Different Methods for Submitting Your Teacher Resume to Employers

Once you have developed a powerful and appropriately targeted resume and cover letter for potential teaching positions, it is time to start applying to positions. Depending on the position, the school, and the preferred method for submission stated by the district, you will have different options for how you can submit your teacher resume and cover letter.

Online Postings:

The most popular avenue for submitting teacher applications and resumes remains online via job boards. Almost every school district now advertises their job opportunities through online job boards. And most school districts prefer that their teacher applicants apply directly through the online application system over any other method.

Posting your teacher resume online places it where thousands of potential employers and recruiters can see it. The aim of submitting your teacher or principal resume online is to maximize your chances of securing employment. However, submitting your resume randomly on the Internet can be a wasted effort if it doesn’t get to the human eye. This is where having the right keywords in your resume really becomes important.

Different Methods for Submitting Your Teacher Resume to Employers

When submitting your resume online, you will either be asked to upload your documents to the site, or you will be required to cut and paste your documents into the online application. If you are asked to directly upload your documents to the website, adhere to some caution. Make sure that your attached documents are universally compatible. Most people use Microsoft Word, so the .doc format is the most preferential. However, there are some versions of Word that are not compatible with all operating systems. Therefore, it is advisable that you save your documents in Rich Text Format(.rtf) as well. Most, if not all systems are able to recognize and read an .rtf.

Another option you may be given when uploading to a webpage is that of copying and pasting your resume, and possibly your cover letter. If this is the case, remove formatting such as bolding, italics, underline, borders, frames, etc. They do not translate well in many of the online programs. One method for overcoming this and shortening up the time it takes to erase your formatting is saving your original documents in Text Format (.txt) and pasting that version into the online program. Text Format can also be used instead of Rich Text when emailing or uploading resumes.

When submitting your resume and cover letter via a separate webpage, make certain that you have filled out all other required information as well. Some organizations ask that you fill out information about past positions and cut and paste your resume. This may seem repetitive or redundant, but make certain that you do it and follow their directions precisely!

After your resume has been sent you may receive a confirmation on that same website or via email. If you do not, wait a few days, contact the company, and ask if your documents have been received. It is okay to explain that you are unsure if there was a technical malfunction or not, and you wanted to double check that your resume made it through, since this position is so important to you.

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E-mailing your Teacher Resume:

In the 21st century, most teacher job searches moved online. Not only is e-mailing your resume a fast way to submit it to local recruiters, but, for international teaching jobs, it may be the only way to submit your teaching application and resume. When applying to a teaching position, what you need to do is attach the requested documents to the email and include a polite, personalized, and concise message in the body of the email to the school or school district explaining the position you are applying for and which documents you have enclosed. Here is some information you need to remember when emailing your teacher resume:

Hand delivering your Teacher Resume:

Delivering your resume by hand is a great way to meet prospective employers and make a lasting, positive, first impression. When delivering your resume in person, you simply approach the school or school district personnel offices directly and drop off your resume, indicating that it should go to the personnel director or principal.

If the opportunity presents itself, you can also speak to the personnel director, an assistant principal or principal and give your teaching resume to him or her. In order to help your chances of this happening, ask to speak with them! Don’t be afraid to work to get yourself these opportunities. These meetings can make a huge difference in your job search.
You should also hand deliver your resume to as many recruiters as you can. Attending teacher job fairs enables you to do this effectively. Going to a teacher job fair is just like going to an interview, only you will be seeing several schools instead of just one. When attending a job fair, make sure you have an appropriate folder or briefcase that contains copies of your up to date resume, your cover letter, references, and contact information.

Take your time when you are approaching schools’ representatives. It is not a race, so dropping your resume off at as many booths as possible without taking the time to have some conversations with the schools will not help you make a lasting impression. Try to go to booths that are not crowded first. Strike up a conversation when you get their attention and ask the questions you have prepared. It’s very difficult to go up to someone, who is overwhelmed with a group of people, and strike up a one-on-one conversation. Aim for that one-on-one contact so that you are remembered.
In addition to job fairs and dropping off your resume at a school, if you are personally acquainted with a school principal, you might consider asking him or her, as a favor, to look over your resume and recommend you to the district's personnel director. It’s time to call on your professional network of contacts to help you through your job search.

Mailing Your Resume:

Your teacher resume can also be submitted through regular postal delivery. If your application includes other papers in addition to your resume or if you want to make sure your application reaches the receiver, you can send it by registered mail.  It is also possible to send an application package using a package delivery service.

It’s always recommended to use regular mail delivery as a back up to any other method you are using. Since other methods like online job boards and email are notorious for having applications get lost or risk being marked as spam, it’s wise to use a backup delivery method. The regular postal mail is reliable and stands a better chance of reaching the intended target than email does. This is why sending your resume by both routes is recommended.

Other methods you can use for submitting your teaching application and your teacher resume include faxing it or passing it through people in your network who can then forward it to potential employers.

In order to have a great, well-rounded job search strategy, you should incorporate all of these different methods for submitting your resume. So if you are currently in the middle of a teacher job search, get started submitting your resume and cover letter to all of these mentioned venues, now!

Make sure you have the perfect resume and cover letter prior to embarking on your job search. You can review our resume and cover letter samples here.