Hey guys!
I just had a question regarding whether or not I should put my former collegiate sport on my resume. For a little background, I had a fairly serious knee injury in high school, which due to poor treatment left me with a weakness and imbalance in my knee, and put a dent into my strength and athleticism. I decided to play D3 as I just wasn't ready to stop, but after my freshman year I knew I needed to because I could tell I was starting to injure it, and it got to the point where a few times my knee would just dislocate just walking around campus. On top of that, being behind my teammates in terms of ability due to my knee was causing me a lot of stress and anxiety, and my GPA wasn't what I wanted it to be(~3.5). So after freshman year, I decided it was better in the long run to move on.
Currently, I don't have it listed on my resume, as I feel it would look bad to quit after one year, plus the coaches wouldn't back me up if they were contacted by a potential employer. Since then, I have raised my GPA, gotten very involved through Student Govt and many organizations on campus; but I have nothing to show for my first year, so it almost looks like I didn't take my first year as serious as I truly did.
So to conclude, would it be wise to mention it even briefly on my resume?
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wait what? That makes no sense. He definitely should include it, even if he only did for a year.
billionsandbillionsandbillions I would 100% include it. Being an athlete is something a lot of people have respect for. Most would absolutely understand that you had to quit the team because of your constant injuries, and not being able to get better. Include it include it include it.
Plus, don't most athletes have a player page or something like that online? Even if the coaches wouldn't back you up, there's for sure some record somewhere that you were on the team
He said the coaches wouldn't back him up if they were contacted so wouldn't that be a bad thing if they were called?
I would absolutely include it on your resume'. The fact that you were talented enough to have received a scholarship, or were at least good enough to make the team, shows prospective employers that you know the fundamentals of playing team sports. That may sound counter-intuitive, but over the years in my career, I can tell you some of the people whom I interviewed had far better academic credentials than many of their competitors but they could not function in a team atmosphere.
There were some positions where all that was required was for the person to come to work, sit at their desk and crunch numbers all day/solve problems. There is always a need for these folks, but regardless of how smart they may be, if/when they cannot effectively communicate with team members their worth to the whole is diminished significantly. Kind of a tangent from the OP but the fact remains that if you cannot function well with others, you will find your career much more challenging and less rewarding. Of course, there are always exceptions. Showing interviewers that you've successfully been a team-player can make a big diff.
I wrestled D1 in college and include it on my resume. Separates you from others.
Include it but make sure it's clear it was only for one year. If asked why you quit, mention your injury in high school coming back. Don't think they will double check with your coaches, but there must be some roster/NCAA stuff you can show to prove you were on the team if necessary.
Also could be used for answers to questions, sports set you apart so try and make it part of your story.
I've been using it in interviews/coffee chats, because thats the reason I went to my school, and alums always seem to what to know what brought me there. As for recruiters I was thinking worst case they email the coach but would talk to me about it if it would weigh in on any decision-thanks for the insight!
Definitely add it if you can. So many people I've interviewed with/have had coffee chats with were impressed because I was playing a sport
I'd definitely go with adding it. I highly doubt they'll contact your coach. Think about what they'd have to do. Either go through a very manual process to 1) figure out who your coach was, then 2) get their contact info OR ask you to give them their contact info, in which case you could share your story in more detail. But frankly, I don't see why of all the people on your resume they would think to contact a coach you played for for one year. Not nearly as relevant as a past boss at an internship.
Played a sport freshman year of college and was 'medically unfit' after second shoulder surgery. Transferred schools. Not on my resume anymore, but I still use it in networking with other former athletes and it always come up during interviews as its a small step in my story on how I ended up where I am now.
Use it. It will only help you.
Don't include it. If your CV fills out a page and you are just worried there is a hole for your freshman year don't worry about it. Your interviewer will ask if it poses a concern and you can explain your situation. Better than having it listed if your coaches won't back you.
I would definitely include it. The fact that you got hit by life and got back up is a compelling story for me as an employer. Pilots in the military services over here (Australia) initially do a 2 week course as civilians before they're let in. There are various types here, people who have experience flying and those who don't. The ones who do well are those that show continuous improvement on the course. In work life I think that it's similar. I can see you turning that story into a positive. You suffered a short setback which affected your grades but you've been able to heal and turn that around. You keep this as a lesson that will be with you throughout your working career. I'm sure when you put your words/story to it, it will be impressive to prospective employers. Lot of ex athletes at the bank I worked with in NYC and London btw so go for it!
Talk about working through the injury. Nobody gives a fuck about sports but being able to maintain a gpa while your knee is totally fucked is way more impressive. If you had to take painkillers that made you tired, mention that too. After something like that whoever is hiring you will know you're ready to eat some serious shit.
I actually purposely try to find out if people I'm hiring have been through any major injuries because I find they are way less fucking whiny about work and emotional bullshit. One of my best employees was a kid with spinal bfida (sic). Couldn't walk and had a colostomy bag but he worked his ass off. Awesome dude.
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