high school diploma from the institution to which he has applied. He has also listed several critical interpersonal and hard skills that make him an exceptional leader of young men in high school.
Finally, he's added a few references from his previous employers – which lends credibility to his application as he has left each job with a solid positive impression.
High School Baseball Coach Resume Sample
The following sample coaching resume takes a different career path toward becoming a baseball coach. This is for our hypothetical high school baseball coaching candidate David – a former MLB professional baseball player with a career batting average of 0.288 (that's very good if you're not a baseball fan). He is a graduate of The University of Texas Austin. He has previous coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels.
When you review his entire resume, it's nearly a clone of Coach Brooks above. It has the same sections, but the content within is much different. While Coach Brooks focuses on his 20+ years of coaching experience to elevate his qualifications, David blends his coaching and professional playing experience into his resume.
Most coaching candidates have experience with the sport as players at some competitive level. Not everyone reaches the professional level. However, this is a critical job qualification, as it lends credibility to the coach – especially among younger players who compete in the same sport.
As you finish David's coaching resume, you'll also notice that he has listed his skills, references, and education.
How to Write a Good Resume for Sports Coach in 2024: Full Guide to Successful Sports Coaching Resume
Now that you've reviewed a few sample resumes above, it should be easier to organize and write a stunning resume. Like any other project, a well-written coaching resume will begin with an outline. We call this a master resume, which serves as a working document that can be added, edited, fine-tuned, and structured with ease.
A resume for a coaching position must be concise, well-organized, and easy to follow. You must have a good understanding of the sport you're hoping to coach (unless you're Ted Lasso), have exceptional motivational and educational skills, attention to detail, and be a strong communicator. These can be displayed in the way you format and write your resume – as well as the actual language you use.
Although different sports teams or schools require specific information to be included on your resume, these sections should always be added.
- Personal contact information
- Resume Summary
- Work History
- Education
- References
- Skills
These are the primary sections that we recommend creating for most coaching resumes. Again, suppose you're applying to a specific coaching job at an individual level. In that case, the job description may provide specific sections you should add.
To begin your resume writing project, open a new Word document (or Apple equivalent) and post those bullet points above – making a primary section for each. You'll add relevant details underneath each, so you can edit, optimize, and structure them before pasting them into a coaching resume template.
Section #1 – List Your Contact Information
Every coach must possess exceptional attention to detail regardless of their specialty or sport. In fact, the resume submitted for their coaching position is the first opportunity to showcase this crucial skill. Starting with accurate and consistent contact information on your resume – application, and cover letter is a great way to showcase this skill. This is what our coaching candidate Herb has done in his coaching resume.
Including your complete legal name, mailing address, email, and a mobile phone with SMS text services are recommended. It's also suggested that your mobile device be connected to your email – with a professional signature line. This will permit you to quickly reply to inquiries submitted by potential employers.
How to Format This Section
Coaching resume templates often allow you to format according to your preference or branding. Using one of these will save you from trying to fuss over each line.
If you choose not to use a template, ensure your design is clean and straightforward. You don't need to feel pressured to include your LinkedIn links, especially if it's a PDF document. If the company requests these details from you at any point, send them electronically with clickable links so that everything is easily accessible and accurate.
Section #2 – Professional Summary
Most job candidates consider the professional summary the hardest to write. The main reason for the trepidation is, simply put – overthinking this section. This section aims to explain why the candidate has the right experience or skills to succeed with the coaching duties they plan on assuming. But like most coaches advise – stop thinking about it – and just do it.
Let's review Coach Smith's resume opening statement. You'll notice from the starting blocks that he has personalized this section for the job he has directly applied. This is a massive advantage over other coaching candidates who will likely submit a generic resume. He has also added his relevant coaching experience, showcased his comprehensive experience in all phases of the sport, and provided some details about his professional playing career.
Finally, he ends the resume summary with a powerful statement about playing an emphasis on education – which is critical if he is going to be a great high school baseball coach.
How to Format this Section
According to professional resume writing guidelines, a resume or professional summary should be no longer than 200 words – or 4-5 sentences. Make sure you include action verbs in this part to have a professional tone and appearance while simultaneously including informal language that enhances your hard and soft skills - and showcases your personality. Consider this section a short elevator pitch to help you with your job search.
Section #3 – Employment History
Looking at a resume of an experienced coach will likely include (2) previous jobs that are relevant to the position they are seeking. If you'd like to be creative, consider renaming this section Relevant Experience. You can then list previously held positions where you've showcased coaching skills and expertise. This is especially helpful for first-time coaching candidates.
However, look at David Smith's resume. You'll see how he has infused his coaching experience and professional playing career. With his second inclusion, he has added a timeline – showing his entry draft status to the time he retired and started a non-profit organization that donated resources to local disabled military veterans.
How to Format this Section
Your employment history or relevant experience section should be reverse-chronologically formatted. What does that mean? Start with your most recent position and continue listing previous jobs in order. The best way to do this is by including the employer's name, location, job title, dates of employment, and a few key accomplishment bullet points.
Section #4 – Education
The great thing about becoming a coach is you can apply for positions without needing a professional degree (in most cases). Most coaching positions require a minimum of a high school diploma. Still, in some cases, especially if they hope to teach, they'll require a bachelor's degree.
You can see that Coach Brooks has added his bachelor's degree in Physical Education. However, since he is applying to the high school where he graduated, he has also listed this on his resume. This is a particular case and, again – a unique touch that might elevate your coaching candidacy against other applicants.
How to Format This Section
The best practices for resume writing suggest listing your highest completed education. Consider adding these in a separate Courses section if you have specific coaching education courses or critical training such as advanced coaching seminars.
Section #5 – References
A reference attests to your character, skillset, and professional ethic. They bolster your resume's credibility by supporting your qualifications, experience, and education. Coach Smith's resume is a great model for how your references should look.
Employers will likely contact your connections - especially in coaching positions. As a result, it's critical to choose people ready to help you in your job search. Here are some criteria for choosing good references from a coaching resume.
- Two professional references should be chosen. If you were a good employee in a previous coaching job, selecting a reference from there would be best. Another option would be to choose someone from the school or team you coached. Some organizations accept personal references, but most don't bother contacting them.
- Make sure they are available. If you select a reference, they must have the time to reply to an inquiry.
How to Format This Section
Best practices for references on any resume include the individual name and place of employment. You don't want to document their contact information on a resume for privacy reasons. Simply write "available on request" on the resume.
Section #6 – Skills
The skills section is often added to the sidebar of a resume. This is simplified when you utilize a professional coaching resume template. Within this section, you'll want to list the hard and soft skills you possess to help you succeed as a coach in the sport you specialize in.
These include strong leadership skills, team building, sports theory, mentorship, motivation, detail-oriented, and more. You can see that Coach Brooks has listed these among a few others on his football coaching resume. It might be a good idea to showcase other skills such as being first aid or CPR certified (if applicable) sportsmanship, mentoring each student-athlete, implementing educational programs, and rallying all team members.
How to Format This Section
Use a resume builder or template to help you format the skills section. While many consider them an afterthought or optional section, listing these skills will help – primarily if the company, school, or organization uses automated software that searches for key terms.
Related Resume Templates
Scouting is a vital skill as a coach in every sport. When you get an opportunity to see how others are playing, strategizing, or performing – you'll have a better chance to plan. You can even gain some valuable ideas to infuse into your game plan.
The same thing applies to resume writing. It's always a great idea to review other resumes to understand how they are written and formatted. We've taken the time to collect multiple resumes in several industries – all written by our team of professional resume writers.
Take time to review some coaching resume examples or some of the links below, so you can gain valuable insight into how professional resumes are written.
Sports Resume
Final Points on Creating a Resume for Coaching Position
A good coaching resume should be succinct, well-written, and have a smooth progression from start to end. You must create a case for yourself, explain why you're an excellent and trustworthy leader of people, and back it up with evidence throughout the resume. It should also be accompanied by a cover letter.
Here are a few more things to keep in mind.
- Proofread the resume aloud to make sure what you've written sounds natural and articulate.
- Make sure the resume has a smooth flow. Each section should lead to the next.
- Always write your resume on a plain white background with black font.
- Edit the document SEVERAL TIMES – through Grammarly or another online editing software and visual inspection.
- Finally, have a few peers review your coaching resume.
- Once all details have been wrapped up, feel free to paste the content into a coaching resume template - such as the ones we offer here at CVMaker.com.
Remember, it takes time to write a resume – and it should. The resume you build can make or break your opportunity to obtain the perfect job. Consider sprinkling those action verbs throughout your coaching resume (for software optimization). Don't be afraid to seek input from experienced coaches.