After submitting several resumes to teaching jobs and hearing little to no response, it can start to feel like you’re hitting a roadblock. You know you have the skills to deliver effective lessons and help students succeed, but how do you stand out in a competitive job market? 

Fixing a few common mistakes can be the difference-maker that helps you rise to the top of applicants, start getting interview requests, and land a job you love. 

We’ve compiled five common mistakes aspiring teachers make on their resumes to assist in the process. Whether you’re an entry-level candidate learning how to become a teacher or have years of experience, we have tips here that can help. Let’s get started. 

Mistake #1 - Listing Top Skills That Sound Too Generic

A common mistake for entry-level candidates writing their first teacher resume is listing skills that are too generic. For example, you might see aspiring teachers without experience listing skills like: 

• Organized 

• Communication

• Adaptability

While these are all positive skills to possess, they don’t make you stand out as a candidate. 

Instead, it’s better to be more specific. Rather than saying you’re organized, you could list skills relevant to teaching that require organization to perform successfully, such as classroom management or lesson planning. These show exactly what you can do on the job. 

Can you list those skills if you don’t have experience? You can as long as you’ve practiced them in some form, such as completing a project during college that involved planning daily lessons.  

Mistake #2 - A Resume That’s Too Long

Experienced teachers will often want to list as much as possible on their resumes to show everything they’ve accomplished. However, including too much can backfire. 

A resume that spans multiple pages can water down your accomplishments and make it hard for hiring managers to know what to focus on. 

The ideal resume length for teaching jobs is one page. You should include: 

• Your name, contact information, and job title

• 3-4 of your most recent and relevant jobs

• 3-5 bullet points under each job describing your achievements in each role

• A brief list of 6-10 top skills

• Your highest level of education and state teaching license 

You should break up each section with clear headings, bullet points, and short descriptions to optimize for readability. 

A 2-3 sentence resume summary at the top can also be a great addition if there are any specific skills or achievements you want to highlight. 

Mistake #3 - Submitting the Same Resume for Every Job

Once you create a great resume that covers the essential qualifications, you might feel like your job is done and you can use it for every teaching role you apply to. That’s actually not the case. 

You should tailor your resume for every job to ensure it fits each school’s needs. 

For example, you may see different uses of educational technology from one school to the next. One may use Canvas as their learning management system of choice, while another uses Blackboard. As long as you know how to use both, the best move is to change your resume to list the specific software each school uses. 

Doing so ensures your resume passes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) that may look for specific keywords to narrow down applicants, and it shows you have the skills that fit the role’s needs. 

Mistake #4 - Listing Responsibilities Instead of Achievements

Many teaching applicants will focus on responsibilities in their work experience bullet points. For instance, an applicant might say that they were “In charge of curriculum development.” 

While it’s a relevant task to list, that description can sound too bland when hiring managers are reviewing many resumes. 

A better option is to focus on the achievements you had while performing tasks. For example, you could say you “Implemented a new project-based curriculum for biology lessons that increased end-of-unit test scores by an average of 12%.” 

Descriptions like that show how you take action and ensure you stand out during the hiring process. 

Mistake #5 - Not Proofreading Before Submitting

As a teacher, you’re expected to be detail-oriented to identify student needs and deliver accurate information that helps your class grow. Submitting a resume that’s full of grammar errors or inaccuracies makes a poor first impression in that regard. 

Always proofread before submitting your resume and treat it with the same care you would while grading papers or preparing an important presentation. Your professional image will shine when you put effort into the details. 

How Zen Educate Helps You Find Teaching Opportunities

Once you’ve refined your teaching resume, it’s time to search for jobs. Zen Educate simplifies the process by connecting educators with schools that match their skills and preferences. 

• Find a wide range of opportunities: Zen Educate can help you find many types of work, short-term, long-term, part-time, and full-time. 

• Uses an efficient matchmaking system: Reduce the time you spend searching for jobs with a process that pairs educators with schools that align with their qualifications. 

• Receive career support: Find resources for interview preparation, application support, professional guidance, and more to land your ideal job. 

Zen Educate is here to reduce the challenges of finding teaching jobs. You can get started today to review the opportunities available – sign up today.