≡ Menu

Experienced Teacher Resume – Choosing the Right Style

choosing the right style for your teacher resume

If you apply at a school for a position you know will have multiple applicants, you may want to choose the shortest, most concise resume format.    

Choose the best style of resume to match your background and the teaching position you wish to secure.

If a teaching job requires a lot of information to prove you can do the job, you might opt for a longer, more detailed resume.

Many things separate an impressive, experienced teacher resume from a poorly written resume. A few of these essential parts are the resume style and format, career focus, keyword-rich resume profile, and relevant accomplishments. If these areas of your resume are done well, you will stand out for all the right reasons.

There are three major types of resumes. Give thought to decide which one is the right one for you. Take into consideration the position you are submitting your application to. If you apply for different positions at different schools, you might want to compose one of each kind to choose and print the right one for the right job.

Chronological Style Resume

Many job seekers use a chronological resume. In this type of resume, everything is listed chronologically, starting with your education and then your employment experience. At the beginning of the chronological listings, you will want to include a small professional profile paragraph highlighting your accomplishments, talents, and added skills that would qualify you for the teaching position you are applying for. List the education and employment with the most recent first.

Including accomplishments is always crucial to any job seeker, whether you are a reading specialist, educational leader, school principal, assistant principal, or teacher assistant. Including accomplishments in any style of an experienced teacher resume is paramount to get the reader’s interest. Achievements build your credibility and identify you as a valuable asset to the school community.

Some prospective school principals prefer a combination resume or chronological resume to a functional resume because it allows them to quickly read down the list to see your education, work history, and other valuable career-related information.

If you have an extensive employment history, you should plan on only listing the five most recent jobs you have had. If a prospective school principal wants a more in-depth employment history from you, they will ask for one.

Don’t leave blanks. List your employment in the correct order — blanks in between jobs alert schools to the possibility of problems or lack of commitment.

If you have gaps in your work history, address this in your cover letter or professional statement. For example, you may say: “After my 13-year tenure with the school district, I opted to take four years away from the workforce to raise my family.”

Functional-Style Resume

The second type of resume you should familiarize yourself with is a functional resume. Recent graduates commonly use it, people with little professional or related work experience, or someone interested in making a career change.

When drafting a functional resume, instead of listing your employment and educational history in order, the focus shifts to your personal and professional qualifications. The aim is to draw attention to the highlights of skills you have experienced.

Include a section where you can list specific skills relevant to the job you are applying for. A functional resume allows you to elaborate more on the tasks, skills, and accomplishments you’ve gained from prior employment.

Combination Style Experience Teacher Resume

The third type of resume you might want to consider is a style incorporating chronological and functional layouts.

This type of resume is appropriately called a combination resume and is becoming increasingly popular. Professionals are starting to use a combination-style resume; it allows them to draw a prospective school principal’s attention to their skills while showing they have a solid educational and employment history.

Once you have decided on the type of teacher resume you want to produce, ensure the information is clear and concise. Don’t overload your experienced teacher resume with information. Otherwise, it will ruin your chances of getting an interview. Prospective schools are limited on time and have other tasks, so they prefer to scan an organized, precise, and easy-to-read resume.

We hope this article has been helpful! If you need assistance with any aspect of your job search, please get in touch with Candace today. Learn more about her extensive history of helping job seekers just like you.