It’s important to know how to write a university professor’s resume or CV to secure a prestigious university’s higher education position.
All too frequently, people graduate from college and expect to step right into their dream job teaching at a university. Most people know this idealized plan rarely occurs.
When you are looking to establish yourself in higher education, a major first step is to get related teaching 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.
To clarify, an adjunct instructor is a teacher 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.
College adjunct professors provide the college with the option of shifting or eliminating staff when financially necessary or as course enrollment changes. There are more adjunct professor jobs than full-time instructor positions. It is significantly easier for an individual with no previous teaching experience to obtain an adjunct professor position.
Creating a strong university professor resume and cover letter is the first step in securing a position as an adjunct professor. If you have an accomplishment-based, well-organized resume with rich keywords to convey your core competencies, you can submit it to various higher education institutions.
When writing your university professor resume or CV, be sure to include the following:
Write a Strong Resume Profile or Career Summary Targeting a University Professor Position:
Start your university professor’s resume or CV with an objective tailored to the scope of the position. Don’t state your objective is to be tenured or you have any other long-term goal. If you do, the employer will be more likely to dismiss your resume because your goal and the job are not aligned.
The CV objective should be the position you wish to secure. It should be something that you will be able to achieve by getting the job you are applying for. An example objective could be “College Adjunct Business Instructor” or “University Business Professor.” The resume or CV profile and core competencies need to go next, filled with relevant keywords.
List Any Teaching or Training Experience
If you don’t have at least some related education background or real-life business experience relevant to the position, you will not be a very desirable candidate. List any experience you have clarity on your university professor resume.
If you only have a small amount of experience, beef up that proof without being dishonest. Elaborate on your duties in your previous tutoring or part-time teaching jobs to help the college understand how your experience qualifies you for the position. Adding relevant content to your resume or CV will allow you to incorporate keywords that are vital to be selected for an interview.
Don’t List Relevant References on the Resume.
When composing your professor’s resume, include references on a separate sheet of paper using the same letterhead. Try to ensure the people you list as references can attest to your teaching ability or specific knowledge.
If possible, select people who directly supervised you while you performed a job where you used teaching, mentoring, or presentation skills. Of course, let your references know you are in an active job search, so they are ready when contacted by the potential employer.
Few people will want to put their long-term goals on the back burner because they want their dream job now. Many employers want to recruit individuals who can bring tangible skills to the work environment. Try your best to show you have these hard skills.
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 gain many skills and achievements in an adjunct professor role and quickly advance to a full-time position.
