Teaching is a challenging yet rewarding job for those who like sharing their ideas and knowledge and interacting with people. Moreover, this profession is in great demand in the US, and employment of high school teachers is expected to grow by 5% by 2031.
One of the best strategies to land an employment with your dream school or other educational institution is to showcase your professional achievements on a resume. In this post, we will show how to present your achievements as a teacher in a persuasive way.
Need a resume that will generate better results in your job search? Professional teacher resume writing services can be of great help. By hiring CV writers for teachers you will receive a document that emphasizes your professional achievements, soft skills and explains why you are a perfect fit for the target position.
5 strategies to list accomplishments in your teacher resume
When including accomplishment stories in your resume, it is essential to keep them specific, relevant, and measurable. Here’s how to do this effectively:
Use bullet statements, not paragraphs
When listing your accomplishments, use bullet points, not paragraphs. Bullets are considered a common practice for modern resumes, as they are more comfortable to read and look through. Try to include at least one accomplishment for each teaching role you list on a resume. Examples of accomplishments are winning an award, excellent student performance, introducing new teaching methods, streamlining the work of school administration, and more.
Add figures and percentages
Including numbers or percentages will add your accomplishment statements context and credibility. Moreover, the hiring manager will be able to evaluate more skills and see that you’ll make a valuable addition to their school. For example, you can include the number of students in the class you managed, increase in student performance, number of students who excelled in tests or exams, or recognition from the school administration.
Use a PAR formula
If you are not sure how to list accomplishments best, try a problem-action-result (PAR) formula. Describe a specific problem that you or your students encountered, include the specific actions you’ve taken, and outline the result you’ve managed to achieve. Such an accomplishment story will draw the attention of the hiring manager and portray you as a result-oriented individual.
Find the right location to list accomplishments
When it comes to listing achievements on a resume, there are three main strategies:
- Most job-seekers include accomplishment statements in their Professional Experience section. In this case, you list one or more accomplishments at the end of each job description. The hiring manager will instantly see what you’ve achieved in each role and what your strengths are.
- Alternatively, you can create a dedicated Achievements section. This approach works best for teachers who have plenty of achievements to brag about and professional awards. Thus, you can summarize what you’ve achieved in various areas of teaching. By including such a section, you will position yourself as a high-performing professional.
- Finally, you can add a couple of achievements in your Summary section. A Career Summary is the first thing that recruiters see, so you can instantly draw attention to your most noteworthy achievements.
Incorporate keywords when listing achievements
Since most employers now use applicant tracking software, using keywords is essential to get your resume considered for the position. Keywords are usually names of skills and qualifications listed in a job posting, for example, classroom management, lesson planning, student assessment, and more. Use keywords naturally when describing your work experience, skills, and achievements.
Examples of accomplishments for a teacher resume
- Introduced a student-oriented learning approach, resulting in a 25% improvement in overall academic performance
- Achieved 100% curriculum goals for setting clear objectives for all History lessons and units
- Provided instruction to 95 students, and increased pass rates on state tests from 26% to 45% by adapting teaching style to every student’s needs.
Professional tips to enhance your teaching resume
Listing accomplishment stories on a teacher’s resume is essential. Yet, when creating your resume, you should also take your time to complete other sections and format the document professionally.
- Keep your resume concise. The perfect length is one page if you’re a recent graduate and two pages if you are an experienced professional. If you don’t have professional experience yet, focus on your education, internships, volunteering, and other unpaid projects.
- If your resume takes more than two pages, remove the outdated or irrelevant details. Say, you can eliminate jobs you had over 10 years ago, skills that you no longer use, or jobs irrelevant to your target opening.
- Adapt your resume for each job posting. No need to rewrite your resume every time, yet, be sure to update at least a career summary, skills, and your most recent position. Focus on the exact skills and qualification that your target employer is looking for.
- Stay on a chronological resume format. It perfectly suits teachers and educators who have years of relevant experience, as it helps emphasize your career progression. If you don’t have much experience yet, consider a functional format that puts forward your skillset and training.
- Add a powerful career summary. Your summary is an elevator pitch where you should introduce your areas of expertise, key accomplishments, and qualification highlights. Write 3-4 sentences, focusing both on what you consider most important in your career and employer’s expectations.
- Always attach a cover letter. As the data shows, 49% of hiring managers believe that attaching a letter is mandatory. Plus, in a cover letter, you can expand on your most important projects or achievements, and highlight your passion for education.
Listing accomplishment stories will help you articulate your strengths, explain what you do best as a teacher, and eventually stand out from the competition. Use the strategies suggested above to come up with achievements that will resonate with your target employers.
In case you need further guidance or personalized help with your resume, do not hesitate to consult a professional resume writer who will advise how to create a stellar resume for your career situation. Good luck with your job search!
