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How Athletic Experience Can Help You on the Job Market

This article highlights the importance of teamwork, competitive spirit, resilience, and discipline, and provides tips on how to promote athletic accomplishments on your resume. By being selective, specific, and making connections to job requirements, job seekers can stand out in a competitive job market by leveraging their athletic history.

By Mike SzczesnyPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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The job market can be just as competitive as the playing field. When job advertisements receive hundreds of applications, it is up to you to make your resume stand out. If you played sports in high school, college, or even recreationally, you might have a unique leg up on your competition. Done the right way, your athletic history can benefit your resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Leveraging Athletic Skills for Career Advancement: This highlights the traits and transferable skills people develop through sports participation and how these can improve career prospects.

• Teamwork: An easy decision. Being part of a team shows that you know how to work with others for a common goal, which employers want to see.

• Competitive spirit: Sometimes, a little competitive spirit is an advantage. If you know how to read your opponent and come out on top on the court, you can also bring that ability to the workplace.

• Resilience: Being resilient is a crucial part of succeeding in your career. No one wins every game, but knowing how to pick yourself up and move forward is important.

• Discipline: Most sports require a strong sense of discipline. In the workplace, this experience translates to an employee who's focused and goal-oriented.

Tips for Promoting Athletic Accomplishments on Your Resume: Advice on how to persuasively convey your accomplishments and experience in the sports industry on your resume to impress potential employers and stand out in the job market

1. Assessing Athletic Experience for Transferable Skills

Start by assessing your sports history. Make a list of your athletic career, the skills you built with each team, and any recognition you have earned. This can help you visualize the most important steps in your athletic career. Then, be selective with what you include on your resume. It is unnecessary to have a sixth-grade participation trophy. Still, a team leadership award from high school or crystal trophies that celebrate your achievements as a college athlete is impressive to hiring committees.

2. Highlighting Athletic Experience on Your Resume

Create a specific section on your resume for your athletic experience. Title this section something brief and professional, like "team experience" or "athletic career." Then, include a single entry for any experience you want to enter. Give each entry an obvious title that indicates the team, its affiliation (high school, college, or recreational play), the year(s) played, and any associated awards.

3. Connecting Athletic Abilities to Job Requirements

It's helpful to include a short entry (think a couple of lines) about your role on the team, especially if you can highlight relevant workplace skills. Potential employers want to know if you were a team captain, recognized for your team spirit or dedicated during the season. After all, these are skills that will add to their workplace team. A brief description under the relevant entry can go a long way in showing why you are suitable for the job.

Many of the skills you have built throughout your athletic career don't stay on the court—they can also be why you succeed in your working career. Let those skills be the difference between your resume and the rest in a stack of applications. When adding sports to your resume or CV, remember to be selective, include specifics, and make connections for the hiring committee.

Your athletic history can give you a competitive edge when looking for employment. By assessing your athletic experience for transferable skills, highlighting athletic experience on your resume, and connecting athletic abilities to job requirements, you can impress potential employers and stand out in the job market. So, don't hesitate to include your sports participation on your resume or CV, as it might just be the factor that sets you apart from other applicants.

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About the Creator

Mike Szczesny

I am the owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties, a dedicated supplier of employee recognition products, branded merchandise, and athletic awards. We help companies in expressing gratitude and appreciation to their employees.

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