How to Write a Resume for a Language Arts Teacher
Most language arts teachers leave college bright-eyed and ready to take on the world and change lives one student at a time. To do that, however, you must acquire a job. Seeking a job in education can be a challenging task. Often there are a multitude of candidates for every available position, making it all the more necessary for teacher candidates to create effective application materials. One of the most important pieces of application material is the resume. This document conveys your qualifications and shows employers why you are someone they want to interview. Without a quality resume, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door and receive the opportunity to interview for a position. When creating your resume, you need to take care and ensure you produce a polished, professional piece that is a testament to your abilities and qualifications as an educator.
Instructions
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Select a resume template. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Most word processing programs as well as the Internet at littered with preplanned resume templates. Peruse your word processing program and look for a resume template. Using a template will save you a tremendous amount of time as the formatting is already done and all you will need to do is insert your information.
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Include up-to-date, permanent contact information. If you are just exiting college and plan on leaving your current apartment or discontinuing the use of your college email address, do not use these things as part of your contact information. Include information that will be useful for an extended period of time as often schools keep resumes on file for several years. If you do not have a permanent address established, use your parents' address or the address of a relative who is not likely to move in the near future. Also, establish an email address through one of the many free Internet services and use this as your job application email, keeping it only for professional email correspondence.
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Write an objective. Objectives are often challenging to write. To write an effective objective, consider what you want to accomplish over the course of your teaching career. Do you want to help students develop better reading habits? Would you like to teach students to express themselves through writing? Take your goals and incorporate them into a strong objective. Objectives are always near the top of the resume and, as such, they are one of the first things that an employer sees. Start off on the right foot by composing a solid objective that will impress prospective employers.
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Include any specific endorsements or certifications in the education section. When you list your degree along with the degree granting institution, list any honors, such as cum laude awards or any certifications such as a reading endorsement. These extras add to your credibility and your desirability as an applicant by placing your above applicants who hold no extra endorsements.
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List previous experience. When listing your experience, try to point out ways in which that experience was relevant to education. If you worked at a fast food restaurant and, during your employment, you trained new hires, make sure to mention that as training is more related to education than hamburger assembly.
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Include student teaching. It is permissible to include student teaching in your previous experience as, for many college graduates, this is the only real teaching experience you possess. Clearly label the experience as student teaching by listing your position as student teacher. In the job duties section, list any projects or activities that you feel were especially effective and be prepared to talk about these listings during an interview as the interviewer may want you to elaborate.
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Point out any extracurricular activities that you are qualified to oversee. Schools want to hire individuals who are versatile and can fill a number of positions. List as many extracurricular activities as possible, even ones that aren't directly related to Language Arts. You do not have to be an expert in an activity to list it. If you are selected to oversee a club or sport, you will receive training and guidance from administration and colleagues as each school runs activities in a different fashion.
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List technology skills in the skills section. Technology is used throughout many schools, and, in many cases, administration would like to hire individuals who have some technological literacy. List any computer programs with which you feel comfortable as well as any specialized skills such as website building and networking. These skills can set you apart from other applicants and give you the edge necessary to acquire the job.
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