The resume you use to apply for a teaching position must be accurate and truthful. A good teacher resume is crucial because it’s your marketing document in your absence, meaning it is the first thing a potential school district sees that will create an impression about who you are.
A resume is the initial tangible point of communication between you and your potential school district. You will be selling yourself with this significant piece of paper, so your job search documents must be accurate.
It’s just a little white lie… or is it?
One of the top reasons that otherwise qualified job candidates are excluded from the application process is because lies — whether large or small — are discovered on the resume or application.
Stretching a few months at a past position to cover up for the time it took you to switch jobs may seem like a wise idea at first, as it hides employment gaps and eliminates the reviewer’s doubts about your work ethic. If your lies are discovered, you can kiss your chances of getting the job goodbye.
Employers — especially those in the education sector which pride themselves on setting positive examples for budding learners — will immediately exclude any applicant found to have lied during the application process, and for a good reason.
It may seem obvious your resume should be accurate and truthful, but you would be amazed to discover how many job seekers lie in their resumes. Even small lies can be hurtful for your chances of landing your dream education job. Apart from being wrong and untruthful, most human resource departments perform background checks, and if you are busted, it could ruin your credibility for good.
This is why it is so important to triple-check your GPA averages, your academic information, your job titles, and the dates of your employment. Even if you accidentally misrepresent any of this information, an employer could suspect otherwise, and that could make you lose out on a great opportunity.
How to Avoid Job Search Failure
When you are done writing your resume, go through it again to make sure whatever you have written is factual, and there is no exaggeration or misleading information. Truth is critical when looking for any job. Be on the lookout for any resume writing mistakes you could avoid.
Are the employment dates correct?
Were you the only one in charge of a successful project you have cited in your resume, or were you just one of several people that provided leadership for the project?
Take credit for things you have achieved but be careful to give credit to other people who played a major part in reaching the goal. Taking more credit than is correctly due to you will paint a negative picture in the recruiter’s mind.
If you feel you may be wrongfully taking credit for a project, it may be best to exclude it altogether. If you can’t say with complete honesty you contributed heavily to the project’s success, leave it off your resume. Words and phrases such as “assisted with,” “participated in,” and “contributed to” allude that a job seeker may be overstating their role in completing a project or task.
Double and Triple-check Your Work
Edit and re-edit your resume once you have finished writing it. Complete a spell check, check your grammar, and check your punctuation. Check on the organization of the resume. Have it perfect before you submit it. Save it in a format you can easily update and change for each teaching position you apply for.
There are several education resume examples on our website you can check for reference and guidance to draft your resume to sound professional and impressive.
As always, should you need assistance crafting any of your job search documents, reach out to Candace today!
