Are you looking for ways to boost your chances of getting hired in the field of education? Whether you’re a teacher, a teaching assistant, or a university professor, here are 6 tips for getting your resume noticed.
1. Verify that you’re qualifiedIt might sound strange to verify your qualifications, but fields change, and employers alter their expectations. If it’s been a while since you’ve applied for a job, check out the current expectations for your position.
For example, if you’re a teaching assistant, research what employers are looking for and what qualifications they expect you to have. Things may have changed since you were hired, especially if time has passed.
If you find out you need additional qualifications, pursue those before distributing your resume to potential employers. You’ll have a better chance of getting hired when you have the maximum amount of qualifications.
2. Use resume examples to get your wording down
If you’re not sure how to word certain aspects of your resume, education resume examples from Resume Supply can help. Resume examples will give you plenty of ideas regarding how to phrase your work experience, achievements, and skills in a way that speaks to potential employers.
You can find a template for just about any educational position, including academic advisor, teaching assistant, assistant principal, academic counselor, academic coordinator, and more.
While you’re looking through templates, be sure to read through examples for all positions to identify sentences and phrases you can tailor to your experience.
3. Highlight your best achievements in bold
When using bold text on your resume, it’s important to limit the amount so you only draw attention to the most important points. Bold text is designed to capture a hiring manager’s attention, but if you have too many bold points, the effect will be lost.
Choose your top achievements and bold only those points. Try not to use bold text in more than a couple sections if possible. A hiring manager might skip around to read the bold text first, so make sure you use it to your advantage.
4. Avoid using italics for emphasisItalics should only be used where it’s an appropriate emphasis as part of a sentence. Avoid using italics to emphasize your points.
Proper use of italics will show hiring managers that you care about proper English. Kent State University explains that italics are used for titles and names of works and objects to make those titles stand out in the sentence. However, using italics for emphasis should be done sparingly.
When using italics, be sure to stick to titles and other appropriate works. As an educator, it’s especially important to present yourself as knowledgeable in the English language.
5. Avoid common resume mistakes
There are several common resume mistakes that will stand out to a hiring manager and might make them question your competency. In the field of education, attention to detail matters, so double check the following items on your resume:
- Typos. Whether it’s intentional or not, typos will make your resume look bad. The problem is, it’s hard to spot your own typos when your word processing application doesn’t catch them. Hand your resume to at least one friend and ask them to check for typos.
- Focusing on tasks and duties. Duties are great to list when they’re outside the norm for your position. For example, if you subbed for higher administrative duties because you were especially trusted, it’s definitely worth mentioning those duties. However, day-to-day duties common for your profession probably aren’t worth listing.
Instead of listing tasks and duties you performed, describe how you made a difference for each former employer.
- Incorrect contact information. Believe it or not, some people put incorrect contact information on their resume. Double check your phone number, address, and email address to make sure it’s correct.
Eliminating typos and other mistakes will make your resume easier to read, and you won’t stand out as careless.
6. Confirm with your referencesBefore putting anyone on your resume as a reference, check with them to ensure they’re okay with being contacted. Most people like to know ahead of time when they might be called as a reference so they can prepare for the call.
Be who you are on your resume
When you go in for an interview, be who you are on your resume. If your resume is authentic, that shouldn’t be a problem. Hiring managers might be impressed by your words, but they’ll feel more confident about you as a candidate when you live up to those words.