(1)
Identification -
Your name, present address and phone number, including zip code and
area code, should be listed at the top of the resume. It is often
advisable to list another address and phone number, either permanent
or work, where you can be contacted if you cannot be reached at your
current address. This is particularly important for students,
whose addresses often change during the summer when employers will be
trying to contact them.
(2)
Teaching Objective/Skills Summary-
This is a statement of the type of job you are pursuing and can serve
as a focal point from which the rest of the resume emanates.
It may include your areas of teaching interests and competencies as
well as information on the extracurricular activities you are qualified
to supervise, research interests, etc. Tell the employer what you can do for them. If you have several
possible objectives, you may need different resumes, or use your letter
of application, instead of your resume, to indicate your objective.
(3)
Educational Background - Include information on the schools and colleges you have attended,
dates of attendance, and degrees earned or, if no degree, credits taken.
List in order of most recent first. You do not need to list every course or school you attended, but do list where your degrees were received.
(4)
Certificates or Teaching Licenses
- All public school candidates must include information on the fields
in which they are licensed to teach or will be eligible to teach by
the date of employment. Include the state in which you are licensed,
fields, grade levels and, in Wisconsin, the certification code number(s)
for the field(s).
(5)
Work Experience
- Employers want to know about your previous work experiences and the
skills and responsibilities those jobs required.
Simply listing employment experience is not enough for the resume.
First, prioritize your experiences, with those most relevant to your
objective listed first. Indicate the position you held (e.g.,
English teacher), the employer and location, and the dates. Then
briefly describe the important aspects (skills, responsibilities)
of the experience.
If you
have a long list of jobs, divide them into separate categories, such
as "Teaching Experience", "Volunteer Experience",
etc. for clarity. Nonteaching experiences can be included in this
section. Be sure to indicate how these experiences have enhanced
your teaching abilities.
For
those seeking teaching positions, you might include
the kinds of courses taught, age level of students, type of school (e.g.,
open classroom), administrative responsibilities, a unit you developed,
a technique you implemented to teach a unit already in place, a description
of the learning center you constructed, curriculum development you participated
in, and so forth. Stress the contributions you made over and above
the expected duties. Student teaching experience, teaching internships,
assistantships and practica should be included and so identified.
You may also have nonschool work experience, such as summer employment
and volunteer experience related to the type of position you are seeking,
for example, a camp counselor or tutor experience.
Those
seeking specialist or administrative positions may
want to include teaching, administrative experiences, special courses
taught or developed, etc. Nonschool experience may also be listed,
especially if it covers a six-month period or longer.
(6)
Professional Activities
- A brief indication of your activities, such as memberships,
research, publications, exhibits, performances, repertoire, presentations,
speeches/addresses, workshops, etc., should also be included in the
resume. Memberships might include community and service groups,
also, if they are important to the picture you want to present.
Each activity can have its own category or be listed with a similar
activity if you have only a few entries for each.
IF
YOU HAVE A LONG LIST OF ACTIVITIES
IN ANY OF THESE CATEGORIES, INDICATE
THAT IT IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST AND
PUT ONLY THE MOST RECENT/SIGNIFICANT ENTRIES
ON YOUR RESUME. KEEP THE LIST IN
YOUR PERSONAL FILE TO SEND WITH
THE RESUME AND/OR TO TAKE TO INTERVIEWS.
REMEMBER THAT THE RESUME ITSELF SHOULD
BE BRIEF.
(7)
Special Abilities/Interests
- You should emphasize your experience and education in areas
that employers find especially valuable, such as coaching, reading education,
multi-ethnic education, urban education, etc. Even if you are not
aware of a specific need or are unsure of what commitment you want to
make to extracurriculars, list your experience on the resume.
A resume is a tool used to get an interview. A list of extracurriculars
may give you the edge in getting the interview. Some individuals
may want to create a separate section on the resume for their coaching
experiences and other extracurricular activities.
(8)
Honors, Scholarships and Awards
- Include in this category any college, professional or community recognitions
that are significant to your background. You may need to be specific
about the award. Not all employers know, for example, that Phi
Eta Sigma is a national freshman honorary fraternity.
(9)
References
- It is important to list references who can be specific about your
professional competencies or previous employment experiences.
Provide a title (e.g., Professor, Cooperating Teacher) and complete
address for each reference. Also, list telephone numbers, since
many employers want to speak directly to those listed as references.
Remember to obtain permission from those you have listed to use their
names and telephone numbers.