Incorporating testimonials in an education resume can gain the reader’s immediate attention because it will highlight and back up your strengths or accomplishments. When an employer writes an annual review, writes a letter of recommendation for you, or even sends a nice compliment on your work, make sure you file it away for future use. These documents can be powerful tools to help your teacher or administrator resume stand from the other candidates applying for the education job.
You can extract quotes or testimonials from the letters and include one or two in your resume and cover letter. These statements should automatically make the reader interested and aware that your skills are concrete and you have been an asset to former school districts or organizations.
The best spots to place these quotes in a resume are either after your areas of expertise or at the end of the document. You can also put them in other sections of the resume to fill up extra space. Just make sure that you use them sparingly (perhaps one or two per document) and that they do not look awkward or out of place. The testimonial from a past employer or co-worker should be put in quotation marks and italicized, followed by a dash, the person’s name, position title, and place of work (all in regular lettering). To make the lines stand out even further, use light background shading. You do not want the testimonials to detract from your solid credentials and experience but serve as a nice complement to your resume.
Also, make certain the testimonials in an education resume are relatively up-to-date. It is better to use something from the past few years as opposed to 20 years ago.
If you have many different quotes to choose from, find one or two that are the most relevant to the targeted position. For example, if you have recently switched careers, transitioning from sales representative to a teaching position, find a testimonial that portrays leadership and instructional skills. Finally, if more than one individual has provided you with the material you can reference, it is better to choose a person who has a higher position within the organization or your direct supervisor. For example, it is more fitting that you use a testimonial from a manager directly above you or a school principal instead of a co-worker who worked in a lateral position.
If you do not have any testimonials but would like to use a quote, you can always research something online that suits your personal philosophy. For instance, many teacher resumes include a direct quote from famous theorists or researchers. Think of key names that you hear in the industry, i.e., Gardner, Bloom, Canter, etc., for education. Applying these quotes to your resume or cover letter follows the steps outlined above for incorporating testimonials (quotation marks, italicized writing, the name of the author, and background shading).
Speaking of quotes, you can review our customer’s success stories and the appreciation they have for A+ Resumes for Teachers for helping to move their career forward.
Contact us if you need help to gain a competitive advantage to secure a job interview for a dream position. We have been writing education resumes that get results for 16+ years, even in a competitive job market. You can review our services and prices here.
