Tips on How to Write a Teacher’s Resume

Resume may have a common template but when it is time to write for some certain profession of jobs, there are unique tips one needs to be very careful of. More reason why learning certain tips on how to write a teacher’s resume becomes important.

A résumé, sometimes spelled resume, is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons, but most often they are used to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education.

Having gone through what resume’s importance is, here are some tips on how to write a teacher’s resume particularly:

• Write for the Job You Want

While it can be tempting to go into great detail about all of your experience and accomplishments, it’s important to remember that your resume is meant to convey the ways in which you’re qualified for the specific job you’ve applied to. That’s why tailoring the content to reflect each job description is so essential. Hiring managers use your resume to determine whether your experience will be a match for their current needs.

Teachers are busy, so we know that tailoring your resume for every single job posting might seem overwhelming. But I promise it won’t be as hard as it sounds. The key is to use the job description as your guide.

• Feature Awards and Certificates

You probably already know that it’s crucial to emphasize proficiencies and work experience in your resume. However, as a new teacher, this is an especially valuable step because you may compete with other applicants who have more skills or experience than you. You need additional teacher resume tips that can help set you apart, such as discussing additional credentials.

• Add Your Contact Information

First, create a section to offer your contact information. A contact section can help employers verify where you live and give them multiple ways to contact you if they want to schedule an interview. You can include the following details in this section:

• Name
• Phone number
• Email address
• City and state

• Flaunt Your Skills

Skills sections can also be essential to teaching resumes, allowing candidates to outline specific skills relevant to their jobs. For teachers, this might include skills like curriculum writing, speaking foreign languages or leading large groups of children in activities. When writing this section, try to have a combination of hard and soft skills to highlight your industry-specific skills and abilities you can use in any position.

• Show That You Have Technical Proficiencies

While relevant technical skills will vary from one school to the next, teachers should show knowledge and experience in the use of tablets and laptops, G-Suite [Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, and Classroom], education-focused social media platforms, gamification software [3DGameLab, Classcraft, etc.], and programs or hardware for accessibility of students.

Detailing your tech skills will be stand out as a not an ordinary but an excellent one. This is often the case because hiring managers will be scanning your resume to quickly determine whether you have the proficiencies they’re looking for.

• Stick to a Single Page

Most recruiters prefer one-page resumes as they’re generally easier to scan and include only the most relevant information. Tailoring your resume for each job and limiting the content to include only your most recent work history should help you to keep the length down.

• Write Compelling Bullet Points

Bullet points are the most effective way to clearly and concisely detail your work experience. But just because they’re brief doesn’t mean they need to be boring! Punch up simple bullet points by including compelling verbs and key details.

• Hone the Right Layout

Most hiring managers favor traditional chronological resumes for their straightforward layout, easy-to-follow work history (typically displayed in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job), and clearly defined sections. If you’re returning to the workforce or making a career change, you might want to consider A combination or functional resume layout.

While not as universally favored by hiring managers, these alternative formats give you more flexibility to organize seemingly disparate or choppy work experience into a more cohesive picture.

• Proofread

Proofread your resume for grammar, spelling and format before submitting your application. Proofreading helps ensure you leave a positive impression and makes your resume easier to modify for future applications. You can also ask a friend or colleague to review your resume and offer feedback to help improve it even more.

Elements To Feature in Resume Writing

Here are the most important elements you need to consider when creating your educator resume:

• Layout

A reverse-chronological conveys information with the most efficiency.

• Sections

Make sure each section of your resume is distinct and has white space around it to breathe.

• Font

Sans serif fonts like Verdana and Helvetica are recommended for body copy, as they are easy to scan. If you must choose a serif typeface, save it for the header (your name). Stay away from decorative fonts — flourishes, bubble letters and other ornamentation are simply distracting.

• Font size

Body text should be 11–12pts. Go 2–4pts. larger for section headings, and 6–10 pts. larger than that for your name. Again, you want the most important info to be easily scannable — name, job titles, dates.

• Subheadings

Identify each subsection with easy-to-read and straightforward titles: “Professional Experience,” “Education,” “Skills & Specializations,” and so on. You don’t want to confuse the ATS or resume screeners with witty headlines.

• Margins

Keep a 1-inch margin as a border to your resume. This leaves enough room for notes, plus it’s visually appealing.

• Line spacing

Single line spacing is recommended in resume body text; double spaces make it look like you’re trying to fill space.

• File type

Save and send or upload resumes as PDFs, unless the teaching job post or employer asks for Word docs. This prevents all but the savviest of users (or those with Adobe subscriptions) from editing your resume for any reason.

• Header

This should be its own section, distinct from the rest of the resume content. Your name is the “title,” followed by contact information like your email address, phone number, address and website or other professional links (if applicable).

• Introduction

This is a brief introductory statement that summarizes who you are as an educator, what your objectives are and what you might bring to this role. Keep it to 1–3 sentences or 3 lines total; you can always expand upon your experience and enthusiasm in your cover letter.

• Work history

This is a detailed account of your teaching experience, preferably presented in reverse-chronological order. Include the names of your previous schools, range of tenure in years, grade levels taught, subject matter focus and any additional roles you held at the school. You may include brief descriptions of your accomplishments — not simply your responsibilities — in each role.

• Volunteer positions

Are you on any volunteer committees in your town? Do you offer free tutoring or mentor services? Do you regularly serve meals or stock shelves at the local food pantry? List anything you think might help round out your full professional picture.

• Language proficiency

Four years of French in high school doesn’t count; do mention if you possess proficiency or fluency in a language besides the school’s primary language.

• Hobbies & interests

This is typically covered in an interview, or perhaps even after you’ve been hired. However, list any hobbies that may be relevant to the position you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for an English teacher position, you can mention that you run a book club that focuses on 19th-century British literature.

• Education

List your undergraduate and postgraduate schools and degrees, plus any noteworthy academic achievements at the postsecondary level. Do not include high school information if you are past the undergraduate level.

• Skills

This is a concise, objective list of teaching skills and abilities. Include both hard skills and soft skills, and make sure you demonstrate the application of these skills in your work history descriptions.

• Extra sections

You may want to leave room for awards, additional languages, community involvement, etc., if applicable and relevant to the position you are applying for.