Counsel
Athlete CV
This tool assists to support an athlete with their job application. By using the tool, the writing of a professional CV and the development of an athlete profile on Linkedin is facilitated.
The CV is possibly the most important piece of information in the athlete’s search for employment. It gives a potential employer a first impression of whether the candidate can fit to the employment description and what they can achieve in their work. The CV should therefore give an interesting picture of the athlete’s personality and career path. It must be clear, precise, concrete, and tailored to the job posting, so that the employer immediately recognises what the athlete has to offer and, most importantly, wants to meet him or her. There are no hard rules on how to write a CV and it is worth keeping in mind that each candidate’s profile is unique. In this regard, it is essential that the athlete is aware of their strengths and knows how to translate them to the employer’s core requirements for the specific application.
In addition, LinkedIn is a business orientated social media platform known as the foundation to achieving long-term career success. Athletes can open their profile to allow recruiters view, can search and apply for jobs, and can build a network with people within their career interests. Whether athlete students transitioning into corporate jobs or professional athletes seeking partnerships with brands or preparing for retirement; today, LinkedIn is an essential tool to open global opportunities and connections which can facilitate with all athlete transitions.
This is where the tool Athlete CV comes into play. It helps athletes develop and display a professional brand in 2 different formats to land that elusive first job interview. The tool can be used stand-alone or in combination with Super Powers.
Follow the instructions to apply this tool and browse our manifold resources to find out more about the addressed topic.
The CV for Athletes Checklist (pdf) is connected to a 3-step-process to help an athlete prepare a professional CV. The first step involves a discussion with the athlete about the CV, its purpose and its role in the job application as well as the identication of the athlete’s informal competences. Step 2 pays respect to the fact that each CV is unique to the person writing it. However, we all need a little inspiration. It can, therefore, be helpful to see real-life examples of CVs to develop an idea of what one’s own CV can look like before writing the own unique piece in step 3.
The LinkedIn for Athletes Checklist (pdf) provides a check box to facilitate the creation of a powerful athlete profile on the social media platform.
- Discuss the crucial functions of the CV in nowadays’ labour market with the athlete. Use the STARTING 11 Dictionary to explain the importance of informal competences in the labour market. Help the athlete understand that in addition to their education and potential job experiences, their sporting career has helped them to develop many informal competences that are very demanded on the job market. Instruct the athlete to identify those informal competences that they perceive to have gathered in their educational, professional and sporting careers. When tailoring the CV for a specific application, the athlete should carefully consider which competences developed in their sporting career could put them ahead of others applying for the job. The tool Super Powers can assist in this process.
- Make the athlete research CV examples. National job agencies, school and university career services are often a very useful source of reference. In the next counselling session, discuss with the athlete what the strengths and weaknesses of the researched CVs are.
- Provide the CV for Athletes Checklist (pdf) to the athlete as an aid to create their own unique CV. Make sure that the athlete understands that is very important to proofread the CV in terms of spelling, appearance, and content. The athletes can use the checklist to review their finished CV. Once every box on the checklist can be ticked, the Athlete CV is ready for use.
- Before helping the athlete create their LinkedIn profile, review the CV together and identify their unique skills, qualifications, experiences and achievements. Discuss the vision the athlete has for their profile and identify the theme they would like to represent. For example, do they want their athletic success to be at the forefront or prefer their profile to show another side to them. This can be started by deciding on their profile photo and their headline. Here are some questions you might ask the athlete: What is the most important/unique elements about you? What do you want your brand to look like? What profile and background picture would you like to choose and why? What titles do you have and which are the most important for this platform (e.g., athlete, consultant, accountant, student, graduate, champion, professional etc.)?
- Use the athlete’s updated CV, the LinkedIn for Athletes Checklist (pdf) and the “In practice” section below to support the athlete in creating their LinkedIn profile. Remember, LinkedIn is powered my algorithms where wording is very important. Ensure the athlete includes strong action verbs throughout which displays their skill and attributes. Also, use language that is relevant to the athletes’ field of study or career interest (e.g., scientific tools or techniques and relevant business terms).
- Once the core steps have been completed using the tool headings, encourage the athlete to become more creative by adding more detail, linking media to their profile, making connections with relevant users, following relevant companies, request to join relevant groups of interest or start engaging in the daily feed.As LinkedIn prioritises most relevant over most recent, encourage the athlete to engage and connect with purpose. They should also continuously aim to improve and add to their profile.
- Athlete 365: Why companies are looking for athletes
- English Institute of Sport: Athlete CV Writing Guide
- European Union: Europass creator
- STARTING 11: Athlete profile – LinkedIn meets CV
- Photofeeler.com
- Le Gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (2021): How to write my CV and Cover Letter. URL: https://adem.public.lu/en/demandeurs-demploi/postuler/rediger-son-cv.html
- University of Oxford (2021): CVs. URL: https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/cvs/#/
- Adecco (2021): Job seeker advice and career tips. URL: https://www.adecco.lu/en-gb/job-seeker-tips/
This tool was created in collaboration with NUI Galway.
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
In practice
The tool "Athlete CV" in action: See real-life examples of its application in EU dual career practice.