Pilates Instructor Resume Example

This comprehensive guide will give you all the tools you need to craft a pilates instructor resume that positions you strongly against other candidates. You'll find valuable tips on writing a resume that best showcases your unique skills and achievements. There is also extensive guidance on how to structure your resume to match the job description, and to reflect your experience levels to impress HR specialists and employers. Continue reading to find expert tips and advice from Jobseeker that will help you with your pilates instructor resume.

Main sections of a pilates instructor resume

It's essential to include a few core sections in your pilates instructor resume, while there are also a few optional sections you can make use of to strengthen your application.

You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:

Resume Header

A pilates instructor resume header contains your name and contact information. Add your first and last name, your phone number and your email address. Include your address or location, but avoid adding any other personal information. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can add the URL to your header so the hiring manager can get a better understanding of your work history and experience. Make your resume header clear, concise and as brief and compact as possible. Consider different layouts that spread the information horizontally across the page rather than using a different line for each piece of information.

Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.

Resume Summary

Your resume personal profile is a short, concise paragraph to highlight two or three key skills and achievements in pilates instructor roles. You may also see this section named as 'resume summary' or 'resume objective'. Resume summaries tend to focus on your career experience, while resume objectives cover your ambitions and plans for the future. Always make sure your summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for pilates instructor roles.

Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.

A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for pilates instructor roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. See below for some great examples of how to approach your pilates instructor resume.

Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.

Work Experience

In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your pilates instructor skills. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.

For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.

A good work experience section pulls the reader in with clear examples of where you've put the skills necessary for the job into good use in your career to date. This typically includes evidence of how your skills and activities contributed to positive outcomes for the organization. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.

Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. Poor examples of resume work experience sections tend to be vague and fail to quantify your achievements and the impact you've made in your career to date. They may also focus on responsibilities above relevant skills and how you've used them.

Education

In your education section, include details of your most relevant pilates instructor qualifications and educational achievements.

You don't tend to need a degree for pilates instructor roles, but you'll still need to list any relevant qualifications, or your relevant educational achievements. If you have PMA-CPT, add this here, along with any other education that shows your equipment-based instruction or injury prevention techniques.

For each entry in this section, add the name and level of your qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study. Include bullet points to show any specialist modules you studied, awards or exceptional grades and achievements that can set you apart from other candidates. These will all contribute to creating a positive impression on employers.

If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.

Hard and Soft Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for pilates instructor jobs. These could be equipment-based instruction, time management skills or various other relevant skills. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key pilates instructor skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.

Listing hard skills on your pilates instructor resume

For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a pilates instructor. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a pilates instructor resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. If possible, add four or five hard skills that reflect the requirements of the job description. These will boost your chances of success in your applications.

For an effective resume hard skills section, focus on the technical skills that are most essential in the job description, and that match your specific expertise. Some examples of the best hard skills for a pilates instructor resume are listed below.

Listing soft skills on your pilates instructor resume

Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, without soft skills, you may struggle to adapt to pilates instructor roles or meet the standards expected of you. So make sure you include several key soft skills on your resume. In this section, add four of five transferable skills that match the job description.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a pilates instructor resume, see below.

Licenses and Certifications

In this section, include any pilates instructor certifications, training or licenses you hold that are relevant to the job. These could be professional accreditations and licenses, or certifications that improve your level of suitability for the position. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.

Review the list below for some suitable certifications for a pilates instructor resume:

Optional Resume Sections

There are several additional sections you could add to a pilates instructor resume, to improve your chances of success. Choose any optional sections that showcase essential or desirable skills or experience for pilates instructor jobs.

Personal Interests

Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. Consider listing hobbies and interests to help your resume stand out, or to provide the employer with some insight into your personality and wider interests. They're perfect for candidates who might lack genuine work experience as a pilates instructor. Don't include hobbies and interests in your resume unless they showcase a specific interest or aspect of your personality. You'll want them to add something to your application that you can't add elsewhere.

Voluntary Work

Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for pilates instructor roles. Add any voluntary roles, including your position, the name of the organization, the dates of your voluntary work and a brief explanation of your responsibilities and achievements.

References

Although it's rare to include references on a pilates instructor resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Include a maximum of three professional references, being sure to check with your referees before including them in your resume.

Best action words for your pilates instructor resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.

If you need help creating a resume that impresses HR managers, take a look at Jobseeker's professional resume templates. You can also access beautiful cover letter templates that help your application stand out.

Sample pilates instructor resume

The pilates instructor resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:

Tips on creating an ATS-optimized resume

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. When you're writing your pilates instructor resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.

Here a some simple tips to follow for an ATS-friendly resume:

• Use a traditional resume layout, such as a reverse-chronological or functional format. This will mean your resume includes all the necessary sections, in the expected order.
• Include keywords throughout your resume that align with the job description. ATS software tends to compare your resume to the job description for points of similarity, so careful, considered use of keywords should help your chances of success.
• Include clear headings in each section that match the traditional resume structure and format. This will make it easier for the ATS software to scan your resume.
• Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
• Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.

Key takeaways for your pilates instructor resume

If you want to catch the eye of employers and recruiters, you need a professional resume that showcases your best skills and career achievements. Choose the most suitable resume format for your experience levels, and focus on tailoring your resume based on the requirements listed in the job description.

HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. A stylish, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job prospects. See Jobseeker's cover letter examples, written by careers experts, to help you craft an eye-catching application.

Sources:

(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume

(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/