A teacher resume has a singular purpose, which is to obtain an interview for you with a prospective employer; making a good impression at the interview is up to you. One of the best ways for yours to accomplish this purpose is to tailor the information you include to suit the particular position. Not every position requires the same skills or skill sets, and some professions require specific information that other positions may not. Resume writing for a teaching position, for example, requires different information than, say, an administrative assistant or a banker. Here are some of the most commonly included (and highly recommended) pieces of information on a teaching resume.
Following your contact information, the first information you should give a potential employer is the objective of your resume (i.e. to gain a teaching position in _____).This objective statement should not only state the position being applied for, but what you can bring to the position, as well. This section should be identified as such, and kept to a maximum of 4 sentences. This is your chance to really hook your potential employer, so be sure to use good grammar and descriptive, concise sentences.
The next section in your resume is education; because you are pursuing employment in the education field, this portion is extremely important. However, especially if you have been teaching for a long period of time, including every position you have ever held, or every class you ever instructed probably is not necessary; concentrate on positions over the last ten or fifteen years. Do include, however, those experiences that you have had that relate to the position, as well as any volunteer experiences that utilized similar skills.
Now for accomplishment statements: Use power words and quantifiable results whenever possible. Numbers work magic for the teacher resume. Use your numbers wisely and to your advantage. Saying you graduated 221 first graders can sound better than 8 years of teaching experience. Stating reading scores improved by an average of 29% can be better than stating reading scores improved overall.
Often in resume writing, people make the mistake of including several references. Not only does this take up unnecessary space, but the chances that your potential employer will check references before granting an interview are very slim. At the end of your resume, simply make a heading called References, and write available upon request. Make sure, however, that you actually do have a list of references handy; how professional would you look if, upon request, you are not able to give references?
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