Personal Trainer Resume Examples & Templates
- 30% higher chance of getting a job‡
- 42% higher response rate from recruiters‡
Our customers have been hired at:*Foot Note
Start by editing this personal trainer resume sample or explore our library of professional resume templates to find the best one for you.
Personal trainer resume example (text version)
Jared Kelsey
Miami, FL 33127
555 555 555
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Spirited personal fitness trainer with weight management expertise and the ability to motivate others toward accomplishing weight loss goals. Designs classes to match the skill and learning levels of all participants. Skilled in personal program development and individual life and body assessments.
Skills
- Fitness instruction
- Health and wellness
- Exercise program design
- Coaching
- Knowledge of human anatomy
- Nutrition principles
- Weight management
- Healthy living role model
Work History
May 2018 – Current
Crunch Fitness – Miami, FL
Personal Trainer
- Design specific workout systems for 30 individual clients based on performance ability.
- Provide clients with safe reasonable exercise to perform at home or at the gym.
- Train clients on a variety of strength training, cardiovascular exercises and stretching techniques.
September 2016 – March 2018
Planet Fitness – Miami, FL
Front Desk Associate
- Greeted 70+daily visitors upon arrival, offered assistance and answered questions to build rapport and retention.
- Increased membership enrollment by 20% using innovative sales and promotional techniques.
- Leveraged POS system to sell water, energy drinks, snacks and other gym items.
June 2015 – August 2016
Win-Dixie – Miami, FL
Cashier
- Replenished sales floor merchandise and organized shelves, racks and bins for optimal appearance.
- Completed sales in excess of $2,500 with a near-zero error rate using POS system.
- Checked prices for customers and processed items sold by scanning barcodes.
Education
May 2018
University of Miami Miami, FL
Bachelor of Arts Kinesiology
Important resume sections
Contact details
Add your contact information to the top of your resume so hiring managers can contact you for an interview. Include your full name, city and state, ZIP code, phone number and a professional email address. Add your LinkedIn profile and professional website if you have them.
Professional summary
A professional summary is where you introduce yourself and highlight your top qualifications for the job in three to five sentences.
A resume for a personal trainer should include a professional summary with job-relevant skills and one or two notable accomplishments from your past roles. Here is a personal trainer resume summary example:
“Highly motivated and results-driven personal trainer with over five years of experience designing and implementing fitness programs for clients of all ages and fitness levels. Skilled in conducting fitness assessments, providing one-on-one and group personal training sessions and creating customized workout plans to help clients achieve their fitness goals. Adept at building strong relationships with clients and providing exceptional customer service.”
If you have limited professional experience, we recommend using a resume objective instead of a professional summary. A personal trainer resume objective should focus on transferable skills such as effective communication and commitment to fostering a supportive environment.
Skills
It’s important to let potential employers know what skills you bring to the table. Create a separate personal trainer resume skills section using bullet points.
Just like our sample personal trainer resumes, include a mix of hard skills and soft skills, from human anatomy to leadership skills. The skills section of a personal trainer’s resume should include technical skills and interpersonal skills as well.
Here are some examples of the skills that a personal trainer could include on their resume:
- Knowledge of exercise science and anatomy.
- Ability to design effective workout plans for clients.
- Familiarity with different types of fitness equipment and exercises.
- Experience working with clients of all ages and fitness levels.
- Knowledge of nutrition and dietary guidelines.
- Ability to assess client’s fitness levels and track progress over time.
- Flexibility and adaptability in response to client’s needs and goals.
- Commitment to ongoing professional development and education in the field.
You can reference the personal trainer job description for resume skills that the employer is seeking.
Work history
Your resume must include an employment history section with your current and previous roles listed in reverse-chronological order. For each role, include the business names, locations and the dates you worked for each.
Use bullet points to highlight your job responsibilities, focusing on your accomplishments and how you have helped clients achieve their fitness goals.
Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible. For example, instead of saying “helped clients achieve their fitness goals,” you could say “helped clients lose an average of 10 pounds in eight weeks.”
If you’re writing a personal trainer resume with no experience, it’s acceptable to highlight any extracurricular activities, coursework, presentations, volunteer experience or community service.
Education
Hiring managers want to see your education credentials, so a resume for a personal trainer job must include an education section. See our guide on listing education on a resume for additional tips from career experts.
Add all the educational institutions you’ve attended after high school and display the names of the schools and the years that you graduated in reverse-chronological order using bullet points.
If you did not attend college, then list your high school information and the classes you’ve taken since graduating.
The education required to become a personal trainer can vary depending on the employer or certification organization. Some employers may require a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, kinesiology or a related field, while others may only require an accredited personal training certification.
While a degree in exercise science or a related field is not always required, it can provide a deeper understanding of exercise physiology, anatomy and nutrition and may be preferred by some employers.
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action words for your resume
Impactful action words strengthen resumes because they tell the hiring manager exactly what you did and convey confidence. Use them with numbers to make a more substantial impact.
Here’s a short list of perfect action words for a personal trainer resume:
- Evaluate
- Train
- Assess
- Instruct
- Counsel
- Motivate
- Plan
- Organize
- Lead
- Develop
- Create
Want more inspiration? We have 800+ resume examples to help you create a standout personal trainer resume.
Best skills for your resume
Review the job description carefully and match the required skills to the skills and traits that fit you. Your skills might include:
- Physical fitness
- Empathy
- Goal setting
- Motivation
- Persuasion
- Leadership
- First Aid / CPR
- Nutrition knowledge
- Friendly
- Leadership
- Communication
- Customer service
- Adaptability
- Patience
- Human anatomy
Need the perfect resume for a personal trainer job now? Our Resume Builder has all the tools you need to craft a professional resume in minutes! You can make edits as you go, download your finished resume and save it in multiple file formats.
Certifications for your resume
To become a certified personal trainer, most organizations require a high school diploma or equivalent, as well as CPR and AED certification. A resume for a certified personal trainer stands out from resumes for personal trainers who are not certified, so consider adding one to your professional toolkit.
Some of the most recognized personal training certifications include:
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
A nationally recognized personal trainer certificate proves you have the proper knowledge and skills to train others in physical fitness and helps limit liabilities in case of an injury or accident.
Certification programs typically require completion of a training program, which can be done online or in-person, and passing a certification exam. Continuing education is often required to maintain certification.
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
FAQ
What does a personal trainer resume look like?
The resume format you use — chronological, functional or combination — will also impact the look of your personal trainer resume.
The chronological format is useful if you have a strong work history in the fitness industry. The functional format is effective if you are entering the fitness industry for the first time or have gaps in your work history. The combination format is a good choice if you have a strong work history and specific skills you want to highlight.
Regardless of the format you choose, it is important to keep your resume clear and concise, using bullet points to highlight your skills and accomplishments. Be sure to include relevant keywords from the job description and tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for.
What to put under skills on a resume for a personal trainer?
When writing a resume for a personal trainer, it is important to highlight your skills and qualifications. Here are some skills to include under the skills section of your resume:
- Fitness assessments: The ability to perform fitness assessments to determine the client’s current fitness level, track progress and set goals.
- Program design: The ability to design and implement individualized exercise programs for clients based on their fitness level and goals.
- Nutrition coaching: The ability to provide basic nutrition advice and guidance to clients to support their fitness goals.
- Customer service: The ability to provide exceptional customer service, build rapport with clients and maintain long-term relationships.
- Technical skills: Proficiency in using fitness equipment and technology, such as heart rate monitors, fitness tracking apps and other fitness-related software.
- First Aid and CPR: A certification in First Aid and CPR, which is important for ensuring client safety.
Remember to tailor your skills section to the specific job you are applying for, emphasizing the skills that are most relevant to the position. Browse our personal trainer resume templates for additional skills section examples.
What are some tips for creating a resume for a personal trainer job?
Not all resumes are created equal. Here are our top tips for crafting a perfect personal trainer resume:
- Add separate sections for extra training, certifications, licenses and awards.
- Keep your resume short and to the point. If you have less than 10 years of experience, it should be one page long; if you have more than 10 years of experience, then it’s acceptable to have no more than two pages.
- Ensure your resume is formatted correctly, meaning margins should be one inch on all sides and line space should be single or 1.5 inches.
- Only use appropriate fonts, like Times New Roman, Arial or Helvetica, in 11-12 points on the body and 14-16 points on headers.
- Proofread your resume more than once before sending it to potential employers.
Check our guide on how to write a resume for additional guidance from career experts.
How do you list self-employment on a personal trainer resume?
When listing self-employment on a personal trainer resume, you should structure your work history the same way but note that the roles were self-employed. For instance, write “self-employed personal trainer” instead of “personal trainer.”
Use your self-employment experience to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. This could include skills such as program design, client communication and sales.
Ensure that you are honest about your self-employment and provide any necessary documentation to support your work experience.
Best practices
- Use measurable achievements to describe your personal trainer abilities and experience. For example, “Successfully trained and coached 100+ clients to achieve their fitness goals, resulting in a 90% success rate.”
- Use action words — such as motivated, developed or trained — to make an impact on your personal trainer resume.
- Tailor your resume to your target personal trainer job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your personal trainer resume. For example, “strength training,” “client assessment” and “group fitness instruction.”
- Format your personal trainer resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Don’t lie about your personal trainer experience and skills.
- Don’t boast that you’re the “best personal trainer ever.” Instead, include concrete examples of important skills such as injury prevention, goal setting and nutrition planning.
- Don’t include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Don’t add skills and experience that do not pertain to personal trainers. Instead focus on relevant skills like personalized coaching, scheduling and fitness equipment knowledge.
- Don’t forget to proofread. A personal trainer resume with errors is unprofessional.
Interview tips
Learn about the fitness center.
It’s vital to take the time to learn about the gym or fitness center’s goals, values and people before the interview. Doing so conveys interest, passion and commitment — traits that can set you above the competition. Plus, having a glimpse of the company culture early on will help you know what to expect and can give you a confidence boost.
Look into the gym’s services and programs to ensure they align with your training style and experience. For example, if you specialize in weight training, you may want to look for a gym that offers a comprehensive weight training program.
Research the gym’s clientele to determine if it is a good fit for your target audience. For example, if you specialize in training athletes, you may want to look for a gym that caters to athletes and sports enthusiasts.
Practice at home.
Practice really does make perfect. To practice for your interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
- What’s your proudest accomplishment?
- Why did you choose this career?
And some possible behavioral questions include:
- Give me a specific example of a time you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem
- Tell me about a time when you were forced to think on your feet
- Give me an example of a time when you took the initiative
Write down two or three possible answers as you review potential questions, then review them with a friend or a family member in a mock interview so you can get comfortable with the questions and memorize your answers.
Practice for job-specific questions that you might be asked, such as:
- How do you keep clients motivated and accountable toward achieving their goals?
- How do you adapt your training approach for clients with different fitness levels and abilities?
- Can you give an example of a difficult situation you faced with a client and how you handled it?
- Can you describe your approach to nutrition and how you incorporate it into your training programs?
- How do you handle client injuries or health concerns while training?
Ask questions.
You should always have at least three questions ready to ask every job interview you encounter; those who do tend to get hired more often than those who don’t because they show motivation, keen interest and thoughtfulness.
Some questions you might ask for a personal trainer job are:
- Can you tell me more about the training facilities and equipment that I would be working with?
- What are your expectations for the first 90 days?
- How does the company approach developing and implementing personalized training plans for clients?
- What kind of growth opportunities are available for trainers within the company?
Gather references.
You’ll need professional references quickly if the hiring manager offers you the job after the interview. Having them ready will save you stress and time, so prepare a list of two former colleagues and a former manager who are willing to speak to your abilities to perform the job of a personal trainer and who you know will give you a stellar review.
CV examples for the next step in your fitness nutrition career
How we reviewed this article
Since 2013, we have helped more than 15 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Fitness Trainers and Instructors
- GYM DESK. Article. Theunissen, Steve. 12 Skills You Need to Be a Personal Trainer
- Trainer Academy. Article. Personal trainer job outlook 2023 – How’s the future looking?
Rate this article
Personal Trainer Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
More Articles by Nilda Melissa Diaz, CPRW