Most résumés in athletic communications fail for one simple reason:
They list responsibilities instead of results.
They tell hiring managers what you were assigned to do — not what you actually accomplished.
And in a competitive field like athletic communications, that distinction matters.
If your résumé reads like a job description, you’re leaving opportunity on the table.
Tasks Don’t Differentiate You — Impact Does
Nearly every candidate applying for an athletic communications role has done some version of the same things:
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Wrote recaps
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Updated statistics
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Managed social media
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Assisted with media relations
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Helped game day operations
None of that is unique.
What is unique is how well you did it — and what changed because of your work.
Hiring managers aren’t impressed by the fact that you posted on Instagram.
They care about:
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Did engagement increase?
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Did coverage improve?
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Did workflows become more efficient?
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Did attendance grow?
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Did content quality rise?
Your résumé should answer those questions.
Shift From “I Did” to “Because I Did”
Here’s a simple framework to upgrade any bullet point:
Action + Outcome
Instead of:
Wrote game recaps for men’s and women’s basketball.
Try:
Wrote postgame recaps for men’s and women’s basketball, helping increase website traffic by 18% over the previous season.
Instead of:
Managed team social media accounts.
Try:
Managed Instagram and X accounts for three programs, contributing to a 27% increase in follower growth and improved average engagement rate.
Even if you don’t have perfect analytics, approximate where possible. Directional numbers are better than none.
The goal is to show that your work moved the needle.
Use Numbers Whenever You Can (Even Small Ones)
Metrics immediately elevate your résumé.
Consider including:
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Follower growth percentages
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Engagement increases
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Video views
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Website traffic
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Number of sports covered
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Volume of content produced
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Media placements
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Games managed
Examples:
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Covered 12 varsity sports across two seasons
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Produced 150+ recaps, previews, and feature stories
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Designed graphics generating 10K+ combined impressions
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Assisted with media operations for conference championship events
You don’t need viral numbers. You need evidence.
Translate Experience Into Transferable Value
Early-career candidates often think their experience “doesn’t count” because it came from:
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Internships
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Graduate assistantships
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NAIA or Division III programs
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Small staffs
That’s a mistake.
Smaller departments often provide broader responsibility.
If you worked in a lean environment, you likely gained:
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Multitasking ability
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Independent decision-making
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Full-cycle content creation
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Cross-sport exposure
Don’t downplay that. Frame it.
Example:
Served as primary communications contact for five sports, overseeing content creation, statistics, and social media strategy.
That tells a much stronger story than “helped with five sports.”
Customize for the Job You Want — Not the Job You Had
One of the biggest résumé mistakes in this field is sending the same version everywhere.
If a posting emphasizes:
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Social media → move social experience higher
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Media relations → lead with writing and press coverage
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Creative content → highlight graphics and video
Your résumé should mirror the job description’s priorities.
You’re not misrepresenting yourself — you’re organizing your experience strategically.
Hiring managers scan quickly. Make their job easy.
Strong Bullets Start With Strong Verbs
Avoid passive or generic phrasing like:
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Assisted with
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Helped
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Responsible for
Use action verbs instead:
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Produced
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Managed
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Led
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Coordinated
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Created
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Developed
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Executed
You want to sound like someone who owns work, not shadows it.
Keep a Running “Impact Document”
Here’s a practical habit that pays long-term dividends:
Maintain a private document where you track:
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Projects completed
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Metrics achieved
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Positive feedback
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New skills learned
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Challenges overcome
Update it monthly.
When it’s time to apply for jobs, this becomes your résumé goldmine.
Most people rely on memory. That’s why their résumés stay shallow.
Final Thought
Your experience already has value.
Your job is to translate that value into language hiring managers understand.
Stop telling employers what you were assigned to do.
Start showing them what changed because you did it.
That’s résumé impact.
And in athletic communications, impact gets interviews.
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