Sammi Lee is a junior on the UGA Women’s Golf Team. She is currently a finance major. After being accepted into the Corsair Society, Sammi wanted to share her experience to encourage other student-athletes in their career pursuits. To read Sammi’s introductory blog, click here.
So, your time as a student athlete at UGA is nearing its end and it is time to start thinking about the next phase of your life. I don’t know about you, but I had no idea what that even looked like, or where to start. It’s very easy to paint a clear picture of who we are as athletes. Our lives are analyzed, broken down into stats and results, and reported out. We essentially live under a microscope – which is pretty tough to swallow in the times when we are struggling.
At the end of the day, you are more than a score, a time, a fan, or a bad day says you are. It’s time to paint the picture of yourself in total, not just as athlete. Your resume will be your introduction to the working world – it’s your way to sell yourself and everything you have to offer. I guarantee you the world will be impressed!
Building a resume was one of the most daunting tasks I have ever encountered. As I looked through my peers’ resumes, I was speechless. Experience flooded their perfectly formatted pages. How in the world was I going to fill a whole page in a 10 point font when all I do is play golf? Here are some things I learned along the way:
- Don’t freak out. While it may feel like all you have is your sport, realize that the experience you have as a student athlete has prepared you well for the workplace. The time management, perseverance, and teamwork skills mean more on a resume than a list of experience.
- I know each and every one of you have plenty of skills, leadership, and experience to put on your resume. Think about your weekly schedule, what you’ve done in the past month, and all that you have done during your time here. While most of our time is spent in practice and competition, there are opportunities outside of performance that athletics presents us with. Think about the LEAD meetings you attend, the volunteer work you did, the Special Olympics prom you always helped coordinate, organizations on campus that you belong to, and any honors/awards you have received. Consider everything you do, that makes an adequate amount of sleep impossible.
- Now, take out a pen and write them down. It doesn’t need to be pretty, but you need an actual list to start from. This list will be cut, refined, built upon, and developed. It’s just like your sport: you refine it and practice it until you’re ready to perform.
- Use the templates on The Georgia Way. These resources are here to help you…so use them!
- Proofread, proofread, proofread. Formatting and reviewing can be time consuming, but it is so important. My suggestion is to lean on all the people in your life: have teammates, coaches, advisors, and parents proofread your resume. The more eyes that read it, the higher the chance that all errors will be caught. (Note: This goes for anything you write: emails, cover letters, etc.)
- Your resume is your story, in a very professional/grammatically correct layout. Don’t be afraid to tell the world who you really are. For example, in my interests section on my resume, I put “food, Law & Order: SVU, concerts, and playing golf with my dad.” If you know me at all, you know that about sums me up. Be confident in it.
Most importantly, don’t be scared to reach out for help. Use staff and fellow student athletes to help you through the process, myself included. If you have any questions or if I can help in any way, shape, or form, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Beginning a resume may seem frightening, but it is worth it. If you are doubting your readiness to start on this journey, remember that you are a student-athlete, and you are already desired. You are achievement orientated, resilient, a strong communicator, and a team player. I am confident you will find success.
