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What To Highlight In A Personal Trainer Resume

Any professional resume you write will have specific skills and experience that you should outline and emphasize. This will ensure that you highlight any requirements listed in the job description, which will help you land a job as a personal trainer. Here are some examples of what you should highlight in your personal trainer resume:

  • That you are a certified personal trainer
  • Knowledge of first aid
  • Basic understanding of exercise science and cardiovascular fitness
  • Experience with nutrition plans and knowledge of fitness levels

Personal Trainer Resume

Structure Of A Personal Trainer Resume

  • Functional: This resume structure allows you to hone in on the skills that make you a valid candidate for this role.
  • Chronological: This resume format allows you to center your resume around your work experience and is an advisable format if you have lots of experience in personal training.
  • Combination: If you have a good mixture of skills, education and experience, then it would be good to choose this combination structure to ensure you cover all relevant information that you have.

No matter which resume you choose, you will still need to include the following information and sections in your resume:

  • Contact information
  • Personal statement
  • Work experience
  • Skills section
  • Education section

Header

When creating the perfect resume, it is essential to include a header highlighting your contact details. This section will be situated at the top of your resume, ensuring that recruiters can quickly find ways to contact you. Remember to include:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Location
  • Professional portfolio links

Resume Summary

A resume summary is a quick and easy way to summarize your most relevant achievements and experience to grab the attention of the hiring manager. An example of an effective summary is:

"Motivational and determined personal trainer with four years of experience in leading fitness classes and tailoring nutrition programs to individual client needs."

Skills

Any resume must contain a skill section structured with bullet points. Having a bulleted list allows recruiters to skim through your skills and evaluate whether you have a suitable and sufficient skill set that meets their requirements. You should include technical and soft skills to ensure you hit different categories of skills. Here are some examples:

  • Great people and communication skills
  • Patience
  • Motivational skills to ensure you meet client goals
  • Ability to perform fitness assessments
  • Knowledge of different types of training sessions, from pilates, strength training, cardio sessions, and aerobics.
  • Knowledge of fitness programs that aid in weight loss and help client base achieve fitness goals
  • Attention to detail
  • Positive attitude
  • Determination to understand clients' individual needs

Work Experience

Your work experience section should cover experience that can relate to a personal trainer job, and many roles have transferable skills that you can apply to being a personal trainer. When covering your work history, be sure to go in reverse chronological order. This means that you will first cover your most relevant/recent experience, with your past experience positioned at the bottom of your resume.

Education

Although having a bachelor's degree and extensive education isn't required to become a personal trainer, you will most likely have some experience in education or training that you can include in an education section. In addition, many recruiters will seek NASM-certified personal trainers or those with a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology. So, list any relevant certifications and education experience you have!

Do's and Don'ts

  • Use a resume builder or personal trainer resume sample to ensure you follow a professional resume format.
  • Include work experience with valuable transferable skills such as communication and customer service.
  • Use bulleted lists for your skill section so recruiters can quickly skim through your resume.
  • Include social media unless they directly relate to being a fitness instructor or personal trainer.
  • Write long sentences that take time to read and understand.
  • Discuss any private information about previously trained clients.

FAQ: Personal Trainer Resumes

To further elaborate on your skills and experience, it is advisable that you include a cover letter within your personal trainer application. In your cover letter, you will be able to explain when you used the skills you speak about in your resume, providing your hiring manager with evidence.

If you don't have a lot of experience in personal training, then you can change up your resume to fit your experience by picking a format that suits you. For example, if you have many required skills for becoming a personal trainer from following exercise programs, you should choose a functional structure.

You should always thoroughly read the job description for each personal trainer job you are applying for and highlight the keywords in each job description. From here, you should use the required skills and experience and insert them into your resume, guaranteeing you have tailored your resume to suit the job in question.