Writing a Teacher's Resume
A resume is an important communication tool from you to principals. It lets them know, in a brief
written form, about your qualifications and why they should pursue you as a candidate. A resume
should be more than just a listing of personal data and work experiences. It should be a sales
brochure which markets you as a great teacher!
There is no one right way to write a resume. Each resume is as individual as the person who writes
it. There are, however, generally accepted ways of getting information across to potential
employers.
Use the following information as a guideline to draft your teacher's resume.
Required Elements of a Resume
Identification: Include your name, address, phone, and email address. If you have a current and
permanent address, list both. Your name should be in the biggest print on the page, three or four
times bigger than the other print.
Certification: List your certification and any endorsements, and the date. “State of California
Preliminary Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential,” expected June 2003.
Education: List your college degree(s) in reverse chronological order, including school name, city,
major(s), minor(s), and date(s) of graduation. If you haven't yet graduated, list the date you plan to
graduate. If it's more than a year from now, indicate that the degree is "anticipated June 2003." If
your G.P.A. is over 3.0, you may want to include that as well.
Teaching Experience: This is the most important part! This is the place where you can really sell
yourself to potential employers as the next great teacher at their school! Use the list of action verbs
located at the left of this page. Write down everything which could help sell you as a teacher.
Include job title, where you did this activity, and when (Student Teacher, Sacramento Elementary
School, Spring 2003.)
Related Experience: This is where you list paid or unpaid work which gave you experiences
which will help you be a better teacher--camp counselor, tutor, etc. Do not write about your work
experience at the fast food store.
Optional Elements
The rest of your resume can include any of the following elements. Again, choose those which sell
you as a teacher the best.
Work Experience: This element is optional because your teaching experience is what interests
principals and other hiring authorities the most. List these jobs in reverse chronological order.
Highlight those aspects of the job which are teaching related. (Training other employees is of more
interest to principals than sales.)
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Career Objective: This is a statement of what kind of job you're seeking. ("To obtain an
Mathematics position in a secondary school with the opportunity to coach softball, track or
swimming.") Don't get too flowery or trite; e.g., "seeking a challenging position"--aren't all teaching
jobs challenging?
Honors and Activities: If you have some impressive honors (Dean's list, Phi Delta Kappa, any
scholarships or achievement awards), or activities which relate to teaching, you can list them.
Special Skills: Fluency or proficiency in foreign languages, using computers to enhance
instruction, etc.
Professional Preparation: Special workshops, seminars, etc. you've participated in, especially
those which can be quantified (e.g., "Trained Great Books Leader").
Professional Memberships: List those professional associations to which you belong. Include
any leadership positions or committee memberships. (e.g., National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics)
Any other achievements, training or skills which help sell your qualifications. If you're not sure
about something, ask yourself, "If I were a principal, what skill or experience would I want to read
about?"
Do not use passive sentences (e.g., "I was responsible for..."). Start each line with an action verb
("incorporated math learning centers into curriculum"). Do not use personal pronouns. Be concise,
but make space to list most of your teaching-related experience, especially if you are a beginning
teacher.
Resume Mechanics
Your resume should look great. It communicates as much about you as the clothing you wear to an
interview. Take the time and money to make a first class presentation.
Using a computer and a laser printer is highly recommended. You get top quality printing and can
adapt your resume and cover letter quickly and easily for each employer.
Stick to one page unless you have several years of teaching experience. Even if you have many
years in the work force, condense to one page, focusing on teaching.
Use a good paper stock. Nothing too flashy: white, ivory, or light gray. Get extra paper for
matching cover letters. The envelope you mail in should match too. Consider using an 8 1/2" x 11"
envelope so your resume reaches the employer in immaculate condition.
Use bolding, underlining, or italicizing to highlight those words or phases you want to stand out.
Don't overdo it, though.
Use perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Have several people proofread your resume.
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Make it visually attractive: white space for the eye to rest; no marks, erasures, etc. Use a modern
typeface or font which is easy to read.
Action Verbs: use these verbs to start each sentence on your resume...
achieve...
acted as...
active in...
adapt...
administer...
advise...
allocate...
analyze...
anticipate...
approve...
arrange...
assess...
assign...
assist...
attend...
balance...
budget...
calculate...
chaperone...
clarify...
coach...
communicate...
compare...
complete...
conduct...
construct...
consult...
control...
cooperate...
coordinate...
counsel...
create...
culminate in...
decide...
define...
delegate...
demonstrate...
design...
determine...
develop...
devise...
diagnose...
direct...
discipline...
discover...
display...
distribute...
document...
draft...
earn...
edit...
eliminate...
employ...
enact...
encourage...
enforce...
enhance...
establish...
estimate...
evaluate...
examine...
expand...
explain...
express...
facilitate...
follow up...
formulate...
gain...
generate...
grade...
guide...
handle...
identify...
illustrate...
implement...
improve...
improvise...
incorporate...
increase...
influence...
inform...
initiate...
inspect...
inspire...
instruct...
integrate...
interact...
interpret...
interview...
introduce...
investigate...
involve...
judge...
lead...
lecture...
locate...
maintain...
manage...
mediate...
modify...
monitor...
motivate...
negotiate...
observe...
obtain...
operate...
order...
organize...
originate...
oversee...
participate...
perceive...
perform...
persuade...
plan...
predict...
prepare...
prescribe...
present...
prevent...
produce...
promote...
propose...
prove...
provide...
publicize...
publish...
question..
realize...
receive...
recognize...
recommend...
redesign...
refer...
reinforce...
relate...
reorganize...
report...
represent...
research...
resolve...
review...
revise...
schedule...
screen...
select...
serve...
simplify...
solve...
speak...
standardize...
stimulate...
strengthen...
structure...
substitute...
summarize...
supervise...
support...
teach...
test...
train...
transform...
translate...
treat...
tutor...
utilize...
verify...
win...
write...
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