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What should I put in my resume?

By AAEE — March 12, 2013 1 min read
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Your resume is a very valuable piece of job search realty! Don’s skimp on preparing this document. I recommend that you contact your university Career Center for assistance; often you can find resume samples on their websites. There are also free online resume builders that are worth investigating. Here are some general guidelines for education resumes:

• Be sure to list your area of licensure endorsement in a prominent place on your resume, preferably at the beginning. Don’t make an employer guess what license you hold.

• Give specifics about your student teaching experience: diversity of student population? courses you taught? length of student teaching? etc.

• Be sure to print out your resume and proofread it in hard copy. Often, a document looks fine electronically but isn’t correctly formatted when printed. It should also go without saying, check each word carefully for spelling!

Do not use ‘cute’ clip art on your resume! No cartoon apples, schoolhouses, chalkboards, etc. Remember that you are seeking a job as a professional educator: present yourself as such. I’ve never known a CPA to put a cartoon calculator on a resume.

• List an email address that is also professional. If your personal email is cutiepie@gmail.com, get a new one! Also, be sure you list phone numbers that will be answered in an adult manner. Employers are not impressed by adolescent antics on voicemail greetings or by others who might answer your phone.

• If you have seemingly unrelated prior work experience, take another look at it. For example, if you held a job as an office manager, list it. In your cover letter, you can make the connection for the potential employer: this job required responsibility, people skills, and technical expertise. These are also some characteristics of a successful teacher.

This is your first chance to make that powerful first impression! Make the most of it!

Jeanne Gilbert
Assistant Professor
Student Teaching Services
Regis University, Denver CO

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