Teacher Resume Example
A quick lesson in how to educate employers about your expertise – and come out at the top of the class.
Marc Cenedella
Marc Cenedella is a nationally recognized thought leader on careers, resume writing, job search, career management and recruiting, Marc is frequently sought out by national media organizations for his expert commentary on employment, resumes, the job search and the job market.
How to Write an Education Resume
As a teacher, you'll want to land your dream job in Education. And you know your resume is your first impression, so you need it to be the best possible snapshot of your expertise. You know you bring a strong command of curriculum, progress tracking, and assessment feedback to the table, but maybe a recruiter doesn’t know that.
You’re resourceful, so you’ve done your research. You’ve emailed your resume to a friend for feedback. You’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time choosing a font. Yet, you still haven’t gotten your foot in the door for an interview. You could have Leet Resumes write your resume for you - we write great professional resumes for free (tips appreciated!) - or you can follow our detailed guide below.
Maybe now you’ve gone deep enough to know that a great Education resume has five parts - a professional headline, a professional summary, your work experience, your education, and a keywords section. But what is the secret sauce to highlighting differentiated instruction, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and blended learning on paper to make a great resume? How do you really indicate how qualified you are for a specific job in just one to two pages? How do you pull together all those keywords and accomplishments to tell a story that makes your experience stand out in a sea of other qualified and eager educators?
How to Write a Professional Headline for a Teacher Resume
A professional headline is your billboard - your attention grabber, a brief phrase that sums up your professional status. It includes a descriptor of your greatest professional asset and defines your role. Maybe you see yourself as a Passionate Corporate Teacher, like Travis. Perhaps you’re a Dedicated Elementary Teacher, an Innovative LMS Manager, or a Data-Driven Education Consultant. Whatever it is, your headline should clearly state a positive description of you in alignment with the job you’re seeking, followed by the role itself to clearly indicate in a stack of resumes which job you are applying for.
What Makes a Great Professional Summary
Of course, to land an interview, you need to stand out as more than a title. Think of your professional summary as a subtitle that keeps a hiring manager reading, an index, a highlight reel of what they will find throughout your resume. You’ll want to include two to four lines, depending on your years of experience as an educator. Research has shown people don’t generally read paragraphs when reviewing resumes, so approach this section with easily digestible and scannable bullets.
The first line will consist of job titles you would accept. For Travis, that’s Sr. Corporate Teacher/Trainer, Sr. Training Specialist, Sr. Training Analyst, and Training Manager. Remember you are listing roles that you would accept for your next job, not necessarily your past roles. When a hiring manager lands on your resume, you want to stand out as someone who could fill your desired role next. Maybe you’ve only been a teaching assistant, but you’ve received all the credentials and are ready for the next step in your career - showcase what you’re ready to step into!
Next, let’s bring attention to the skills that make you an ideal candidate for the position you’re seeking, like Adult Learning Theory, Responsive Classroom, or Digital Citizenship. These capabilities should represent the core pillars of the job to which you are applying and be proven throughout your resume.
::: colored-box Think of your professional summary as a subtitle that keeps a hiring manager reading, an index, a highlight reel of what they will find throughout your resume. :::
If you choose to have a third line, you’ll want to bring attention to the success you’ve had in these areas. Because Travis emphasizes Employee Growth as one of his capabilities, he might exemplify this with the accomplishment “Reduced Training Time” or “Automated Onboarding” should he choose to add a third line. As another example, should you list Classroom Management as a skill, you might back this up with the accomplishment “Reduced School Referrals.”
An optional fourth line will include career highlights in your field. Perhaps you were named Teacher of the Year, received a promotion, have been featured on a podcast, served on a committee, or are affiliated with a well-known group like Teach For America or ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
How to Showcase Your Expertise in Education
Work experience is where you call attention to your accomplishments in greater detail. An Education resume should show your ability to manage large groups of people, to positively influence the success of others, and to apply necessary technical skills to be successful in an education/training setting. Go beyond vague soft skills and daily responsibilities to really set yourself apart from other applicants. Instead of detailing what it felt like to be you going through the day-to-day motions, imagine what it felt like to be your boss watching you excel. The person reviewing your resume likely already has an understanding of what the job entails, so don’t just list all your prior and current duties. List your wins. Ideally, your most recent roles will have the most data, as these accomplishments are likely most relevant to the next step in your career.
A Quick Lesson About Numbers
Again, work with bullets rather than paragraphs for readability purposes. Keep them each succinct, with one or two lines for each. Imagine each bullet as a skill, but leave your reader with proof that you hold these skills rather than just telling them. Begin each bullet with a verb to show what you bring to the table, followed by data to demonstrate the scope of your effectiveness, and a description to tell your reader how you achieved this. For example, “Achieved an average 1.5 years of reading growth in 1 year through tiered intervention” is far more effective than “Provided tiered intervention.” Other examples might include:
Drove a 100% satisfaction rating on parent surveys through attentive communication. Reduced onboarding time 87% by implementing a Learning Management System to streamline the new employee process. Saved $10,000 annually by creating in house, adaptable learning programs. Improved employee performance 45% via performance feedback and remediation. Created 600+ training consumables for scalable and repeatable training.
Once you think you have enough numbers to exemplify your successes, go ahead and double down. Revisit evaluations you've received, feedback surveys you’ve administered, test scores you’ve been successful with. Consider what numbers are most impressive and highlight those first. You want your future employer to easily visualize how you will contribute. Include any promotions or recognitions you’ve received along the way and ensure that your dates and titles are accurately listed.
How to Include Education on My Resume
Presumably, Education is important to you, so let’s highlight your educational background. You’re trying to really convince your reader that you have mastery in this exact thing, so don’t skimp on highlighting your experience. Allow this section to speak for itself in saying “I’m a lifelong learner and the joy I bring to learning is contagious.”
Be precise in listing your schools, dates, and degrees. Also list any relevant achievements, honors, or awards, especially if your professional history is limited or they pertain to the job you are applying for. Don’t include uncompleted degrees unless you are currently pursuing them. And if you worked hard to close out your education with a great GPA, you’ll want to include that too.
How to Include Keywords
Finally, your keywords section is going to highlight other key aspects of your career. Start with industry related technologies you’re skilled at, such as Canvas or EdPuzzle. If you’re seeking a role in the Education industry that is technology heavy, consider the platforms that will set you apart. For example, a Media Specialist will probably get further listing familiarity with Code.org than MS Word. Also include active certifications you hold, like a state teaching certification or Google for Education. Coursework you’ve completed for professional development, conferences you’ve attended, awards you’ve received, or impressive affiliations you have might also be included.
How to Include Your Contact Info
Contact information should be listed at the top of your resume. Your name will need to stand out above all, but also include a professional email that you check regularly, a geographic location you intend to work in (full address optional), and a phone number. Don’t include your LinkedIn unless you’re confident you won’t miss any communication there.
How to Format an Education or Teaching Resume
Choose a clean and simple format to reduce distractions for human readers and make for an easy scan for computer readers. Although complex and colorful resumes can be attractive on their own, simplicity and readability are preferred by people filtering through several Education resumes in a day and unquestionably favored by computers.
The best structure for your resume is reverse-chronological order, with contact info at the top, followed by a professional headline, a professional summary, work experience, education, and technologies. One page is generally appropriate for someone with less than ten years of professional experience, whereas professionals with more than ten years of experience can aim for two pages.
Ultimately, as you envision your specific career path, consider the skills essential for your dream role. Then, encapsulate your experience to help a reader see you as an imperative piece to the story and success of their company. Rather than including everything, really examine what skills and accomplishments you have that distinguish you in the field of Education and how you can back them up with data. And if you need an extra push, have Leet Resumes write your resume for you - we write great professional resumes for free (tips appreciated!).
