A teacher resume, like any other resume, is the critical ingredient that may help you find your perfect job. A winning resume will move you along the process to an interview; a poorly written resume will do the opposite.
The resume communicates to the potential employer if the person has the skills needed for the job. It is the first impression they receive from you. It’s your advertisement to tell them that you are the right person for the job and they should proceed and interview you.
No matter how experienced you are, job hunting is stressful. A strong resume may remove some of the stress, so you can focus on preparing for the interview.
A strong resume contains the necessary detail without being too long or too short. Planning the content of the resume avoids including unnecessary material that isn’t relevant.
How To Plan An Educator Resume
A well-planned lesson results in a successful teaching session. The same principle applies to write a winning teacher resume. Therefore, spend some time planning the resume before you start writing.
By organizing your thoughts beforehand should produce a better-organized resume than creating a resume without an outline. You’ll also be less likely to forget an essential point if you’ve made notes during the planning stage.
Start by asking yourself these questions:
- What is the goal of writing the resume? Why are you seeking a job? Is this your first job, do you want a promotion, or is it because of circumstances, g., your spouse has been transferred to another city? Your intent will focus the content of the resume on the job description and avoid adding unnecessary information.
- Who is going to read the resume? The reader of the resume determines the writing style. A layperson won’t understand the technical terms the principal or another educator Consider the format of the resume, how it affects the reader. Is it easy to read for someone who scans the document and for those who want to focus on every word?
- Why should they hire me? What will they benefit from hiring you? What are your assets or skills that make you the right person for the job? How have you impacted the student, teacher and parent populations around you?
Collect the information for the various sections in the resume.
- Contact Details. Your name, address, phone number, and email address should always be at the top of the page. It must be easy to contact you to set up an interview.
- Introduction Headline. Tell them who you are in 5-7 words as a headline.
- Objective Section. In 1-2 sentences briefly, explain your goal for the position.
- Summary Section. Highlight the skills you want them to notice.
- Skills Section. Name and explain the skills relevant to the job.
Now, take the notes and structure the information in the following sections.
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How To Write an Eye-Catching Objective Section or Career Summary On A Teaching Resume
Headline
The headline should compel the reader to continue reading. Use the one-liner wisely. Include the main benefit of why they should hire you. The headline is a bold heading below the contact details. It should hook the reader into wanting to find out more about this teacher.
The objective statement or career summary should be eye-catching and to the point. Use it to grab the attention of the potential employer and to emphasize your best attributes as a teacher.
It’s probably the most crucial part of the resume. The impression you make in this section may determine if the H.R. employee will contact you for an interview or discard the resume.
Objective Statement
The teacher resume objective helps you stand out from all the other applicants. It’s a 1-2 sentence statement that says who you are, what your career goals and aims include, and how the school will benefit from your unique combination of skills and experience teaching.
The objective statement should specifically focus on the teaching position you want. If you want to be an elementary teacher – tailor it to the needs of the position.
As an alternative, you may include a career summary of your professional experience instead of an objective statement.
Career Summary
A career summary is a short paragraph stating your career accomplishments, skills, and attributes. It’s tailored to the requirements of the teaching position you’re applying for. Highlight your education, credentials and relevant teaching experience and skill in bullet form or in a few sentences. It’s ok to mention your years of experience if that is important to you.
How To Write An Awesome Skills – Experience Section
Teacher resumes should cover specifics about the teacher’s skills and experience.
- Quantify where possible. For example, ‘in a class of 30’ versus ‘in a class,’ ‘5 years’ experience’ instead of ‘some.’
- Always give examples and explain the impact your teaching abilities had on your students.
- List the experiences in previous teaching roles in chronological order with the current position first. Include the school and school district if applicable.
- Include all the skills and experience that relate to the job description. Both soft and hard skills, are important for a teacher’s position.
- Add a personal touch to differentiate yourself and to help them get to know the person. For example, demonstrate certain skills by describing your passion, interest or hobby.
- Highlight awards won and your teacher certifications.
- Specify the technology you use and your adaptability to current and new technology in the classroom. The right candidate is likely to be a teacher comfortable teaching students with new tools every few years.
What skills should I put on my teaching resume?
Although certain skills may seem obvious to you as a teacher, it is important to show that you possess them. Demonstrate that you have the ability
- to communicate with children, parents, and peers
- to be a team-player and have people skills
- to stay calm and patient in stressful situations
- to solve problems, know how to deal with a crisis and can adapt the lesson when the unexpected occurs
- to manage and organize all the tasks and roles of a teacher.
Don’t forget to target your cover letters to the particular position you would like to be hired for.
What Skills To Include and To Leave Out
Use the job description to determine what skills and experience you should include and what to leave out. Place yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. What are they looking for? What knowledge and skills do you have that is appropriate?
Leave out irrelevant information; it will only waste their time reading through it. Remember, human resource employees have many resumes to work through searching for the right person. Make it easier for them by omitting what’s not important to the position.
Final Tips for a Winning Teacher Resume
Before you send your resume, make sure you’ve included all the necessary information and that you’ve proofread the content. Here is a checklist the ensure you’ve covered everything.
- Spell check and grammar check the resume for any errors.
- Read the resume in an audible voice so that you can hear what you’ve written not what you wanted to write.
- Use action verbs instead of passive verbs.
- Check that the numbers you used are correct.
- Use the format that works best for the job you’re applying for. Consider any specific form requested by the potential employer. Some school district searches ask for a teacher resume without bullet points, as an example.
- The resume should be about two pages in length.
- Name, address, phone number, and email should be at the top of the page.
- Use headings and subheadings that describes the content to make it easy to scan.
- Avoid using catchphrases and clichés.
- Did you include your credentials and professional education?
- Don’t forget the cover letter.
The final tip for a winning teacher resume is to think ahead to the interview. What questions will they be asking during the interview that you can cover in your resume? For example, most interviewers ask what impact or influence did you have through your classroom management in your current or previous positions? Why not include the answer in the resume? If they wonder how to contact you, your details are at the top of the resume. For a unique touch, tell them what accomplishment you’re proud of or how you overcame a difficulty.
When you’ve completed the resume, remember to update it regularly. A strong teacher resume is written for a specific job and to a person. Keep in mind it’s a person who is reading the resume to find a solution…the right teacher for the job. You’ll likely need to change some things depending on if you are applying for high school, middle school or elementary school.