Personal Trainer Resume Sample

1. Certifications look fresh on paper.

Regardless of your actual ability to train clients, having concrete certifications will 1) open doors to teach classes, 2) increase your potential earnings, and 3) make you (and your resume) look professional. Successfully completing programs like the ACE personal trainer certification can help solidify yourself as a qualified candidate.

If you’re qualified already, great — list your qualifications on your resume! If not, then think about some basic ones (like CPR & First Aid) and get them– they will go a long way in helping you land an interview. Some gyms will require particular certificates for a candidate to qualify, so keep that in mind when tackling the application process.

2. Use a resume profile to make a quick first impression.

Resume profiles are a great way to show your qualifications, experiences and abilities in a nice, compact package at the start of your resume. They are particularly useful for a personal trainer because they give you a chance to highlight certifications, personal achievements, areas of physical fitness you excel in, as well as your experience working as a trainer. A resume profile targets four key areas:

Your first line (or bullet) must outline your experience. You are trying to give the hiring manager a quick look at who you are here, and your experience is an ideal way to start. If you lack experience you can mention your educational background as a solid alternative, but experience is the way to go if you have it. Something like the following looks good –

• ACE certified personal trainer with 11+ years of experience working with clients at gyms and fitness centers

Next should be your area of expertise. This information is essential for personal trainers because their specializations and qualifications will often vary. Show the hiring manager quickly what your strongest suits are.

• Corrective Exercise Specialist with NASM certification, having worked with hundreds of clients on optimizing posture, joint movement and breathing techniques

Third comes your skill-set. That includes certifications and any skill you think is relevant to personal training. If you’re not sure what skills should be placed on your resume, our skills section guide is a good resource to check out.

• CPR certified, competent using multiple types of client scheduling software & applications, comfortable teaching group classes as well as private clients

Finally put down your greatest achievements as a personal trainer. These should be focused on your ability to retain clients, your ability to help clients achieve goals (using numbers), the total clients you’ve worked with over the years or the impact you’ve had on the gym’s finances.

• Highest client retention rate (85%) during my three years at Eagle Fitness, where I consistently helped the gym exceed its financial targets every month on the job

In case you’ve never written one before or just want a refresher, our writing guide can help you put together a strong resume profile and bulk up your resume.

3. Use numbers to show your flexibility.

Not physical flexibility in this case (although that’s important for a personal trainer too) – I’m talking about the ability to work with 80-year-old New Year’s Resolution warriors as well as the young and fit. In your resume, demonstrate this flexibility using numbers that highlight the diversity of your client base, like we’ve done below –

To get more concrete, quantifiable information (numbers) on your resume, ask yourself the following questions:

• How many total clients have I worked with over the years?
• What was the age range of my clients?
• How many classes did I teach per week?
• Did I do anything to improve the gym’s efficiency or finances? (our example: “implemented scheduling software that helped increase our client base by 20%”)
• What percentage of my clients reached their goals?
• How long did it take my clients to reach their goals?

If you can answer these questions with solid numbers, be sure to include them on your resume. Numbers are your ally because they help establish your competency as a trainer.

Would you like to start putting together your resume? Feel free to download some of our free resume templates. You can also use our resume generator and build a resume in minutes.