So, you are already working in the field of education. Maybe you are a teacher, a teacher’s aide, a counselor, a librarian, or even a principal. For whatever reasons, though, you now want to make a job change within the same profession-probably to take a step up in your career path.
There is another factor in all of this as well – are you currently in a private or religious-affiliated school attempting to move into a public school environment? Many educators pursue this change, because, in general, public school educators, at all levels, receive higher salaries. But this is often more difficult than for those who are moving within a district or from one public school district to another.
In any of these circumstances, though, you will have to craft a resume that shows you are the right person for the job opening. Here are 6 resume writing tips to help you do just that.
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Before You Put Pen to Paper
Even though you may believe you understand your field well, you cannot just jump in with a resume that outlines your background and experience. Be certain that you do the following:
- Read the posting details very carefully. You want to be certain that you highlight those skills and task responsibilities in your resume.
- Carefully study the educational and certification requirements, as well as the desired qualifications in this regard. Some schools want a Master’s degree, as opposed to just a Bachelor’s. And while a Master’s or Specialist degree may be all that is legally required for some top administrative positions, many schools or districts will want a PhD. This is not meant to discourage, but you must be realistic and consider what your competition may be.
- Make a list of the background and experiences that relate directly to the skills, etc. in the job posting, so that you know what to focus on in your resume. Use the same “keywords” as in that posting too. Most organizations, even schools/school districts, use an automatic scanning process to weed out resumes that are not a match.
- Be certain that you check to see whether the employer wants a resume or a CV. This will drastically impact your structure and format. If you need a CV as opposed to a resume, and you have never crafted one before, consider professional help. There are a number of quality sources for this help, including professionals at Resumes Centre, spelling and proofreading tools such as Grammarly and any number of freelancers at such sites as freelancer.com and Upwork.
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Resume Format
Education is a relatively traditional and conservative industry. Using what is considered a “progressive” resume is probably not a good idea. These should be reserved for avant-garde startups looking for creatives.
But sticking to a traditional format does not mean your resume has to be boring. You can experiment with templates within a traditional format. You can use sophisticated and muted colors, borders, etc.; you can experiment with putting your contact information on the side.
Check out some resume templates – they are all over the web – and see how they may have changed since you last fashioned one for a job. Beyond that, if you believe that you need help with a resume format, then get some. Check out a writing site with a resume development department such as My Perfect Resume or Hemingway, a legibility and formatting tool.
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Focus on Achievements, Not Task Responsibilities
One of the biggest mistakes made by job seekers is that they craft resumes that include only their previous and current positions task responsibilities. This does not capture the interest of readers of those resumes.
What does capture attention are accomplishments and achievements. As a classroom teacher, for example, you can speak to your basic duties. But those are standard for all classroom teachers. What did you accomplish as a teacher? Did your students score higher than the district or school average on standardized tests? That’s an accomplishment that stands out and will capture the attention of a reader. If you are a school principal, what data do you have to demonstrate school-wide improvement n test scores, attendance, behaviors, etc.
While education may be a traditional and more conservative industry, it has always relied on research data to drive policy-making and delivery within the classroom.
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Be Brief
Unless you are producing a CV, your resume should be as brief as possible. To accomplish this, you want to use bulleted lists with short phrases to describe your background, experience, and achievements. Be certain to add any organizational memberships and/or presentations you have made at workshops, seminars, etc. These speak to your expertise.
Begin with your current position and go backwards. If you have not been in the profession long, you may not have much to fill a page. In this circumstance, you can certainly highlight some of your accomplishments during your educational background – a high GPA, awards and other recognition you earned, etc.
Your resume should be confined to a single page, if possible – no more than two if you have a more substantial history in the profession.
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Focus on Potential Value, Not Yourself
Another mistake often made by job candidates is that of a primary focus on themselves, not the organization to which they are applying. Thus, they will begin a resume with a “Career Objective” statement that is all about their goals and what they want. Big mistake. Instead of an objective statement, try an “executive summary” that states what value you want to bring to an organization to help meet its missions and goals.
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A No-Brainer
Never, never, never submit a resume that has any spelling, vocabulary, or other grammatical errors, and always use active rather than passive voice.
Crafting a great resume that will pass the initial screening and command a “second look” by an employer is all a matter of how you present yourself as valuable, skilled, and talented – all in relation to what the employer is looking for, not what you want. If you make this your focus, you are far better positioned to get that second look and, ultimately, an interview.
About the Author
Bridgette Hernandez is a content editor at SupremeDissertations and HotEssayServise. She has a Master’s degree in Anthropology, and she currently is getting her MBA degree from Golden Gate University.
