Lifeguard Resume

You may know how to rescue a swimmer in distress, but do you know how to put together a job-winning resume?

Before diving head-on into your skills and experience, use these three tips to write a lifeguard resume that convinces employers you’re the right person to respond to aquatic emergencies:

1. Highlight your lifeguard training and certification

Lifeguards ensure the safety of others — from monitoring poolside activities and training safe swimming practices to responding to emerging situations at the beach. To qualify for a lifeguard job, you must have the formal training and certifications that prove you can keep swimmers safe in aquatic environments.

An impressive lifeguard resume highlights your lifeguarding experience, situational awareness, risk assessment, rescue skills, and knowledge of first aid.

Your resume should highlight your lifeguard and first aid training, CPR certification, and automated external defibrillator (AED) knowledge. To show employers you meet their basic requirements, list key technical skills in your resume skills section, and important certifications in the education or certifications section.

Here are other important lifeguard hard skills employers look for:

• Swimming proficiency
• EMS communication
• Swimmer identification
• Surveillance techniques
• Infant CPR
• Rescue techniques
• Evaluating water conditions
• Identifying potential hazards
• Knowledge of on-site protocols, operational procedures, and water safety policies
• Enforcing pool regulations

To show employers you’re their ideal lifeguard candidate, you should also highlight these skills in your work experience section.

Here are examples of how to showcase some of these skills in your work experience bullet points:

• Implemented effective policies and procedures for safe and secure management of 700 sq. ft. pool with an average of 150-200 visitors at a time
• Delivered exceptional customer service to 200+ pool patrons daily
• Ensured 100% safety and security of guests, leveraging expertise in first aid, physical fitness, and quick life-saving decisions
• Rescued troubled persons using a variety of rescue techniques and equipment while instructing them in swimming and other recreational activities

2. Achieve the ideal lifeguard resume length

When hiring for a lifeguard, employers are mostly interested in hearing about your skills, experience, and certifications. To keep employers engaged, you’ll need to achieve the ideal resume length, which also makes it easier for them to assess your qualifications.

A one-page resume is generally considered most effective for lifeguard jobs — not to mention, it’ll make your job application much more appealing for a hiring manager who has countless applicants to review. The only exception to this rule would be if you need the extra space to showcase 10+ years of lifeguarding experience.

Here are some ways to achieve the ideal lifeguard resume length:

• Customize your resume to the job. Take a closer look at the job posting and modify your resume bullet points to showcase key skills employers are seeking.
• Include relevant information only. For instance, your graphic design skills won’t do much for your job application when applying to a rescue position.
• In your work experience, focus on your achievements and use strong action verbs to make your contributions sound more significant. For example, “Implemented effective policies and procedures for safe and secure management of 700 sq. ft. pool with an average of 150-200 visitors at a time.”
• Use lifeguard-related keywords throughout your resume, such as Pool Management, Aquatics, Instruction, and Lifeguard Training Certificate.

3. Emphasize your soft skills

As a lifeguard, you’ll spend your time supervising aquatic activities, enforcing safety regulations, and providing emergency care. Though employers will prioritize your technical skill-set, your hard skills aren’t everything when it comes to preventing and responding to emergencies.

To prove there’s no better person for the job, emphasize a good mix of hard and soft skills in your resume bullet points.

Here are key soft skills that’ll complement your lifeguard training:

• Empathy
• Alertness
• Decision-making
• Attention to detail
• Leadership skills
• Patience
• People skills
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Physical fitness
• Problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking
• Adaptability
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations

And here are some examples of how to showcase these skills in your resume bullet points:

Oversaw 100+ swimmers, identifying emergencies, delivering support, and ensuring compliance with all safety policies and procedures

Utilized medical supplies and equipment to examine injured persons and administer first aid/cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Warned recreational participants of inclement weather, unsafe areas, and illegal conduct