Many of us remember our favorite teacher. Mine was Mrs. Poole, who introduced me to poetry, encouraged me to keep writing short stories, and indulged my fascination with the Gold Rush. She even let me play Oregon Trail at lunchtime. (Yes, I was that kid.)
But students never give much thought to how teachers get a job. In fact, when I was in kindergarten, I thought Ms. Murphy lived in her classroom! Thankfully, I was wrong. Obviously, teachers don’t literally live in their classrooms, but when you’re knee-deep in lesson planning, parent conferences, and test grading, it’s hard to imagine having the time to look for a job, let alone write a competitive, compelling teaching resume that captures the full breadth of your abilities.
“Some teaching job openings will receive hundreds of applications depending on the school district. Your resume must wow the reader within five to eight seconds of them glancing over it,” says Daryn Edelman, a middle school teacher turned Certified Professional Resume Writer. That’s a lot of pressure for a busy teacher. How do you go about writing a resume that’ll capture a superintendent, principal, or HR specialist’s (depending on the district) attention in a matter of seconds? Luckily, it’s not quite as daunting as it sounds. You simply need to follow a few golden rules.
It won’t surprise you to hear that your degrees, credentials, and certifications will play an important role in landing your next teaching job. “The first thing I look for when I’m reviewing a teacher’s resume is their education and licensing,” says Dan Swartz, Managing Director of Resolve Talent Consulting, an agency that specializes in talent management for school districts and educational programs. “I’m of course very interested in teaching experience too, but if I can’t tell whether an applicant is properly licensed, determining whether they’re qualified will be a challenge.”
And these licensing requirements will vary from state to state. “A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement in most districts and states for obtaining a teaching license,” Edelman says. “Depending upon the job, you may need to show specific credits in the subject matter you want to teach. Many states require completion of either additional certification credits for special education and/or a master's degree in either teaching or special education.”
So you’ll first want to confirm what the educational requirements for your district, city, and state are—you’ll likely find these listed in the job description, but if not, a quick Google search should do the trick. If you meet the minimum requirements, be sure to include all the relevant details on your resume. “If you’re new to teaching, include your licensing details at the top of your resume,” Swartz recommends. “Otherwise, it can go toward the bottom below your classroom experience.”
While it can be tempting to go into great detail about all of your experience and accomplishments, it’s important to remember that your resume is meant to convey the ways in which you’re qualified for the specific job you’ve applied to. As Edelman puts it, your resume should communicate “why you are the ideal candidate for this job.” That’s why tailoring the content to reflect each job description is so essential.
Hiring managers use your resume to determine whether your experience will be a match for their current needs. “You can generally tell the priorities of a superintendent by the order and emphasis of the posted job requirements,” Edelman says. “Is the first requirement three years teaching at the high school level or a STEM degree from an accredited university? This will be one of the first things they will look for on a resume.” So make sure these important qualifications are on your resume and easy to find.
Teachers are busy, so I know that tailoring your resume for every single job posting might seem overwhelming. But I promise it won’t be as hard as it sounds. The key is to use the job description as your guide.
“If the job requires knowledge of a certain method like ‘Montessori,’ the resume should clearly show experience with this method,” Edelman says. In other words, if a skill, methodology, or job duty is mentioned in the job description, it belongs on your resume (so long as you actually have experience with that particular skill, methodology, or job duty).
Remember that cutting unnecessary skills or experiences can be just as important as including relevant ones. Swartz notes that every principal has their own preferences when it comes to curriculum and teaching styles, so if your resume highlights your extensive experience in Singapore math but the school you’ve applied to uses Eureka math, “you may not look like a very strong match on paper.” Be sure to pay attention to what is and what isn’t listed in the job description as you draft your resume.
“You should assume your resume will go through an Applicant Tracking System [ATS] where certain keywords are identified,” warns Edelman. ATS programs scan your resume for specific job-related terms, like “lesson planning” or “learner-focused” to determine whether your work history is a match for the job you’ve applied to. If your resume doesn’t include enough relevant keywords, the ATS might automatically reject your application before a human ever sees it—even if you actually have the right experience.
So how do you beat the ATS? Edelman suggests using the job posting to identify the right keywords. Note the requirements and make sure the important words in each one appear on your resume.
Need some commonly used keyword inspiration? Edelman and Swartz shared some examples:
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