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It should come as no surprise that there is a currently a shortage of teachers in the United States. This unfortunate trend has been seen for well over a decade. To compound the issue, recent labor studies have predicted that teaching positions will likely continue to grow faster than the national average for the next several years due to recent government regulations to reduce class size and increase educational accountability. The need for teachers has never been greater.

Though this trend is good news for teachers on the job market, it does not diminish the fact that competition will remain tough for the most desirable teaching positions. Competition is especially fierce for English, Social Science, Humanities, and Elementary grade positions. Teacher will need to pay close attention to the presentation of their credentials, as detailed in their resume, in order to ensure that they can compete in the race for prime positions in the educational system.

To write a solid resume tailored specifically for teaching opportunities, consider the following guidelines:

Highlight your Educational and Licensure Qualifications

In addition to including the details of your teaching or academic degree (school name, when you graduated, your degree), you should mention any academic honors, grants, scholarships, or fellowships awarded during the course of your studies.

If you are an experienced teacher, you should include any relevant continuing education courses or seminars you have taken to demonstrate to prospective employers that you are keeping your skills sharp.

If you are a newer graduate or have limited teaching experience, a list of related education courses and any completed student teacher or mentorship rotations will enhance your qualifications to prospective employers. Graduates who completed their degree with an impressive grade point average should highlight this fact by including their GPA in the Educational section of their resume.

All teachers who have completed the process and testing requirements to get their teaching license will need to provide details of their license(s) in this section. Include the state(s) and subject area(s) in which you are licensed to teach and the date that your license went in effect. Since your employer will ask for a copy of your license once you are made an offer, you do not need to include your licensing number on your resume unless otherwise requested.

Emphasize your Teaching Expertise and Key Skills

A quick 10-second scan of your resume should reveal important keywords that summarize your teaching experience and give school administrators an overview of your qualifications. The most effective way to do this is to incorporate a section of your resume dedicated to teaching expertise and key skills. Include a bulleted list of your subject area specializations (such as biology, mathematics, special education, or K-3) and any pertinent teaching skills, such as curriculum development or teaching to style, that will enhance your resume presentation.

If you have several years of teaching experience, it may beneficial to list your years of experience in each area. For example, indicate that you have three years of experience teaching high school biology, two years of experience teaching middle school general science, and one year of experience teaching high school earth science.

Entry-level teachers and teachers with limited experience should also include this section in their resume, highlighting those areas and schools acquired from schooling, student teaching rotations, working as a student aid, and teaching mentorships.

Detail Your Teaching Experience

Since most school administrators hire teachers based on their previous experience in (or knowledge of if you are a new teacher) a particular subject area or grade level, prospective employers will need to know the details of your teaching experience.

If you are an experienced teacher, you should detail your subject area expertise, the type of educational system you worked in (public, charter, or private school), the grades you taught at each assignment, and your class size for each of your previous employers.

If you are an entry-level teacher just out of school or a teacher with limited work experience, you should detail any practicums, student teaching, student aid work, volunteering, tutoring, mentorships, or other unpaid work you were involved in during your schooling.

Demonstrate You're a Top Performer

Employers love to hire the cream of the crop, and educators are no exceptions. School administrators will be looking for teachers who are willing to contribute to the betterment of the school outside of just their day-to-day teaching responsibilities. In fact, many experienced teachers would argue that a significant part of the teaching career was went doing things outside of the classroom. Therefore, it is imperative that you demonstrate that you are a top performer.

Your resume will be more memorable and better received if you can detail specific contributions you made to each of your previous employers. What have you done that was above and beyond your basic responsibilities? How have you helped make a positive impact on your students and their families, your fellow co-workers, your school or school system, or even your community?

Consider your possible involvement in:

--Committees or review boards

--After school programs including school sports, academic teams, or clubs

--Fundraisers

--Community education drives

--Literacy board

--New teacher mentorships

--Cross-training in different subject areas

--The launch of a new school or program

--Outside education

The more details you can provide about your involvement in the educational community and your accomplishments, the better job you will do at impressing your value as a team member to potential employers.