In the competitive sports career market, a resume that connects with a prospective employer is as important as a third base coach’s ability to send signals to the hitter.
As someone who has been in the position to make a few hiring decisions or assist in those decisions over the years, I thought I’d share some of the common problems I’ve seen with resumes and some ideas for improving your resume.
I will outline what I think some problems I’ve seen with resumes and then suggest some changes.
My Problem with the Long Resume
I already have a lot of work to do but I need to read a half-dozen resumes that have been forwarded to me from human resources. These resumes have met the basic job requirements.
The first resume I pick up is four pages long. I suspect this person is trying to stand out by suggesting they have accomplished so many things that it requires four pages to express. I tend to think, “Why couldn’t this person express their accomplishments in one or two pages?” When it comes time to make decisions about time management, I suspect this person will struggle. I also suspect this person will have difficulty concentrating on the most important aspects of their job.
Solution: Take the time to edit your resume down to a page or two. If you have just been adding new elements to an older resume, take the time to eliminate aspects of the resume that are no longer as important. If three or four related items can be reduced to a single line, make that change.
My Problem with the Rambling Resume
This is similar to the long resume problem but this has more to do with organization. Again in reading this resume, I may not have time to make sense of what it is trying to say. It may start with a job that has little to do with a sports career. Perhaps there is some more pertinent information on the person’s qualifications further down in the resume but I may not make it down that far.
It’s not that I’m too lazy to read a resume, it’s just that an unorganized presentation fails to catch my attention. I’m thinking, “Maybe the next resume will grab me.”
Solution: In reducing resume length, you will be forced to organize your resume. Place the most important experiences and accomplishments at the top of your resume. In each category, list the most important accomplishments first. I like categories that I can easily break down, for instance “Work experience,” “Education,” and “References.” Take the most important experience in each category and highlight your accomplishments, specific to a sports career.
Grammar, Typos
When I read a resume with typos, I wonder how committed a person is to a given position. If they don’t care enough to present a mistake-free resume, I wonder how much effort they will put into job tasks.
Solution: After you have completed your resume and completed proofreading it, put it away for a day or two. Now read it again. Fresh eyes are more likely to pick up on some mistakes.
Also note that reading an actual sheet of paper as opposed to a computer screen can help in fine-tuning a resume. If possible, give the resume to someone you trust, or a teacher, or even a friend. Encourage them to be critical in reviewing your resume. Their eyes may pick up on problems that you missed.
This approach also will help with organizational issues. Your fresh eyes and the eyes of others will provide some ideas to move your resume up a notch or two.
Bland Resume
In hiring a person to write about sports, I pay special attention to the listing of interests. Is this a person who loves sports? On occasion I would see a resume that suggests a person could write but little information on their love of sports. Knowing the hours involved in sports writing, I would wonder if this person would put their heart into sports writing.
I think such passion is needed in most sports careers.
Solution: Think about the position you are applying for. First of all, in sports careers, it should be something you are passionate about or a position that could lead to a position you’re passionate about. Now express that passion.
If you are looking to land a job selling corporate sponsorships, list your previous sales. Highlight the sales that the employer can see would tie into the new position. If you don’t have job-specific experience, your hobbies become even more important.
Lack of Clarity
In reading resumes, it is common to read about accomplishments. Sometimes it can all sound very similar. “Improved community sports page,” is nice, but I’m not exactly sure what that means.
Solution: If you have the needed information to be specific in expressing your accomplishments, include these details. “Edited community sports page, which was awarded an Associated Press award of excellence,” is specific and is much more likely to register.