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I see a lot of teacher resumes. The first improvement I make to all of them is in the Job Objective. This is a statement of intention at the top of your resume. Why is this little piece of information so important to a teacher resume?

Good question!

Job objectives not only tell the employer what kind of job you are seeking (which is very important if they have more than one teaching position open in their school) but it lets them know that you are interested in the exact job they are offering. It makes them feel like you are a perfect fit for them. You can accomplish this even if you are willing to accept a variety of teaching jobs.

Here are a few secrets to a strong job objective for your teacher resume:

If you have the means to tweak your resume, change the job objective to match every job you apply for. This might mean just a one or two word change, or a complete rewrite. Either way, by doing this it makes the employer think that you are a perfect match for them. As an example, instead of, 'A teaching position' they'll read 'A third grade teacher in a bilingual classroom.'

If you can't easily change your resume, opt for listing broader job categories. With this approach I suggest also including a spectrum of responsibility, which reaches from the lower range of jobs you'd be willing work to the higher levels you'd be qualified for. For instance, 'A position as a Teacher's Aid or Pre-School Teacher.'

If you want to include some keywords or job highlights at the top of your resume, I suggest that you allow your objective to stand alone. Include the highlights underneath your objective so that it is still easily seen upon first glance.

You can include a little selling point for yourself if you happen to have multiple years of experience. You can include something like, 'A teaching position utilizing 16 years of classroom experience.'

Do not write your objective in the first person (using 'I' or 'my').

Resist the urge to overlook your job objective. It should be short and easy to read, describing what type of job you are looking for. It's small but important, possibly the first thing a prospective employer reads on your resume. Make sure they know what your job intentions are.