Many students have already downloaded the Rugby Resume template from The Rugger’s Edge website, and I am always surprised to see so many sent to college coaches missing critical pieces. Remember, in many cases, this is your first opportunity to make a great impression so take time to do this right.
Before you send a resume to a coach, make sure to spellcheck and grammar check. Better yet, ask a trusted adult to also look it over just in case you missed something.
1. Contact Info – You would think this does not need to be said, but make sure the contact info you list here is updated and correct! Do not list an email you don’t check or a home phone that no one answers. This is the first place a college coach will reach out to you so make sure this part is the fastest way someone can get a hold of you. That being said –
CHECK YOUR E-MAIL!
I know most teens rarely check email, but in the professional world, everything runs through
email. Coaches are not going to text you with their interest; they will email you. If you don’t
respond in a timely manner (24-48 hours), most will assume you are no longer interested and
move on. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you.
2. Photo – A clear head shot can help coaches distinguish you from others. When a coach is talking
to many different student athletes at once, it is really helpful to do anything you can to remind
him or her who you are. Like a passport photo, keep things simple: no sunglasses, hats or
distracting clothes.
3. Updated Academic Info – We are looking for most updated cumulative GPA – this means your
GPA from the start of 9th grade until now. They do not care that last semester you had a 4.0 if
the year before that you had a 2.0. Coaches need to see the entire picture. You waste a coach’s
time if you are not being up front about what your academic record has been. If there was a
reason for poor grades, you can always make sure to explain this to a coach ahead of time.
Also, make sure you continue to update this each year – the last thing you want is a coach to
disregard you because they still think you are in Grade 10 when in reality, you are in Grade 12.
4. Rugby Accomplishments – We are only looking for rugby involvement/accomplishments that
have occurred while you are in high school. No one cares if you were the “Man/Woman of the
Match” while playing Under-8s. As with #3 above, continue to update this with each rugby
season since it is often the case you may forget accolades as the years go on. Make sure to break
out different teams such as Academy Teams, All-Star Teams, Club Teams, High Schools, etc.
5. Include links to game film – I understand that many teams do not film, but this is becoming
increasingly important. If at all possible, find some game film, upload it to your own YouTube or
Vimeo channel and include this link on the resume. Many students have also had a lot of success
using the HUDL platform to create easy to watch videos that help highlight who you are on the
field.
Download an editable version of The Rugger's Edge Rugby Resume template!