Teaching Keywords and Skills to Include When Writing Your Resume or CV

The use of teaching keywords in resumes and interviews started several years ago, and their use by job applicants is increasing. In fact, most schools are placing a significant degree of importance on teaching resume keywords before short-listing a candidate for an interview. When candidates use keywords, they stand a good chance of getting selected.

What are teaching keywords?

Simply put, teaching keywords are buzzwords that indicate you are the best candidate for a job. They are nothing short of magic words that can make or break your selection as a teacher.

Resume keywords started appearing several years ago, but they were restricted to resumes written by candidates who were looking for corporate jobs. They became very popular because employers found that they could identify good candidates and speed up the selection process. The popularity of resume keywords expanded to other professions, and both recruiters and candidates started using them as a tool in recruiting and interviewing.

Why are teaching keywords important?

Teaching keywords are important because they immediately project you as the best candidate for a job. Recruiters look for certain skills while scanning resumes and interviewing candidates. Teaching keywords call attention to the skills that recruiters are looking for in candidates. If you include keywords in your resume and mention them during interviews, you will be speaking their language, and it will dramatically increase your chances of being selected for a job.

Another factor that has increased the popularity of teaching resume keywords is the use of computers and the internet to search resumes and shortlist candidates for an interview. Recruiters use these keywords to find candidates who match an available position. When you include keywords in your cover letter, resume, and profile, your chances of being called for an interview increase. This is the reason why most job portals have a separate column in which you enter your skills and competencies.

Teaching Keywords and Skills to Include When Writing Your Resume or CV

What are possible resume keywords for teachers?

There are many teaching keywords that you can include in your resume, depending on your qualifications, experience, skills, and accomplishments. For example, you can include keywords related to discipline, academic goals, parent interaction, extracurricular activities, and process improvement. You can review a selection of sample resumes or access internet sites to find them. Log on to the internet and browse the following words: "teacher keywords for resumes."  This will give you an idea of how other candidates are composing their resumes. 

Some keywords you might include are: credentials, education, teaching experience, subject areas, curriculum development or design, student teaching, teaching mentorships, key accomplishments, in-service training, English as a Second Language (ESL), classroom management, teaching and learning, curriculum planning, peer mentoring, lead teacher, teacher-parent relations, special needs students, gifted/talented students, testing,  technology integration, discipline strategies, student involvement, parental involvement, teaching across the curriculum, interdisciplinary teaching approaches, K-12, mainstream, inclusion, and/or brain-based learning.

If you think you do not have the skills to create a keyword rich resume, you can find professional help. There are many, high-quality professionals available who produce resumes and cover letters for educators, and they are well versed in the latest teaching buzzwords. The job of these professionals is to create teaching keyword-rich resumes that get the attention of recruiters.

While creating your resume, make sure you include keywords at the beginning where you mention your skills and core competencies. This will produce a quick snapshot of your skills and accomplishments which will be seen by people who are scanning your resume.

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How to Use Teaching Keywords in Interviews

The use of teaching keywords is not limited to resumes. You can include them during your interviews as well. In fact, many candidates use the summary of their skills and accomplishments that is on their resume to remind them of the keywords during interviews.

For example, perhaps you state the following as one of your achievements: "Improved class discipline." During the interview, that will remind you to explain the steps and strategies that you used to improve class discipline and how it was measured. If it had a result such as fewer children being sent to the principal, then tell that to the interviewer.

You should be able to justify your accomplishments with facts or figures. Do not mention a skill or accomplishment in your resume that you cannot justify in the interview.

To reiterate, if you do not know how to use keywords in your interview, get the help of competent professionals. There are good career coaches available who can help you with using keywords in your interviews and maximizing your chances of selection.