If you missed Part 1, go back and read the post here.
In Part 1 of our athletic training resume guide, best practices and formatting of resumes were discussed. Now, let’s break down each part of your resume piece by piece.
The Header
Line 1: Your name (28 pt font)
We all know that the first thing on your resume is your name. Your name is the most important piece of information on your resume because it’s how a recruiter is going to remember you. It should stand out and be easy to read. It should also be the largest thing on your resume. I suggest using the same regular font style throughout your resume. The only thing that is different about the heading font is that it is a few sizes larger than the rest of the text.
Line 2: Mailing Address (12 pt font)
A recruiter looks at a candidate’s mailing address to see if relocation or commuting costs will factor into salary negotiations.
A friend of mine used his grandparents’ address when he was applying for jobs in Texas when he lived in New York. If you’re able to pull this off, try to do the same if you are applying to jobs outside of your state.
Line 3: Mobile Number | Email Address | Short LinkedIn URL (12 pt font)
This is self-explanatory.
Important Note: I really don’t think I needed to state what I am about to say, but from some of the resumes I’ve received it seems many young professionals do not know this email fact… Be sure you list a PROFESSIONAL email address. Most employers won’t look twice at a candidate whose email is hawtty8026@hotmail.com
Keep it boring. Stick with the below formatting or something similar. If you have a common name, adding a number at the end isn’t a huge issue typically, but avoid it if you can:
- lastname.firstname@gmail.com
- firstname.lastname@gmail.com
- firstinitial.lastname@gmail.com
Avoid using old-school email providers, such as aol.com. In today’s tech-savvy world, even for those who may not spend much time on a computer, if a recruiter sees an older email provider they may believe you’ll need additional assistance with certain tasks, such as learning a new EMR system.
Line 4: Personal Website URL | Any Additional Online Portfolio Link
Finally, I highly recommend including a link to your professional online website if you have one.
Your website should include an about page, any research, contact information, a blog if you write and links to social media profiles, assuming you have cleaned up your digital footprint.
To add the Objective or to not add the Objective… That is the question
The next section is going to be brief because I don’t believe you should include an objective on your resume. There probably won’t be much room anyway since you’re only supposed to have a one-page resume. In a prior post, I mentioned that including an objective statement could potentially lead recruiters to pass on your resume if the position doesn’t match, or if the position you’ve applied for has been filled but another position is available and doesn’t match as well. Don’t limit yourself.
If you insist on writing an objective statement (or perhaps you’re writing a resume for your coursework and it’s required) on your resume, I recommend you use a personal brand statement. A personal brand statement summarizes any of the following:
- Skills, qualities, or characteristics that make you distinct from other applicants
- Your accomplishments
- Noteworthy personal traits
- Problems you can solve for your employer
Here is an example:
Delivering excellence in evidence-based, patient-centered care, managing risk, and improving the quality and caliber of operations.
The Takeaways:
- The Objective Statement is outdated. Remove it.
- If you MUST keep something in its place, write a personal branding statement
Your Skills
On your resume, the skills section is not mandatory, but I recommend adding it. When choosing between an objective statement or a skills section then definitely go with listing your skills.
Why?
- Bullet points are easier to understand.
- Qualifications and skills are easily quantifiable.
Types of skills
- Job-related: These are skills relevant to the job you are applying for. In athletic training, this is often specialty certifications, such as being a CPR instructor.
- Transferable: Skills that you can use in different roles and positions are transferable skills because you “transfer” them from one position to another. A good amount of transferable skills will also be known as “soft skills.”
Top 10 transferable skills:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Organization
- Learning
- Computer/Technology
- Listening
- Creativity
- Leadership
Quantify
Quantifying your skills means putting a number on your achievements.
In my skills section, for example, I quantify how many years I have been utilizing a particular EHR software:
- 10 years experience working with Epic EHR
Don’t worry if you do not have any quantifiable skills just yet.
Customize
You should have a few different resumes so that you can quickly and effectively apply to jobs online or send a resume to a contact easily.
For instance, I have three resumes.
- Athletic training resume – clinical focus
- Athletic training resume – teaching/continuing education development focus
- Athletic training resume – research focus
An easy way to do this is to copy and paste each job description you want to focus on into a Word doc, then highlight the skills repeated throughout. Add these repeated skills (that you actually have) into your skills section.
Length
Keep your skills section short. Include anywhere between 8–15 of your strongest and most desirable skills. How many you add depends upon your experience, capabilities, and job description.
Good Bullet Points vs. Bad Bullet Points
Repeat after me: Cliches = No. Small, interesting stories = Yes.
Your skills section should be written in mini-stories. Instead of saying strong communication skills, say you improved your sports medicine department’s scheduling system. This statement fits within a bullet point and it says a lot about you. A great bullet point tells the recruiter what you have already accomplished.
Bad Skill Examples
- Results-oriented professional
- Excellent communication skills
- Proven track record of success
- Bottom line-oriented
- Self-motivated
- Team player
- Strong negotiation skills
Bad to Better
- Financially savvy > Spent four days tracking down missing inventory
- Work well under pressure > Professionally managed COVID-19 routine testing
- Excellent working with patients > Implemented an injury prevention program for the volleyball team
Must-Have Skills
According to Forbes, these are the six most desired skills that employers want to see on applicants’ resumes.
- Ability to work in a team structure
- Ability to Verbally Communicate with Persons Inside and Outside the Organization
- Ability to Make Decisions and Solve Problems
- Ability to Obtain and Process Information
- Ability to Plan, Organize and Prioritize Work
- Ability to Analyze Quantitative Data
Get to know your skills
Only you can figure out what your abilities are and what you bring to the table. Reflect on former experiences to get a list going. To make this process easier for you, I’m going to guide you through the steps of finding your best qualities and skills
- Conduct a brain dump: Open a notebook or a Google Doc and just “dump” all of your achievements from:
- School
- Work (professional, internships, etc.)
- Volunteer work
2. In addition to your achievements, “dump” (in the same doc) all of the computer programs, specialties, certifications, transferable skills, etc. that are relevant to your resume.
For example:
- Microsoft Office
- EHR system
- Dry needling
3. Reflect on these items. Go through your achievements, and begin writing or typing which skills you used to achieve the items on your list.
4. Create a spreadsheet of your skills. Open a Google Sheet or an Excel Spreadsheet, and label the columns as follows:
- Skill (Noun)
- Action (Verb)
- Metric
A) Start with the “Skill” column. List all of your skills in this column. Try to list 10 at the very minimum.
B) Next, add the action. Add an action to correspond with each of your skills
C) Quantify each skill. Think money, time, and amounts. Here are some examples:
- Managed a supplies budget of $10,000
- Created an injury prevention program for a basketball team
- Developed an inventory system that reduced waste by 10%
The last step is to remove as many unnecessary words as possible.
It is important that you take your time in the skills section if you want the best results. The reflection process takes time and effort but will benefit you on your resume and job hunt in the future.
Work Experience
No matter what they say, prior work experience is the most important thing to employers. Make this section count.
Your work experience can be divided into sections based on either:
- Your skills
- Dates you were employed
The most common way to order your experience is chronological (dates you were employed) listing your latest position at the top.
What to Include:
The following information should be included:
- Job Title
- Company name
- Dates of employment (Month Year-Month Year)
- City, State
NOTE: I will show you how to format your entire resume at the end of this post. For the time being, just focus on writing it down.
Bullet Points
The most important part of each work experience entry is the three to five bullet points you write for each job.
You want to make sure your bullet points are substantial — not fluffy. Be sure to quantify your achievements.
Here are a few bullet point tips:
- Start each bullet with an action verb
- Use words, such as create, discover, provide, organize, collaborate, etc.
- Use a maximum of three to four bullet points per description
- Make sure your verbs match tenses — for example, don’t use “begin” for your first bullet point and then “used” for your second
- Do NOT put a period at the end of each bullet point
Volunteer Work
There is a likelihood that most of you have limited to no work experience. Don’t feel bad! We all had little to no experience when we started too. Volunteering for a non-profit organization is a great way to gain experience for your resume.
Where should I volunteer?
You might be wondering where you can volunteer. Which non-profits will look best on your resume? It is not about where you volunteer so much, but what you do during your volunteer time. Volunteer at events or for organizations that will give you good experience and transferable skills you can put on your resume. Volunteering is also a great way to begin networking.
Education
We’re now at the tail end of your resume – the education section. This is the easiest section to complete because it is the least important and usually has the least content. Here is what you should include:
What to Include:
- University name
- Degree type and major
- Estimated Graduation Date (Month Year)
- Location
NOTE: Do NOT add your entire education history all the way back to elementary school. Include your most recent degree. Bachelors degree and up only.
Additional Sections
The following resume sections are optional or for those with little to no relevant job experience.
Coursework/Continuing Education
The coursework section is specifically for people currently enrolled in school or new graduates with little to no relevant work experience.
Formatting If you are going to include your coursework then add it into your education section. Add bullet points under your education information, and list your relevant courses or special certifications. Only include coursework that is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Awards & Clubs
If you won an award(s) or are a member of a professional association/club then you should include that information. Change the skills section to “Skills, Honors & Clubs” and add bullet points. Skills should be grouped with the skills; honors with honors; and memberships/clubs with memberships/clubs.
References
Including references on a resume is not the proper way to format your resume. Typically hiring managers will ask for your references once the interview is complete, or there will be a section on your application to enter your references. You should only include references in two instances:
- You have a lot of empty space on the first page of your resume
- The job posting asks for you to include references specifically
NOTE: Even if the recruiter asks for references with your application, I recommend including a separate document with this information.
What Does an “Attractive” Resume Look Like?
An ugly resume, which is not properly formatted, will hold you back from being contacted by recruiters and hiring managers just as much as a poorly written resume will.
While some job seekers create unique and creative resumes to stand out and show off their skills (I’m looking at you, Marketing majors), these types of resumes are not for everyone.