Education resume keywords make an enormous difference in whether you will get an education job interview or be screened out.
When a school district has 300+ resumes submitted for a single position within two days of placing an advertisement for a job, the chances are they will not plod laboriously through all of them.
Modern technology – applicant tracking systems, a digital filtering method of all resumes and often cover letters to screen which job candidates are eligible for a closer look.
Education Resume Keywords are Used to Filter Job Applicants
This job application screening method means teachers’ resumes need to include specified core competencies and related education resume keywords that the district or interviewer selects to screen applicants. If your resume contains these specific teaching or school administrator keywords, you will make it to the human eye. It sounds harsh, but unfortunately, this is the process for many school districts, higher education learning facilities, or other organizations.
Let’s discuss how you can include pertinent keywords related to a school teaching or administrative position to get your resume selected. One of the best places to identify keywords to be featured on your resume and cover letter is the job advertisement. Pay close attention to the job description detailed in the announcement and note the main criteria.
You can also check out job descriptions or education postings similar to the one you wish to secure. This process will help to find up-to-date education resume keywords to use in your documents. If the school district has a website, spend some time reviewing the content and jotting down what is relevant. In particular, pay attention to their goals and education philosophy – if the website includes their mission statement, read it carefully and identify the significant points.
How to Use Education Resume Keywords
The biggest mistake you can make is copying and pasting chunks of text from job postings or descriptions directly into your resume. Of course, you need to show how your skills as an educator relate to those detailed in the job description. Don’t use the language of the advertisement verbatim.
Not only will this hint at a distinct lack of imagination, but it is copyright infringement. Furthermore, it will leave the prospective employer wondering whether you know what is included in your resume. The trick is to weave the selected education resume keywords into your resume in a natural way. (It may help if you viewed our education resume samples)
If you end up with a list of 50 words after doing your initial research to identify keywords, don’t be tempted to try and shoehorn them all in. This strategy can easily backfire, and it’s unlikely to impress the district hiring committee.
Be selective about the words you include when writing your resume. Your resume should read naturally while adding the most important and relevant keywords.
Use descriptive keywords when describing your past work experiences and accomplishments. Start your phrases in the past tense, listing them in a bulleted format. This method will make your statements dramatic and descriptive. Example descriptive words include: achieved, decreased, planned, produced, restructured, transformed, initiated, supervised, and managed.
Showcase your competence in a particular field by using keywords that highlight your competencies and expertise.
Examples of teaching keywords include classroom management, curriculum design, and implementation, educational program evaluation, IEPs, and assessments, cooperative learning, growth mindset, personalized learning, reflective teaching, research-based practices, instructional strategies, collaborative environments, teacher-based teams, data-driven analysis, blended learning, coding, digital literacy, embedding technology, and flipped classroom.
