Pick a clean, professional template that shows your judging experience first. Use a reverse-chronological layout so your most recent meet work appears at the top. That layout reads well and parses reliably in ATS systems.
Keep your resume short and focused. One page works for entry or mid-level judges. Use two pages only if you have many accredited meets, certifications, and long judging history.
Choose simple, ATS-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, or Georgia. Set body text to 10–12pt and headers to 14–16pt. Keep line spacing at 1.0–1.15 and use consistent margins for good white space.
Organize sections with clear headings: Contact, Summary, Certifications, Judging Experience, Coaching or Swim Team Roles, Education, and Skills. Use bullet lists for meet duties, rule updates you enforced, and scores you validated. That makes scanning easy for referees and event directors.
Avoid heavy graphics, columns, or embedded tables that break parsing. Keep color minimal and use bold or caps for headings only. Use plain file types like PDF or DOCX when you submit your resume.
Common mistakes include long blocks of text, vague duty descriptions, and missing certifications. Quantify when you can, like number of meets judged, levels certified, and years active. That gives hiring managers clear evidence of your work.