As a recent graduate or a seasoned educator polishing your resume
will support your efforts in attracting the best employment opportunities.
Teaching
with Passion
“A passion
to teach is vital. It illustrates a
commitment to education in an environment which engages students to learn,” says Lori
Ann Comeau, founder and president of Tulip Canada, a human capital investment
and recruitment firm which bridges relationships between Canadian teachers and
educators with accredited schools around the global. Focus on your teaching philosophy in your
resume profile. Share teaching values,
and experience based achievements. “Teachers need to be in the profession for
the right reasons -- to nurture the full
potential of their students with a healthy and positive teaching approach”.
Selling
Credentials and Certifications
A selling feature is your academic credentials and
certifications. Profile them on the
first page of your resume following your career profile.
Using
Keywords
There should never be assumptions on a resume. Identify and spell out the keywords specific
in the teaching profession and education industry such as:
teaching and learning, curriculum development, curriculum
planning, curriculum design, creative lesson planning, in-service leadership,
peer tutoring, peer mentoring, lead teacher, teacher-parent relations, special
needs students, gifted/talented students, ESL/ESOL students, student success, standardized
testing, learner assessment, technology integration, classroom management,
classroom monitoring, discipline strategies, student involvement, parental
involvement, instruction, teaching across the curriculum, interdisciplinary teaching
approaches, K-12, mainstream, and inclusion, knowledge learning.
Highlighting
Achievements
Our careers
are an infinite amount of events, however, we must be in a position to focus on
the accomplishments of each experience, or teaching adventure”, says
Comeau. “It supports the resume profile,
and professional traits of a passionate, experienced educator and most of all,
keeps the resume reader, wanting to learn more about you,” adds Comeau.
Recent graduates can use your practicum experience as the basis
of the start of your teaching career, adding evaluations and classroom
observations.
As you build your achievement section of your resume, explore and
identify career milestones consider have you:
- designed and delivered any after school programs or extracurricular activities? It helps identify your strength to support student needs.
- a teaching specialty? It shares your teaching methods, which differentiates you from other candidates.
- incorporated technological resources to promote learning across your curriculum? Provide examples as well as results.
- taught in gifted/talented, special needs, youth at risk or English as a Second Language, or any other segmented population?
- increase the average student score for provincial standardization tests (by how much)? It highlights your commitment to teach, and explore opportunities to improve not only for your students but the overall success of the school.
- been asked to serve as a mentor or peer tutor to new teachers?
- delivered training workshops to help your colleagues? Be sure to highlight the topics.
- designed creative curriculum or lessons, which were, adapted as best practices for the school, district or Board? What were these best practices? How did these best practice models improve the delivery of education, and what was the performance before the best practices were implemented?
- been asked to serve as a mentor or peer tutor to new teachers?
- explored opportunities continue your education, or keep yourself current in the teaching profession? This shares your commitment to self-improvement, and dedication classroom delivery.
- increase parent or community engagement your school? What outreach programs have you undertaken to be success in parental/community participation?
Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach
for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada. More career advice and teaching opportunities can be directed to your
email inbox. Email at
lorianncomeau@tulipca.ca; follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada.