Review these resume writing tips, use them as a checklist to determine if you need to make some changes to your resume. The overall appearance of your resume must make the school principal want to read it.
The resume presentation is everything because first impressions last. The resume content is valuable, but it takes a visually appealing resume to get the reader to read the content.
One of the most important aspects of writing a resume for any position is to use relevant keywords or catchphrases and be accurate and truthful.
For example, if you are writing a resume for social studies teaching position, you need to include words relevant to a social studies teacher. A few keywords could be current events, debates, role-plays, political science, or document-based questions.
1. The layout of your resume layout must be modern, professional, and eye-catching.
2. Organize your resume information for easy reading. When the recipient first glances at the resume, they need to see you have listed relevant skills and accomplishments immediately. Highlighted these essential elements to capture the reader’s eye. Five to twenty seconds is all your resume gets in the first screening round.
3. Does the quality of the print look and feel fabulous? Don’t mix fonts; a maximum of two fonts when creating a resume. Highlight and capitalize relevant job titles.
4. If printed, quality paper is a must. Avoid colored paper as most schools prefer white, ivory, or beige. To make sure your resume looks right to the receiver, make sure your resume has a white background.
5. There must be no typos or grammatical errors. Remember, this is an indication of your best work.
6. Your writing style must be clear and concise. Do not use inappropriate jargon or slang.
7. Statements should begin with action verbs and communicate results, accomplishments, and the value you can offer the school.
8. Verb tenses must remain consistent. Sentences must be parallel.
9. If including a career objective, make sure it is clear and well-written. The resume objective should be the title of the position you wish to secure. Your resume should focus on the job target if you want it to accomplish the resume’s purpose: to get a job interview.
10. Are your strengths and accomplishments in your resume relevant to the teaching objective, and do they stand out? Within 15 seconds, the reader must immediately see your qualifications and expertise are what the school is looking for in a new hire.
11. Showcase accomplishments and skills rather than responsibilities and job duties. Accomplishments should be bulleted under a short paragraph that describes the scope of each position you held.
12. Communicate to the reader that you are a dedicated teacher who can help the school close the achievement gap.
13. To increase credibility, include examples and quotes from previous school principals, teachers, resource specialists, and parents.
14. Include community, volunteer, or unpaid work experience that is relevant to teaching. Community involvement shows you are well-rounded, active in the community, and willing to help out with extracurricular activities.
15. Keep your resume to two pages if possible. However, it is imperative not to leave out relevant points. If you apply to top leadership positions, like the school principal or other administrative positions, it may be necessary to go over this limit.
If your relevant experience is older, you will need to bring it closer to the resume’s beginning in a “Teaching Highlights” section.
It’s common for job seekers with less than five years of experience to have only one page.
16. Keywords and education industry buzzwords are a must. Use these words in your resume to ensure it arrives in the “Yes” pile.
17. When you send your job search documents by email, send both an ASCII text version (fix the formatting after the conversion) and an MS Word attachment to ensure your documents are read. Some schools don’t open attachments for incompatibility and virus reasons.
Although most school districts request you submit your documents online.
