All too frequently, people graduate from college and expect to step right into their dream job teaching at a college. Most people know this idealized plan very rarely occurs. When you are looking to establish yourself in the world of higher education, an important first step is to get experience. If you do not currently have any educational experience, the best way to gain some is by obtaining a job as an adjunct professor.
An adjunct instructor is a professor who is hired on a temporary, contractual basis. These individuals are not tenured, so their jobs are not as secure as those who have permanent instructor positions. Universities and colleges are frequently hiring adjunct professors because it is a better financial choice for them. Adjunct professors provide the college with the option of shifting or eliminating staff when financially necessary or as course enrollment changes. Because there are so many more adjunct jobs available out there, it is significantly easier for an individual with no previous teaching experience to obtain a position in this field.
Creating a strong resume and cover letter is the first step in securing a position as an adjunct professor. If you have an effective, well-organized resume with rich keywords and accomplishments, you can submit it to a variety of schools in your geographic area to receive the best response.
When writing your adjunct professor resume, be sure to include the following:
A Strong Objective and Profile:
Start your resume with an objective tailored to the job of an adjunct professor. Make sure that you don’t state that your objective is to be tenured or that you have any other long-term goal. If you do state an objective like this, the employer will be more likely to dismiss your resume because your objective and the job are not aligned. Remember, your objective should be the position you are applying for. It should be something that you will be able to achieve by getting the job for which you are applying. An Example objective could be “Adjunct Business Instructor”. Then the profile and core competencies need to go next, filled with strong keywords.
Any Previous Teaching Experience
You will not be a very desirable candidate if you do not have at least some form of related education experience or real life business experience that is relevant to the position. Make sure to list any experience you have clearly on your instructor resume. Also, if you only have a small amount of experience, beef up that experience. Elaborate on your duties in your previous tutoring or part time teaching jobs to help the college understand how your previous experience qualifies you for the position.
Relevant References
When composing your adjunct professor resume, try to include references that can attest to your teaching ability or specific knowledge. Select people who directly supervised you while you performed a job that required some type of teaching, mentoring or presentation skills.
Few people will want to put their long-term goals on the back burner because they want their dream job now. However, it is important to remember that many employers want to recruit individuals who can bring tangible skills to the work environment. Although it may seem like taking a job as an adjunct professor is settling for less than you wanted, this is far from the truth. You can learn a lot as an adjunct professor. You may even find yourself advancing to a full time role.
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