All too frequently, people graduate from college and expect to step right into their dream job teaching at a college.  However, as 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 keen on hiring adjunct professors primarily 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 today, it is significantly easier for an individual with no previous teaching experience to obtain a position in this field. For example many individuals that have worked in the corporate or business world apply for adjunct instructor positions.

In order to secure a job as an adjunct professor, creating a strong resume and cover letter is the first step.  If you have an effective, well-organized resume that is keyword-rich and accomplishment-based, 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 such as this, the employer will be more likely to dismiss your resume because your objective and the job are not aligned.  Remember, you objective should be the position you are applying for and it should be something that you will be able achieve by getting the job for which you are applying. For example… and objective could be Adjunct Business Instructor. Then the profile and core competencies need to go next and this section has to be very strong and filled with 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 that experience up.  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 topic specific knowledge.  If at all possible, select people who directly supervised you while you performed a job that required some type of teaching, mentoring or presentation skills.  While your old boss at the pretzel shop, where you worked during high school, might have been very impressed with certain skills, his recommendation will not be likely to impress a college that is considering hiring you as a college instructor.

Very few people will want to put their long-term goals on the back burner mainly 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 settling, this is far from the truth. You can learn a lot as an adjunct professor and you may even find yourself advancing to a full time role. So, don’t miss out on this opportunity because you were too impatient to start at this level.

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