Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor resume example

A resume for a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor needs to show the work itself: instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Day to day that means work like this: observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement; evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Aerobics Instructor
  • Fitness Instructor
  • Group Fitness Instructor
  • Personal Trainer
  • Fitness Specialist
  • Fitness Technician
  • Fitness Trainer
  • Group Exercise Instructor
  • Private Trainer
  • Yoga Instructor
  • Aerobics Teacher
  • Aquatics Specialist
  • Certified Personal Trainer
  • Exercise Specialist
  • Exercise Teacher
  • Exerciser
  • Fitness Attendant
  • Fitness Consultant

O*NET records 36 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
  • Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
  • Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities and limitations.
  • Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness.
  • Teach proper breathing techniques used during physical exertion.
  • Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed.
  • Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment.
  • Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines.
  • Teach and demonstrate use of gymnastic and training equipment, such as trampolines and weights.
  • Administer emergency first aid, wrap injuries, treat minor chronic disabilities, or refer injured persons to physicians.
  • Provide students with information and resources regarding nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues.
  • Maintain equipment inventories, and select, store, or issue equipment as needed.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities and limitations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Appointment scheduling software
  • BioEx Systems Exercise Expert
  • BioEx Systems Fitness Maker
  • BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus
  • Blink
  • DaySmart Software Appointment-Plus
  • DietMaster Systems DietMaster
  • Email software
  • EZFacility Trainer Management System
  • ICTraining
  • Intuit QuickBooks
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook

22 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Automated external defibrillators AED
  • Balance boards
  • Balance disks
  • Body fat measurement calipers
  • Elliptical trainers
  • Emergency first aid equipment
  • Exercise bands
  • Exercise steps
  • Exercise tubing
  • Fitness jog belts
  • Fitness trampolines
  • Free weights

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Instructing
  2. 02Service Orientation
  3. 03Speaking
  4. 04Active Listening
  5. 05Learning Strategies
  6. 06Monitoring
  7. 07Social Perceptiveness
  8. 08Active Learning
  9. 09Coordination
  10. 10Critical Thinking

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Education and Training
  • Psychology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 57%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 14%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 10%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor do?
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Day to day that includes work like observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement and Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
What skills should a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor put on a resume?
O*NET rates Instructing, Service Orientation, Speaking, Active Listening, and Learning Strategies among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Appointment scheduling software, BioEx Systems Exercise Expert, BioEx Systems Fitness Maker, BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus, and Blink. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor work?
O*NET records 36 titles for this occupation, including Aerobics Instructor, Fitness Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor, and Personal Trainer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 57% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.