Writing a Football Scout CV & Cover Letter: 10 tips
Football scouting CV & Cover Letter
10 tips to craft a perfect CV & cover letter
- Keep it concise and tailored
A Football Scout CV should be at most two pages. Recruiters appreciate brevity, so focus on relevant details that align with the job you’re applying for. Tailor each CV to the specific role by highlighting critical skills and experience that match the job description.
- Essential sections of a CV
- Contact Details: Include your phone number, email, and location. Adding a LinkedIn profile or portfolio is a great addition.
- Personal Profile: Provide a brief (3-5 lines) summary of your background, experience, and career goals. Focus on the skills that make you a good fit for the role, such as talent identification, tactical analysis, or football scouting certifications.
- Core Skills: Dedicate a section to football-specific skills, like scouting certifications, player development, or experience with performance tracking tools (e.g., Wyscout or similar software).
- Work experience: First, list your most recent role, focusing on relevant experience such as scouting for youth academies or professional clubs. Highlight measurable achievements like identifying future pro players or improving team performance.
- Education & certifications: Include qualifications such as UEFA Coaching Badges, Talent ID certifications, or any degrees/diplomas related to sports or football analysis.
- Highlight your specializations and achievements
Your cover letter is a sales pitch to secure an interview. Stand out by mentioning specific specializations like position-based scouting (e.g., goalkeepers or wing-backs), geographical expertise in regions like South America or Japan, or age group focus (youth or senior players). You can also emphasize tactical or analytical skills like video and data scouting. Always back up your claims with measurable achievements, like the number of players you’ve scouted or how your analysis influenced recruitment decisions.
- Tailor your cover letter
Your cover letter should be a brief introduction to your CV. Personalize it to the specific club or organization you’re applying to. Explain why your football experience, skills, and passion make you the ideal candidate. Mention your understanding of the club’s playing style or recruitment needs and align your achievements with their goals.
- Send as PDF
Always save and send your CV and cover letter as PDFs to ensure the layout remains consistent and professional.
- Have someone proofread
Ask a colleague or friend to proofread your CV and cover letter for clarity and professionalism.
- Avoid spelling mistakes
Minor errors can undermine your application. You can easily avoid this by using (free) tools like Grammarly or ChatGPT to check for spelling and grammar mistakes.
- First impressions matter
Your CV and cover letter should be clean, attractive, and professional. Presentation is as important as content.
- Use free tools
You can use free tools like Grammarly for spelling checks and Canva to design a visually appealing CV. And Jobs in Football offers a free cover letter generator.
- Free templates
If you’re looking for templates, try using a CV example from Liam Henshaw (who also shared great tips in a recent newsletter) and a cover letter example from Chris Gill.
Bonus tip: Should you include a picture on your football scout CV?
Including a picture depends on where you’re applying. In some European countries, like Germany and Spain, adding a professional headshot is common (you can use a free tool like remove.bg to remove the background on your headshot to make it more professional and clean). However, it’s discouraged to avoid bias in regions like the UK or the US. If unsure, it’s generally safer to skip the picture unless specifically requested. Instead, focus on making your CV concise and impactful.
What to do next?
Next steps to become a scout
You’ve reached the end of this guide—so what’s the next step to boost your chances of becoming a football scout?
- Sign up for our newsletter below to stay updated with the latest scouting tips and industry news.
- Enroll in one of our football scouting courses to deepen your expertise and get ahead.
- Apply for the video scout role and join our team to gain real-world experience. Unlike most football scouting roles, no CV or cover letter is needed.
Take action now, and move closer to your scouting career!
Ready to kickstart your career as video scout?
Frequently Asked Questions: Crafting a Standout Professional Profile
While a CV and cover letter are not mandatory in our remote football scout application process, they often serve as your first chance to make an impression in the competitive field of football scouting. This section offers detailed guidance on how to create a professional and compelling application.
How do I build a strong resume for a scouting position?
A powerful scouting CV should highlight:
- Tactical knowledge
- Analytical skills
- Practical scouting experience
- Technical understanding of the game
- Unique insights and achievements
Key elements to include:
- Detailed scouting reports
- Player identification successes
- Analytical frameworks you’ve developed
- Specialized training or courses
- Relevant football-related experiences
- Technical skills (data analysis, video tools)
How do I showcase my scouting knowledge if I’m self-taught?
Demonstrate expertise through:
- Comprehensive scouting portfolio
- Detailed analysis reports
- Blog or online platform showcasing insights
- Documented player assessments
- Participation in scouting communities
- Continuous learning evidence
- Personal projects and research
How do I prove I have an eye for talent if I don’t have formal experience?
Strategies to demonstrate talent identification skills:
- Create a portfolio of scouting reports
- Document player progression predictions
- Showcase analysis of emerging talents
- Provide evidence of successful player recommendations
- Develop a unique analytical approach
- Share insights from personal scouting projects
What experience should I highlight in my scouting CV?
Prioritize experiences that demonstrate:
- Tactical understanding
- Analytical capabilities
- Player evaluation skills
- Industry knowledge
- Practical scouting experiences
Include:
- Volunteer scouting roles
- Youth team analysis
- Amateur league observations
- Online scouting projects
- Relevant courses and certifications
- Technical skills
- Football-related background
How do I write an effective cover letter for a scouting position?
A compelling cover letter should:
- Demonstrate passion for football
- Show deep tactical understanding
- Highlight unique analytical approach
- Explain your motivation for scouting
- Connect your skills to the specific role
- Be concise and professional
Key components:
- Personalized greeting
- Clear introduction
- Specific role-related insights
- Unique value proposition
- Professional closing
What technical skills should I emphasize?
Technical skills to highlight:
- Video analysis software
- Data visualization tools
- Statistical analysis
- Performance tracking platforms
- Tactical analysis frameworks
- Video editing
- Reporting tools
How do I make my CV stand out from other candidates?
Differentiation strategies:
- Develop a unique analytical framework
- Showcase innovative scouting approaches
- Provide concrete player identification successes
- Demonstrate continuous learning
- Create a visually clean, professional design
- Use concrete, measurable achievements
Should I include references on my CV?
References best practices:
- Prepare a separate reference list
- Choose professional, football-related references
- Include coaches, analysts, or scouting professionals
- Obtain permission before listing
- Provide contact information
- Ensure references can speak to your scouting abilities
How long should my scouting CV be?
Recommended CV length:
- 1-2 pages maximum
- Concise and focused
- Highlight most relevant experiences
- Use clear, professional formatting
- Prioritize quality over quantity
What common mistakes should I avoid in my scouting CV?
Mistakes to avoid:
- Generic, non-specific language
- Lack of concrete achievements
- Overcrowded design
- Spelling and grammatical errors
- Irrelevant information
- Lack of professional tone
- Inconsistent formatting
Conclusion: Your CV and cover letter are your professional introduction to the scouting world. Our Video Scouting Courses can help you develop the skills and insights to create a standout application that showcases your unique scouting potential.
Football Scouting Guide
Chapter overview
Becoming a great football scout is a journey that requires dedication, passion, and continuous learning. Whether you’re just starting or looking to take your scouting to the next level, this guide provides you with the essential steps to become not just a scout but a great one.
You can start from the beginning to the end or jump right to the most interesting part.
- Introduction to football scouting
This chapter provides an introduction to football scouting, outlining the key traits and skills necessary to excel in this field and guiding you through the steps to kickstart your career. - The three types of football scouting (data, video, live)
Football scouting involves three key methods: data, video, and live scouting. Each method provides unique insights, and scouts often combine all three to create a comprehensive player assessment. - Football scouting resources (the best blogs, websites, books, podcasts, videos)
A wide range of resources is available for aspiring football scouts, from insightful blogs and podcasts to books and videos that offer expert knowledge on scouting techniques and industry trends. - Football scouting software, tools, and technology
Modern football scouting relies heavily on software and data tools that provide detailed player statistics and video analysis, helping scouts evaluate players more efficiently and accurately. - How do you write great football scouting reports? (tips, templates & examples)
Writing an effective scouting report requires precision, structure, and clarity. Using specific frameworks and templates ensures consistency while focusing on the player’s key performance aspects. - Where and how to find football scouting jobs, vacancies, and internships
Football scouting jobs can be found through various platforms, including club websites, specialized job boards, and networking tools. Internships and freelance opportunities are also on the rise. - Writing a Football Scout CV & Cover Letter: 10 tips
Crafting a standout football scout CV and cover letter requires highlighting relevant experience, technical skills, and a deep understanding of the club or organization to which you are applying. - The best football scouting courses
This chapter evaluates top educational options across data, video, and live scouting methodologies. From affordable introductory courses to prestigious UEFA programs, discover the right pathway to develop professional scouting skills and advance your football career.
Ready to take your scouting skills to the next level?
We offer the best and most advanced football scouting courses to prepare you for the field. Master the skills needed to excel in video scouting.
