How to Write an Exercise Physiologist Resume (With Example)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published 19 November 2022

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

An exercise physiologist is an accredited health professional who helps to manage and prevent medical conditions and physical injuries by incorporating specific exercise interventions. Because this is a technical role that requires advanced qualifications, employers usually request a professional resume from job candidates who are applying for a position. Learning how to showcase your experience and skills effectively on your resume can help you secure a position in this field. In this article, we describe the steps involved in creating an exercise physiologist resume and provide a resume template and example.

How to write an exercise physiologist resume

Here's a list of steps to help you write an effective exercise physiologist resume:

1. Decide which resume format is most appropriate

Before you begin writing your resume, consider which format type can highlight your experience, skills and qualifications as an exercise physiologist. For example, you might be someone with many years of experience as an exercise physiologist who's undertaken a variety of relevant responsibilities and roles in the industry. In this context, a chronological resume may be a favourable option for you. This is because its purpose is to make a job candidate's work history the focal point of their resume, which can allow you to provide detailed information about previous jobs you've had and the tasks you've performed.

By contrast, you might be a university graduate who's applying for an entry-level position as an exercise physiologist. In this situation, a functional resume might be more appropriate for you than a chronological one. The reason for this is that the functional resume provides job candidates with the chance to make their skills and accomplishments the centrepiece of their application. This is helpful as it can take the emphasis away from your minimal work experience and instead focus on the relevant capabilities you can bring to the position.

2. Closely review the job description

Next, closely review the job description of your desired opening and note any skills and experiences the hiring company has listed as prerequisites. Once you understand exactly what the employer is searching for from a successful candidate, you can begin customising your resume accordingly.

For example, the hiring organisation may state that it's searching for an exercise physiologist who has a strong understanding of rehabilitation exercise therapy for injuries. Knowing this, you could discuss instances where you've developed rehabilitation programs for clients and had excellent success with rehabilitating their injuries. If you're a recent graduate, you could address this by outlining experiences you had during a clinical practicum where you performed rehabilitation therapy. Modifying your resume in this way so that it addresses specific selection criteria can help you get your job application noticed by hiring managers.

3. Provide your contact details

At the top of your resume, write your full name and contact details. These can include your phone number, email address and the city and state or territory in which you live. Providing several forms of contact information gives hiring managers multiple ways to contact you if they want to arrange an interview or discuss potential changes to a job offer. Here's an example of how you can format this information on your resume:

Benjamin Wallace
0440 122 987 | b.wallace@email.com | Perth, Western Australia

4. Include a professional summary

A professional summary is a short paragraph you can place underneath your contact details, briefly mentioning your years of experience as an exercise physiologist and one or two skills or achievements you want to highlight. A professional summary is often one of the first pieces of information a hiring manager reads when reviewing a candidate's resume. For this reason, it's a great opportunity for you to use it to explain your suitability for the job and encourage the reader to continue perusing your document.

5. Describe your relevant work experience

Add a work experience section to your resume where you outline relevant roles you've occupied and key duties you performed in those positions. Doing this can help show a hiring manager you're a suitable candidate for the role. You can format this section by writing the title of the role and your employment dates on one line, followed by the name of the organisation and the city and state you worked in on the following line. Here's a concrete example of how this might appear on your resume:

Exercise Physiologist | August 2016–November 2020
Earlwood Physiotherapy and Health | Perth, Western Australia

From here, include several bullet points describing key tasks you performed in the role. If you undertook a variety of duties and you're unsure about which ones to list, consider reviewing the description provided on the job posting. If you performed any similar responsibilities to those outlined by the hiring organisation, modify your description so it closely matches those mentioned.

6. List hard and soft skills

Next, add a skills section on your resume where you list the specific abilities you can offer the hiring organisation. These can include any technical skills you have, such as injury prevention and management and strong report writing abilities. Because the role of an exercise physiologist involves working closely with clients, it can also benefit you to add your major soft skills as well. For example, you could list interpersonal communication, time management, critical thinking and physical fitness as some of your key soft capabilities.

7. Outline your educational qualifications

This section is your opportunity to outline any degrees or certifications you have that apply to the position. Format your education section by listing the title of your degree or certification and the name of the institution or school where you studied. Here's an example of how this may appear on your resume:

Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science and Rehabilitation), Greendale Hills University

Resume template for exercise physiologists

Below is a template you can use when formatting your resume:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]

Professional Summary|
[Two to three sentences that highlight years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional.]

Experience
(For the most recent role, list five experience items. For previous roles, list three.)
[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company name] | [City], [State]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company name] | [City], [State]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

Education

[Degree and major], [Name of university]

Optional

[Certification name], [Host organisation], [Year of completion or expiration date]

Resume example for exercise physiologists

Here's a resume example you can refer to for ideas and inspiration when crafting your own:

Brianna Woods 0496 112 355 | brianna.woods@email.com | Perth, Western Australia

Professional Summary
Dedicated exercise physiologist with over seven years of experience developing and implementing exercise programs for a variety of clients with specific health needs and goals. Proven track record of building effective fitness and rehabilitation programs and skilled at explaining complex injuries and health conditions in a simplified way for clients to understand.

Experience

Exercise Physiologist | May 2018–Current
Camden Gardens Physiotherapy and Health | Perth, Western Australia

Meet with clients to assess their physical issues and design effective fitness and treatment plans for their specific needs
Educate clients about health issues relating to weight, mobility conditions and post-surgical rehabilitation
Teach clients how to perform various strength and rehabilitation exercises correctly and safely
Collaborate with physicians, surgeons and other relevant specialists to ensure clients are receiving effective treatment
Conduct training sessions for entry-level exercise physiologists and offer them helpful strategies to improve their ability to provide clients with excellent patient care

Exercise Physiologist | September 2015–April 2018
Greenfield Health Centre | Perth, Western Australia

Developed fitness and rehabilitation programs for over 50 clients and tracked their progress
Stayed up to date on peer-reviewed studies for rehabilitation exercises and exercise routines
Provided clients with advice about recovery techniques and hydration methods to maximise their athletic performance