Lifeguard Resume: Examples & Tips
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Lifeguards are water-safety professionals who work to ensure the safety of swimmers and patrons in swimming areas. Attention to detail, excellent focus, physical strength, and swimming are needed to work as a lifeguard, as it’s their job to observe water conditions and help swimmers if there’s an emergency. Lifeguards are trained professionals who need to have CPR and first aid certifications.
Use these resume examples and expert tips to create an eye-catching resume for a lifeguard position.
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Lifeguard example (text version)
Name: SAMUEL BROOKS
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Observant Lifeguard with demonstrated success in monitoring pools orwater parks and providing skilled emergency support. Agile and responsive with good physical stamina and reflexes. Well-trained to follow emergency protocols and give cohesive, clear directions to patrons
WORK HISTORY
Lifeguard
12.2017- Current
Company Name, City, State
- Monitored safety of over 1000 guests in and around swimming pool.
- Share tips with patrons on swimming techniques and strength training.
- Performed lifesaving measures, including CPR during incidents until paramedics arrived on scene.
Summer Lifeguard
06.2017-09.2017
Company Name, City, State
- Prevented falls near and into pool by calmly reminding patrons to exercise caution around edges.
- Attentively watch over swimmers being quick to identify those in distress.
- Entered water immediately to pull struggling swimmers to safety.
Youth Camp Leader
07.2016-05.2017
Company Name, City, State
- Promoted proper stretching, warmups and conditioning exercises to prevent sports injuries.
- Drove engagement and outreach with special events focused on bringing in new participants.
- Kept accurate participant records, including attendance,discipline, medication log, and accident or injury reports.
SKILLS
- Swim instruction
- Parks and recreation policies
- Group and individual instruction
- Strong observational skills
- Pool operations
- First Aid and CPR
- Lifeguard operations
- Public safety
EDUCATION
Associate of Arts
Physical Education,City, State
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Lifeguard Resume FAQ
1.What skills should be featured in a lifeguard’s resume?
- Swimming
- Physical strength
- Lifeguard operations
- Pool operations
- First aid
- CPR
- Quick-thinking
- Strong communication
- General maintenance
- Able to identify danger spots
- Testing and regulating water temperature, PH levels, chlorine, and hygiene
- Able to act fast
- Organization
- Empathy
- Team player
- Good eyesight
2. What are the duties and responsibilities of a lifeguard?
Poolside lifeguards and beach lifeguards have different responsibilities.
Poolside lifeguards typically:
- Ensure swimmers behave in a safe fashion
- Remove distressed swimmers from the water and provide CPR, if necessary
- Test pool water to make sure it meets safety standards
- Administer basic first aid for cuts and bruises
- Clean the area
- Demonstrate and deliver swimming instructions
Beach lifeguards are usually:
- Identify no-swim areas in the ocean
- Rescue swimmers in danger
- Save drowning swimmers and give CPR, if necessary
- Provide constant vigilance over the beach
- Advise on where to swim, surf, or engage in water sports
- Administer basic first aid for cuts or stings
3. Why is it important to use keywords in my resume?
Most companies use ATS filters that typically reject resumes that don’t have enough keyword volume. It is essential to read the job description carefully and pick out keywords or phrases from the job description to include in your resume. Adding them will increase your chances of making it past the initial screen and reaching the recruiter’s eyes.
4. What’s the best file format for a resume?
Typically, the most common file format used for resumes is PDF. It’s universally accepted by most computer software and easily accessible to hiring managers and recruiters. Unless the job description states otherwise, always save and submit your resume as a PDF.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume
- DO use action verbs. Instead of just claiming you have a skill, feature examples of how you’ve used that skill using action verbs at the beginning of your statements. Verbs like performed, maintained, rescued, and prevented help you appear like a proactive and enthusiastic job applicant.
- DO proofread and edit your resume. Don’t rush to submit your resume. Before saving and sending, read your document to make sure there are no typos or grammatical mistakes. No matter how small, these types of errors can turn away hiring managers and recruiters.
- DO keep your resume straightforward. A resume shouldn’t be longer than a page. The only scenario where it’s acceptable for a job applicant to submit a two-page resume is if they have more than 10 years of experience in the same field. Otherwise, keep your statements sweet and short.
- DON’T use first-person pronouns. Avoid referring to yourself in the first person. Using pronouns like “I,” “me,” or “my” in your resume is considered unprofessional and will make it seem like you’re focusing on yourself instead of how you helped in your previous jobs.
- DON’T use complicated designs. Resumes with many years of experience as a lifeguard, choose a chronological format, as it spotlights your work history and career accomplishments. If you have a couple of years of experience and can feature a good mix of job-related skills and experience, then the combination format is perfect for you. On the other hand, if you’re just starting or lack professional experience, the functional format is your best option to show the hiring manager that you have the skills and training to do the job.
Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Lifeguard Resume
Summary
Make your professional summary a quick “elevator pitch” that highlights your best skills and accomplishments. This section should address the most critical aspects of the job you want. For example, suppose the employer emphasizes pool area maintenance. Your summary could read: “Certified Lifeguard by the American Red Cross with 4 years of experience supervising swimming pool areas and ensuring patrons safety. Highly skilled swimmer and excellent communicator, experienced in maintaining pool area free from hazards. Certified in CPR and first aid.”
Skills
Feature technical skills such as excellent swimming, first aid, or physical strength, and important soft skills such as teamwork, ability to remain calm in stressful situations, or quick-thinking.
Work History
Use powerful action verbs while describing your KRAs and mention job-specific accomplishments that showcase your ability to function as a successful lifeguard. Make sure that you highlight your job responsibilities in a bulleted list and keep them very precise. Do not overload information and make your KRAs sound redundant.
Education
Include your top academic credential (e.g., high school diploma or university degree) along with the school’s name and location. You can also use this section to list your certifications or training completed to be a lifeguard.
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Lifeguard Resume Example
Nilda is a career advice writer. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
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