Resume Tips for Teachers
Your resume is often the first thing that potential employers see. It is vital that a teacher has a good, professional resume when seeking employment. It is also important that you make your resume stand-out from the rest. So, be sure to follow the guidelines listed below to make your resume professional and unique.
Professional look and tone
As a teacher, you are a professional and your resume should reflect that. Make sure that you choose a professional format. Don’t use any font larger than a 12 and nothing smaller than a 10. Use Time Romans as your format. Always use correct grammar and carefully proof your resume. Include your name and any contact information at the very top of your resume.
Work objective
Start your resume with a work objective. List your work title and the title that you will have if you get the job.
Work experience
After you have listed your work objective, list any teaching experience you have had. Be sure to include the name of the school, the school’s address, your immediate supervisor, and a valid phone number.
Volunteer work
If you are a first year teacher and you don’t have any work experience, it is okay to include volunteer work on your resume. Just make sure that the volunteer work that you include is related to teaching or that it involved interacting with children. Teachers have to be able to manage their classrooms, plan lessons and problem-solve. So, it is okay to include any volunteer work that will highlight your ability to supervise others and solve problems.
Education
List the college or colleges that you have attended. You should include the dates of attendance and the degree that you received.
Emphasize impressive information
You should include a section on your resume entitled “Special Honor and Awards”. In this section of your resume include any special honors that you received while you were in high school, college or at your past jobs. This can include “Honor Graduate”, “Teacher of the Year”, “Teacher of the Month”, or “Star Teacher”. You can also list any extracurricular duties that you performed in the past such as BETA club sponsor, Cheerleading coach or sponsor of the school newspaper.
Emphasize strengths
This is where you sell yourself to future principals and other school officials.Highlightyour strengths. If classroom management is your strong point, be sure to mention that you have exceptional classroom management skills. If you are creative, state it in your resume. And, remember that principals are looking for teachers who are good with children and classroom management. So, emphasize this in your resume.
Gaps in employment
If you have been out of the teaching field for a while, don’t emphasize this. In fact, only mention work experience. Only address employment gaps when asked about them by potential employers. And, when addressing thesegaps, don’t give a lot of details. Tell the truth, but simply state the facts.Never statethat you quit your last teaching job because you could not get along with your principal or your co-workers. This information is best kept to yourself.
Good references
Always have good references. These references should be past principals, school superintendents, and any co-workers who have knowledge of your skills. Include the name of your reference, their work title, their address and a working phone number.
Use bold and bullets
Use bold print and bullets to separate key information. Bullets and bold help to make your resume easier to read.
Make your resume stand out of the crowd. Make sure that it is professional and unique by following the tips listed above.
