Whether you are a new or experienced teacher, building your resume is never easy. Most of the time, we have no idea what to include on a teacher's resume. What do employers even check on our resume in the first place?
When we talk of a teacher's resume, most of us think of the endless certifications, training, and courses you have taken to be included on that piece of paper. Since as an applicant, all we want is to make a good first impression, we bombard our resume with details that we perceive as important. We had no idea that the more crowded your resume is, the more confused employers are. The good news is that I have a guide for those teachers here who are in the process of creating or recreating their resumes.
I do not claim to be an expert; I am just sharing what I have experienced as an applicant myself and what key details I placed on my resume to make it stand out. So please read this post with a grain of salt.
1. Simplicity is superior!
I know there are a lot of websites or applications out there telling you to use them to beautify or accentuate your resume. Trust me, you do not need to. A simple black and white resume will still do the work. Most of the time, employers review your resume, but not to the point that they will memorize everything you have written. So in that sense, making your resume as simple and as eligible as possible is enough to ensure that employers are well versed in you and not get distracted by the decoration of your resume.
2. Realistic Objectives: Career Summary
Objectives or a Career Summary are essential components of a teacher's resume because they allow you to introduce your teaching experience to potential employers. Generally, it is an outline of your experiences, skills, qualifications, credentials, and more. This paragraph should be at least five sentences long. So in this aspect, new teachers need to be realistic. You might lack details on your teaching experience, but as much as possible, envision writing your summary with goals you want to achieve in terms of career growth in general. Use colorful, yet formal, adjectives to describe yourself in your summary. Again, be realistic and be true.
3. Only Significant Experience
One thing I have learned in the long run of applying as a teacher is that employers tend to give great importance to your teaching experience and the length of teaching in a certain institution. Just like any other corporate company, schools tend to lean on applicants with a wide variety of experience and who have been somehow loyal to their previous institution. So for new teachers, you're at a disadvantage most of the time. Your internship, volunteer work, and practicum are the best forms of experience you have, and it is okay. All you have to do is to write down everything you are involved in. Use active power verbs to highlight your relevant experience. Be direct, concise, and coherent in writing your resume.
4. Highlight Your Academic Background
In my opinion, education is the field that heavily relays on an applicant's educational background. Here in the Philippines, it is very important that the role of a teacher suits your completed course and subject matter expertise. That is why, most of the time, they prefer teacher applicants who have passed the board exam or have extensive experience in all types of teaching.As a new teacher, it is important to place your educational background on top of your resume. All of your important merits and other affiliations related to your course should be there to highlight your knowledge in the field of education. Again, I am not saying that only college-educated people can get a job, but the reality is that for the role of a teacher, acquiring a college degree is of importance.
5. Relevant Qualifications and Skills
One of the most important parts of being a teacher is expressing your talented persona. Believe me, in this role, you must be as talented as possible in order to perform tasks both within and outside of your role. Just list down at least ten to fifteen skills or qualifications you know you can do. Again, do not put down something you cannot do. Honesty is still the best policy. Going basic with your skills is still considered important. At this point, you need to review yourself. Ask yourself what you are even capable of as a teacher.
6. Specific Personal Information
Lately, personal details like birthday, nationality, religion, and others have become unimportant details to place in your resume. For personal details, employers only look for these three things: name, address, and contact details. Never ever put your full address on your resume. You may wonder why. It is because, at the end of the day, if you are interviewed, your travel details will be asked and discussed. for security purposes, just place only what they need to know about your location. Another pro-tip is to use valid contact details. As for me, I have a dedicated mobile number I use for job applications, different from my private number. After all, you don't want to be spammed or contacted by a random stranger; additionally, your email address should be your name, not a special name, modified characters, or out of this world username. Just be simple and have an email address for you. At the end of the day, if you are qualified, they will contact you.
7. Reference Characters' Details
Lastly, your reference characters. Validating your experience and the way you process work is important knowledge an employer should know. That is why they at least ask for three reference characters from every applicant. In the long run, I have learned that you should never place your reference charts details on your resume. Just like your personal details, ensuring the security of your reference characters is a must. You do not want to divulge their details to a stranger. On my one resume I have placed "Reference Character Upon Employers' Request." At the end of the day, your employers are more likely to ask or contact your references if they have already decided to at least consider you for the role. As a new teacher, I recommend getting references from your professors, critic teachers, or even school admin to vouch for your moral character.
At the end of the day, the most important portfolio you can have is your performance in the interview, getting hired, and doing well. We can now seek help and assistance in creating our resume and CV in order to leverage ourselves; the only advice I can give you is to be simple and honest; we are humans applying for a role we know we are capable of performing. It is still better to know yourself first and know what role you really want before creating your resume.
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