Skills
Lifeguard Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in lifeguards, and how to build and show them.
What skills do lifeguards need?
Lifeguards need technical skills such as water rescue skills, cpr and aed, and first aid, plus people skills like alertness and quick decision making. They also use tools such as Rescue tubes and Backboards.
Technical (hard) skills
- Water rescue skills
- CPR and AED
- First aid
- Surveillance and scanning
- Rule enforcement
- Spinal injury management
People (soft) skills
- Alertness
- Quick decision making
- Communication
- Responsibility
Tools, equipment and technology
- Rescue tubes
- Backboards
- AEDs
- First aid kits
- Whistles
- Rescue buoys and paddleboards
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how lifeguards put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Water rescue skills” and “CPR and AED.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “alertness,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as American Red Cross Lifeguarding near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our lifeguard glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Lifeguard training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.