Resume Advice For New Teachers

As a new teacher, getting your first interview can seem daunting. One of the keys to getting your foot in the door is to have a well crafted resume that speaks directly to your future career as a teacher. Not sure how to get started? Keep these tips in mind as you begin crafting your resume.

1. Learn by example The best place to start when you sit down to write your resume is by looking at a few high quality resume samples. Remember that teaching is a highly specialized profession, so regular rules for formatting may not apply. Websites like TeachingResumes.org offer plenty of samples to help you get started.

2. Don't get personal When possible, avoid including personal information like marital status, religious affiliation, birth date, or ethnicity. By law, you can't be compelled to include this information; however, if you do choose to include such details they can be used as part of the employer's decision to hire. If part of your education background includes teaching in a religious setting or school, always include such information thoughtfully and with caution.

3. Format logically The typical teacher resume includes three sections: education, certification, and experience. As a new teacher, you'll probably want to order the sections as listed here - unless your existing teaching experience is particularly extensive. Avoid including an "objective" section at the top of your resume. While for many professions a clearly stated objective is viewed as an asset, in the teaching field it's typically regarded as superfluous and redundant.

4. Be Specific By its very nature teaching is an especially difficult profession to quantify - which makes illustrating your skills and abilities as a teacher particularly difficult. Although it can be challenging, focus on as many concrete outcomes of your experience as you can. Measures like "increased test scores in my classroom by 10 percent across two years," can help potential employers grasp your accomplishments in the classroom. Discuss more ephemeral aspects of your teaching once you get to the interview. Even if you don't have any direct experience yet, you can use this same approach to describe your student teaching practicum.

5. Target your dream job Although the education field can be difficult to break into - particularly as a new teacher - resist the urge to be all things to all people. Instead, focus your resume to target the job you really want - whether it's teaching 11th grade algebra, or kindergarten special needs. If you intend to target several different areas of teaching, make separate, tailor-made resumes for each that address your specific qualifications and skills in that area. A focused resume will help your potential employer more easily "connect the dots," when it comes to pairing your skills with the available vacancy.

6. Show you care Teachers often have to go above and beyond the call of duty. On your resume, be sure to highlight anything you've done outside of your required activities that directly benefited students. Whether you organized a poster campaign against bullying or started a debate team, these actions can show your passion and enthusiasm as a young teacher.