HTML Preview Teacher Resume page number 1.
SAMPLE RESUME FOR TEACHERS
As you pursue teaching positions, you may be asked by hiring school district personnel to provide multiple items for their review. One very
important document frequently requested is a resume. This document should be well written as it serves as your chief marketing tool. Think
about the hundreds of resumes a school district may have on file. What is going to make your resume stand out? How can you sway school
personnel to grant you an interview when there are often multiple candidates with comparable qualifications?
When school district recruitment personnel begin to screen resumes for open positions, a reader may spend as little as 20-30 seconds skimming
your resume (not reading) at first. Increasingly, a computer is scanning your resume to search for job specific “buzz words.” Either way, it is
imperative that pertinent information stand out. Effective resumes adhere to simple guidelines such as: beginning with the most important
material, starting phrases with action verbs and/or including important job specific jargon, being consistent in your job descriptions, and
eliminating all spelling/grammatical errors. If you pass the “scan test” (human eyes or computer), it is likely that someone will return to your
resume for a more thorough review.
Your resume must present your skills and qualifications in a way that best “sells” you to the employer. While every candidate is unique and may
choose to use different resume formats, most resumes contain certain basic categories:
Heading
Name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address belong at the top. Include both temporary and permanent addresses (with indication of the
date you will leave a temporary address, if applicable). If you primarily use a cell phone (and rarely a land line), list only the cellular number.
Objective
Keep it concise. Identify the content area(s) or grade(s) you are certified to teach. Include mention of any extracurricular activities you are
willing to direct or assist, such as coaching or advising student organizations.
Education
For the new educator/recent graduate, education follows the job objective on a resume (the education section comes at the end of your resume
once you’ve been working in the field 3-5+ years). List college information with the most recent degree first. Include the degree earned,
institution, major/minor, graduation date, and g.p.a., if desired. If you have unique educational experiences such as study abroad, you may want
to include these here. It is not necessary that you list institutions attended for short periods of time (i.e. did not earn a degree). This information
will be asked for on employment applications (and transcripts will reflect this).
Experience
Hiring school district administrators want to know if you can teach. What have you done? This part of the resume is by far the most important to
those screening resumes. It may make sense to break your experiences into separate categories (e.g. student teaching experience, methods
experience, practicum experience, tutoring, etc.). Use whatever format works best for you. For related work, list the school/district, location, and
dates. Include basic facts of the assignments (e.g. grade levels, number of students, subjects taught) and describe your experience in specific
terms (e.g. What did you prepare and present? What lessons, units, and learning centers did you design? Describe the students you taught.).
Make your experience unique. Share any extra responsibilities you handled and use action verbs that will capture your skills/accomplishments.
Other
You may want to include other non-classroom experience. Summer work, volunteer experiences, research, perhaps even nonrelated positions.
Remember, school district personnel want to hire the best teachers they can. If you possess other helpful qualifications and experiences, convey
these in a way that skills transfer to the classroom (e.g. restaurant work demands interpersonal, communication, and management skills). Other
sample categories may include leadership experience, campus activities, community service, committee work, professional affiliations or
memberships, professional development and/or pre-service training, etc.
Skills
If you have special skills that would be an asset in the classroom or as a member of their teaching staff, be sure to share these. Language fluency
(ies), computer skills, first aid training, musical or athletic talents… brag!