When you are prepared to enter the teaching profession and apply for open positions, a resume or CV will help you highlight your qualifications and engage the hiring manager’s attention. With a proper resume, a teacher can show off their education and skills, gaining meaningful employment at the school of their choice.
Many schools and educational facilities will have certain requirements to follow before hiring anyone to work in their school. The resume provides an excellent way for you to show how you are the right person for the job. You can use the most innovative teaching methods and materials to help a student learn. You can tailor the classroom lessons based on the student’s needs, their teacher’s grades, and other factors.
Additionally, you must be able to maintain classroom discipline, be fair to all students, and resolve any potential conflicts. Your overall goal is to track students’ progress and help them succeed. When drafting your resume, keep in mind that the hiring manager wants to know if you can fulfill the aforementioned requirements while still adhering to the state’s teaching standards.
We will now discuss how to customize your teacher resume to reflect the job description, how to select a format, and how to include pertinent keywords and skills to distinguish your resume from all other applicants.
Free Templates
What Makes a Great Teacher Resume?
Several components need to be present in a resume for a teaching position for it to be effective and unique. The first step is concise phrasing. Everything you add to the resume needs to be well-written and descriptive without using too much jargon. Using the right phrases to demonstrate your skills and what you can provide in the teaching role will be very important. If you are uncertain which phrases to use, look through the job description for keywords.
A professional format should always be used when writing your resume. You are applying for a professional position, so showing that you will fit right in can be important. Also, using a template can be a good way to create a resume. When choosing which sections to include, you can use a template as guidance. Please remember that you can add anything that is pertinent to your experience and skills; the template is just a guide to help you.
What Format Should Be Used for a Teaching Resume?
Formatting your resume properly is important. For those who have prior work experience in teaching, a reverse chronological resume is often the best choice. This format will highlight your career development in a list format, making it simpler for the ATS and employers to quickly scan it and determine what qualifications you offer.
The reverse chronological resume works well if you have a long work history, but if you are new to the industry or have gaps in employment, it may not portray your skills well. A functional resume format can be an ideal substitute instead. This format will focus more on your skills, volunteer and internship experience, and other accomplishments that make you perfect for the job, without focusing on the lack of work experience.
You may also find that a combination or hybrid resume is one of the best options. This one has an in-depth skills section and a smaller experience section that helps to showcase all that you can bring to a new job position. If you have a combination of accomplishments and work experience, this is the right option to use. However, take care to write this one properly because when written incorrectly, it can occasionally appear disorganized.
How to Write a Perfect Resume
Now that you have some background information on a teacher’s resume let us look at some quick tips you can use to create this document.
Some of the steps include the following:
Include a contact header
The contact header you include on the resume should be appropriately placed to be immediately visible to the recruiter. To follow the industry standards, it is best to place the header either centered on the resume at the top or in the top left-hand corner. If you are worried about not having enough space, then you can use a smaller font or remove some of the optional elements to ensure that your skills and work experience get enough space.
At a minimum, the contact header should include your name, email, and phone number. You may also consider adding the job title that you are applying for, your address, and any professional links that you would like to share.
tip
In some cases, the ATS will not read the contact header properly. This is why you should submit your resume in two formats. You can submit it as a docx. format for the ATS and as a PDF for the potential employer.
EXAMPLE
Judy Smith
1122 East Drive
Lala IL, 33233
Js2@email.com
123-456-7890
Write resume objective or summary
A resume objective and a resume summary are two different things. Your interest and qualifications for a position will be highlighted in your objective, while your experience and skills will be described in the summary. Since you have less experience and accomplishments to discuss if this is your first teaching position, an objective statement might be a good choice. For most applicants, the summary is a great choice to make a good first impression.
No matter which one of these you choose to use, make sure that it is adapted specifically for the job posting that you plan to apply for. Generic summaries and objectives will not help you get attention and can harm your chances of getting that job. A resume objective or summary statement will be effective if it mentions the applicant’s experience, includes data on how well they performed in previous positions, mentions their teaching experience or educational background, and emphasizes their desire to work at a specific school. It can be helpful to read the job description to identify pertinent keywords and include them to effectively convey your message.
Objective Statement Example
Professional and engaged middle school teacher with 10+ years of experience building meaningful and lasting relationships with students to encourage them to reach their fullest potential. Eager to apply for the open science position at ABC Middle School.
Summary Statement Example
High school teacher with 7+ years of experience working with 9th and 10th-grade students in the classroom. I am creative, eager to learn, and ready to help students succeed and find a love of science. Voted as Teacher of the Year for 2018 for creating lesson plans that worked for the individual student.
Include your teaching history
Depending on how many positions you have held in the past, you may not want to include all of your past work. If you have worked at ten different schools, choose two to four of the most relevant options and then quantify the responsibilities and achievements you had in that role.
When writing about the job experience, you will need to carefully draft all of the bullet points under that job. Each word matters on a resume, so make sure you use active verbs and pay attention to punctuation.
EXAMPLE
- Taught English, art, geography, mathematics, and history to 2nd graders.
- Hosted an annual fundraiser to raise $10,000 to fund new computers in the computer lab.
- Collaborated with other teachers to host after-school study sessions to improve student placement scores by 20% for state standardized testing.
These bullet points are effective because they show your deliverables as a teacher. The hiring manager will be able to see how these skills can be utilized by them if you are hired. When possible, ensure you can support any professional experience with the right numbers. Remember that the bullet points should not just mention all of your duties in that role. Use them to show your impact on the students and staff in your past positions.
If you are new to the teaching profession or just finished college, it can be challenging to add concrete information to your resume. However, you can still include details that will impress the hiring manager. For example, you can quantify how many students you worked with each semester in your teaching institute or talk about the size of the school where you did your teacher training.
List your best teaching skills
You will need to showcase a combination of hard and soft skills on your resume to impress the administration. If you have technical skills, you will want to ensure the administration knows that as well, because technical competence is a requirement in modern teaching methods.
Some of the different skills you should consider adding to your resume include:
| Soft Skills | Hard Skills | Technical Skills |
| People skills | Windows Movie Maker | Adobe Photoshop |
| Communication skills | GIMP | Circuit boards |
| Leadership skills | Microsoft Office | JavaScript |
| Interpersonal skills | MyEdu | Bunsen burners |
| Time management skills | Lore | Soldering |
| Attention to detail | Curriculum planning | Sewing and Cooking |
| Creativity | SMART Boards | |
| Resilience | CPR/AED Training | |
| Patience | Blackboard | |
| Differentiated instruction | Certificate for TESOL | |
| Organization | Blackboard | |
| Behavior analysis | Moodle | |
| Collaboration | Pearson ECollege | |
| Classroom Management | Sakai | |
| Verbal and Written Communication | Lore | |
| Critical thinking | GIMP | |
| Student assessments | Windows Movie Maker | |
| Conflict Management | iMovie | |
| Digital Media |
The skills you add to your resume will depend on the position you plan to apply for and your exact skills. Do not list any skills for which you cannot immediately provide supporting documentation. This is seen as very unprofessional.
It is important to remember to mention those skills that are relevant to the position you are applying for. For example, as a professional applying for a high school teaching position, you may want to add more about using digital media, behavior analysis, conflict resolution, and diverse classroom management to help show that you are fully prepared for the unique issues of this age group.
Highlight your educational achievements
This is a good section for those who may have just finished their education and do not have a wide range of work experience. You can highlight a few of the educational achievements that make you qualified for the opening. List any teaching positions you may have had, any awards and anything else that has aided you in your goal to become a teacher.
EXAMPLE
I received my Bachelor’s in Education from Wayne State University in 2022. During that time, I taught at Wayne City Elementary for two semesters, aiding the teacher in daily tasks and classroom management to gain hands-on experience with the information I learned in college.
Add a section for your teaching certifications
Teachers will need to earn a license along with their educational degree. The exact standards and licenses are set by the state where you plan to teach. You need to understand the state’s certification requirements before applying for any job. You can get a teaching license based on the subject area you teach or the age group.
After completing your college education program, you can take the Praxis exam to help complete the process. A few states will offer alternative licensure programs in some situations. This certificate will show that you finished the teaching program and are licensed to teach in a particular state. If you do not yet have a teaching certification, you may state when you anticipate obtaining one. This is most likely to happen if you apply for jobs before completing your licensing requirements.
Simple Tips to Help You Write an Effective Resume for a Teaching Position
When you are ready to write your own teacher resume for an open position, you want to ensure that you do it correctly. Some simple tips that will make it easier to write an effective teaching resume include:
Use action verbs
When choosing words to use in your resume, you must make sure that you include action verbs. These will show how you can help the educational facility now.
Some examples of action verbs that you can use are mentioned in the table below:
| Resolved | Reinforced | Moderated | Lectured |
| Arbitrated | Involved | Spoke | Consulted |
| Incorporated | Interpreted | Outlined | Interacted |
| Analyze | Support | Write | Schedule |
| Plan | Prepare | Manage | Execute |
| Deliver | Counsel | Coordinate | Assess |
| Increased or Decreased | Assigned | Wrote | Accomplished |
Align your resume with the job description
Teachers should never create one resume and then use it to apply for all of the open positions they are interested in. As a result, the resume becomes overly general and a qualified teacher may not be considered for a fantastic position. The way to avoid this is to make sure you can customize your resume for the specific job you hope to get.
To do this, examine the job description for the position you are interested in and determine the qualifications they are looking for in a candidate, including their education, skills, and other backgrounds. You can then adapt your education and experience to it, highlighting specific situations in your past where you gained the skills the hiring manager requires.
Quantify your accomplishments
One thing that you must make sure you do when writing your teaching resume is to quantify your accomplishments. Achievements on a high-quality resume are quantifiable and measurable. Grades, time spans, and percentages are all excellent ways to quantify your accomplishments on a resume.
How many students have you taught in a classroom, for instance, and how many of those students were able to meet school goals or achieve a certain grade on a state exam? The number of students you worked with and if there were any noticeable improvements in their grades can also be mentioned.
EXAMPLE
- Helped raise the average GPA of the class from 3.0 to 3.2 in one semester
- Managed 70+ students in each semester in 5 classes a day.
Make your resume ATS-friendly
To make sure that your resume will reach the right people in the educational facility, you need to make sure that it passes muster with the ATS. To achieve that, you can adhere to some guidelines, such as:
- Choose the right file type. ATS will not accept many types of files, and it is best to send the resume in a .docx format to be safe.
- Choose a font size between 10 to 12 points to make it easier to read.
- Arial and Helvetica are the best font types to use to match with ATS.
- One-inch margins are the standard, but there is a little flexibility here. Never make it smaller than half an inch, though.
- Add header names to help the ATS system read through the document.
- Look for keywords in the job advertisement and add those in the resume so the ATS system can match your resume with the job requirements.
- Maintain a logical flow; this will make it simpler for the system to read and forward to the administration.
Taking a few extra minutes to create an ATS-friendly resume can make a huge difference in how likely a school principal or administration will shortlist your application. When the document is screened through the system, it increases your chances of being invited for an interview.
Use bullet points
You can use bullet points to your advantage when creating your resume. Instead of having long blocks of text all the time, use bullet points to highlight relevant sections.
They help organize ideas and keep the information simple and easy to read. It also makes it easier for the administration to quickly scan the document.
Proofread
Once the resume is complete, take the time to look it over and proofread for grammar and spelling mistakes. You can also ask someone else to review it. making sure that you present a professional front to the administration where you wish to work. If your resume has grammatical and typographical errors, potential employers will doubt your ability to be a teacher.
Resume Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
A strong objective will demonstrate your commitment to the position and willingness to contribute. For example, something like “to gain employment as a teacher and utilize my skills to foster the best education for the children in my classroom” would work.
School administrators want to make sure you are suitable for the teaching position. They are most interested in seeing your experience and results in real-life terms. Do not simply list out the work experience. Try to add facts and figures to see how you have achieved results.
The number of sections you will have on your resume will depend on your experience and how you plan to write the document. Most will include a section with their contact information as well as a detailed section with all relevant work experience. If necessary, teaching professionals can also add education, skills, and teaching certifications.
Adding an objective or summary statement is a good strategy to make the resume noticeable. If you are an experienced professional educator, add two to three sentences at the top of the resume to get attention. Another idea could be to use the keywords that were included in the job description.
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