A resume provides a snapshot of a candidate’s job history and credentials; however, how well a resume is put together can often make the difference between getting called for an interview and never hearing back. Here are some basic tips to write a winning resume.
How to Write a Resume
A good resume is a one page sheet of paper that is easy for a potential employer to scan and includes all pertinent information about the candidate. While it is often debated about how many pages are best, and many people indeed have multiple pages for their resume, the best resume’s are a single sheet. This allows all information to be kept in the same place, minimizes the chance for lost pages and ensures all information will be looked at.
Information provided on a resume needs to include:
- Candidate’s full name and contact information including address, phone number and email address. Note that the email address needs to be professional. Ladybug27 might have been a cute email address but it is not appropriate for a resume.
- Objective or position desired – this would indicate what job or position the candidate is looking for, but is not necessary. Often this is clarified in a cover letter.
- Main certifications including degree, teaching certifications and any other certifications held. This information needs to be thorough – state the college, year, GPA earned for degree held. For teacher certification, include all certified areas, grade levels and states in which certifications are held.
- Job history focusing on jobs that relate to desired position. Avoid gaps in employment as this reflects poorly and will often be questioned.
- Related experiences or volunteer work that is pertinent to the desired position.
- Additional training or other items worthy of note.
Winning Resume Tips
Employers receive many applications for any one position, and it is vital for a candidate to write a resume that is easy to scan, as this ensures that the most important information is read. To do this, a resume must have white space. Tiny margins and small print may allow more words on a page, but also make it more difficult to read. Avoid going smaller than ¾ inch margin and size 10 font.
Make the information on the resume pop out by using bold for section headings and bulleted points for additional information. Spend time on every word, leaving no unnecessary words on the page. List two or three responsibilities under each job listed on the resume, but say each in as few words as possible.
Information should be presented in order of importance from top to bottom and left to right. This is why the candidate’s name should be on top of the page and unrelated certifications at the bottom. When listing job history, the job title should be listed first, and the date the job was held last.
It is important to have another person read a resume for typos. A stray or missing period or comma, misspelled word or poor grammar mistake can ruin the chances for an interview. Writing a resume is often difficult but is an important aspect of the job search.
Related Information:
Finding a Teaching Job – Tips for becoming a teacher in a competitive market.
Organizing Your Job Search – Organization tips that will help turn a job search into a job offer.
Developing a Professional Portfolio – The Professional teacher portfolio is just as important as the resume in finding a teaching position.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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