BY GRACE CARTER
With equestrian careers becoming increasingly popular, more and more people are looking at entering this industry. This high demand makes for tough competition, so you’ll need to make sure your resume sells your skills and gives you a head start when it comes to looking for jobs.
Take a look at some of these equestrian resume hacks to get you ahead of the game and earn the attention you deserve.
Keep It Professional
Just because you would work in a barn everyday if you could, doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short on the resume or cover letter front. If you set your standards high employers will take you seriously. If you submit something unprofessional and scrappy, potential employees will worry your work is of a similar standard.
Think about which path you hope to enter, and set aside an area to include a mission statement about your skills. Make sure, when including your education and training, that you have all the relevant dates. Don’t forget to put an emphasis on training and accreditation from professional sporting bodies.
Make Your Mission Clear
Your mission statement is where you make it clear exactly who you are and what values you hold. This is your chance to show that you’re not only an excellent rider, but that you have all the tools you need to translate that skill into teaching or caring for the horses. Getting this section just right is essential, as it’s likely to be the first part your potential employer will see.
Resume writer, Tom Adams from Eliteassignmenthelp, said: “Your mission statement sums you up as a potential employee. It also tells the employer very quickly what matters most to you as a person and as a rider. Be truthful and don’t sell yourself short, remember you have a lot to offer”.
Make sure your mission statement reflects something of the organization you wish to work for. This means, of course, you may need to slightly alter your wording for each resume you submit. Doing so shows that you have dedicated some time and research in looking into the organization you want to work for.
Don’t Let Mistakes Creep In
They’re small, but they matter. Spelling and grammar errors show that you have not paid attention so check and check again. You may not be confident in your writing, but don’t let this lack of ability hold you back. Ask a friend to check through. If you need a little extra writing support, use these tools below to help you:
- Resumention – an online tool to help build your resume step-by-step.
- Viawriting and Mywritingway – two resources that will help check that all your grammar is correct.
- Boomessays and UKWritings – online tools to proofread your text for you. See the review in UKWritings.
- Stateofwriting and Simplegrad – career writing blogs packed full of useful information.
- Essayroo and BigAssignments – powerful editing tools that will pick up any mistakes and help shape your resume. Check out the review on Australianreviewer.
- Writingpopulist and Letsgoandlearn – comprehensive writing guides to help you build a perfectly written resume.
Think Creatively
If you’re looking for your first equestrian job, then writing about your experience is going to seem difficult but think creatively and your resume will still be top of the pile for interview.
There are ways of boosting your experiences, such as by holding free training sessions for friends or in your local school or community center. Thinking outside the box stands out and shows your commitment to getting an equestrian job.
The same applies for education; if you are still training, or plan on doing so, make it clear that you are committed to developing professionally. Employees will welcome someone who is committed to learning as they work.
Landing your first equestrian job may take several attempts and endless application forms but getting the right resume will still put you at the top of the list for interviews ahead of the many others who apply with a poor effort, or no resume at all.
Take your time to create something that totally reflects your personality, education and experience and commitment to personal and professional improvement. Your next, best job is right around the corner, so what are you waiting for?
Send a Riding Video
A riding video is often necessary because you need to know how to ride, in addition to your responsibilities. However, make it a good video – not just a single jump shot.
Most employers would also require your most recent riding video, so they can assess your riding skills at the moment. If you recently got a new horse, you should send one video riding a new horse and one where you ride your old one.
Don’t include a selfie
People often include their own pictures in their resumes because they think that it’s necessary. But most employers don’t care about how you look and your image doesn’t bring anything of value to your resume.
Even worse, people include selfie images which look anything but professional. Just leave the picture out and devote your time on developing various sections of your resume as well as creating an attractive mission statement.
Be kind and decent
There are many mistakes that you can make that would make you look unpleasant. First off, filming your riding video in shorts – it’s not professional and you might show your recruiters more than you want. Next, you should show them that you have a good attitude, willingness to learn and grow.
Don’t include any emojis, talk bad about your last employer or miss your phone interview. You should also tame your Facebook page – drunken party photos should be set to private or shared within the group of friends. It’s not a good idea to let your employer see the party side of you.
About references
While you don’t necessarily have to put references in your resume, it’s a good idea to let your employers know that references are available if they need to see them. Any previous employers or teachers could provide this for you. Just make sure that the references are relevant.
Grace Carter is a content manager at Write My Essay and Academized services. She curates new writers, reviews submissions and manages blog content. Also, Grace is a tutor at Paper Fellows website.
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