THE STUDENT-ATHLETE’S RÉSUMÉ

ATHLETES WANTED

C H R I S K R A U S E

High School Edition

CHAPTER 7

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ThE STUDENT-aThLETE’SRÉSUMÉ

ChApTER

7

AnY tiMe student-Athletes mail or email letters or packages to coaches, they should send a résumé, also called an athletic profile or, when verified by an objective third-party, a verified scouting report.

The résumé should include the following information about the student-athlete:

First and last name1.

Contact details: home address, email, cell phone, website2.

School and graduation year 3.

Sport and position, including home and away colors 4.

Grade-point average on 4.0 scale 5.

Academic honors 6.

Community involvement7.

Academic clubs8.

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AThLETES WANTED

Athletic statistics9.

Athletic accomplishments and honors10.

Club, combine, showcase, or camp involvement11.

Links to online highlight or skills video12.

References from coaches 13.

Picture14.

The basic rules of a résumé apply. Hard copies should be on good-

quality paper. Regardless of whether the résumé is being delivered via email or hard copy, the résumé should be easy-to-read, free of typos, and well-formatted.

Résumés should also be an accurate representation of the student’s abilities and statistics. Some student-athletes are tempted to over-exag-gerate their abilities, height, or weight in an attempt to make them more attractive candidates for a spot on a college team. This is a big mistake. College coaches are already skeptical about résumés because they are self-reported. If one piece of information is incorrect, coaches will assume all of it is false. Coaches will eventually discover the athlete’s actual abilities and stats, and they will be quick to eliminate for future consideration any student-athlete who lacks integrity.

c o a c h ’ s t i P“Havingtheaccurateheightandweightcanbeasvaluableashavinganaccurate40-yardtime,”saidacoachfromtheUniversityofNotreDame.

ThE HOW TO GUiDE DURiNG hiGh SChOOL 225

An alternative to the résumé is called a “verified scouting report.” Veri-fied scouting reports are athletic profiles created by objective scouting services (for instance, the NCSA Student-Athlete Clearinghouse). In essence, they contain the same information as résumés, but, because they are controlled by a third party, coaches place more weight on veri-fied scouting reports than they do on self-reported résumés. Sport-specific samples and information about scouting services that provide verified scouting reports can be found at www.athleteswanted.org.

A student-athlete should send each coach on his Correspondence Log an updated résumé anytime something positive changes in his status. If his grade-point average increases, or if he goes through a growth spurt, wins an award, or is promoted to team captain, the student-athlete should send an updated résumé, along with a cover letter indicating the changes in his status.

Résumés or profiles are also sent to coaches when a student introduces himself via email or snail mail. Today’s savvy parents and student-athletes create websites to electronically house the student’s résumé or profile elec-tronically to alert coaches of updates in status. This eliminates the need to constantly send letters to coaches, and it allows easy access to a highlight or skills video via computer and high-speed Internet connection.

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AThLETES WANTED

Justin shermanGrad year Height/Weight Age GpA2009 5’10” 17 3.53/4.0

parents: KellyandLynn ADDReSS:

1415 N. Dayton Street, Apt. 4Chicago,IL60622Home Phone: (888) 333-6846 Mobile Phone: (555) 555-0000Email: mgolf@ncsasports.org

SCHOLASTIC INFORMATION: Belvidere North High SchoolPhone: (555) 555-1111Enrollment: 2200Overall GPA: 3.6/4.0SAT[1600]: 1240Math: 600Reading: 640Writing: 590Honors Classes: Algebra, EnglishDesired Major: UndecidedEligibility Center: Yes

ACADeMIC HONORS/AWARDS:National Honor Society (2007-09)

ATHLeTIC INFORMATION: Four-time varsity letterman (golf, 2005-08)•Third in state meet (70, 73) (2008)•First-Team All-Conference (2008, 2007)•First-Team All-District (2008)•District Qualifier, Fifth Place (2008)•Team Captain (2008)•

CLUBS/CAMpS:AJGA Tournaments•Sixth in Myrtle Beach Invitational (72, 71)•Tenth in Chicago Jr. Invite (70)•

STATISTICAL DATA:Home Course: Beckett Ridge Country ClubCourse Par: 72Course Slope: 136Course Rating: 73.3Course Yardage: 6857

08 AJGAHandicap: 1.3Nine-Hole Average: 37Nine-HoleLow: 34Eighteen-Hole Average: 73Eighteen-HoleLow: 70Average Drive: 295 yardsDriving Accuracy: 85 percentGreens in Regulation: 14Putts/18 Holes: 29

08 HIGH SCHOOLHandicap: 0.1Nine-Hole Average: 35Nine-HoleLow: 32Eighteen-Hole Average: 71Eighteen-HoleLow: 68Average Drive: 295 yardsDriving Accuracy: 90 percentGreens in Regulation: 16Putts/18 Holes: 26

s a M P L e r é s u M é

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K e y P o i n t s

1. An athlete should create a professional student-athlete résumé or pro-

file that includes first and last name, contact details, school and grade,

sport and position, GpA, academic and athletic honors, community in-

volvement, links to streaming highlight or skills video, athletic statistics,

and academic or athletic clubs, combines, showcases, or camps.

2. When a student introduces himself to a coach, he should provide a copy

of his résumé. if the athlete’s status changes for the better, he should up-

date his résumé and send a copy, along with a cover letter, to all coaches

on his Correspondence Log. in connection with a student-athlete’s web-

site, this will help coaches keep updated on any progress academically

and athletically in real time. it also allows coaches to watch a highlight or

skills video via the internet.

3. Coaches can be skeptical of self-reported information. An upgrade to

the résumé is a “verified scouting report” created by an objective third-

party. For more information, visit www.athleteswanted.org.