There are plenty of books and online materials to walk you through the steps of writing a winning resume. Since we cannot possibly cram it all in here, consider the following do’s and don’ts when writing your resume to be helpful and simple reminders to help your resume stand out. If you have crafted a resume and consider it an inspiring piece of art, that’s great! Remember, it’s never a waste of time to keep it fresh in your mind and revisit it from time to time. Keep it current and recheck for those sneaky grammatical and spelling errors. These mistakes happen to all of us if we are not careful.
Edt! eidt! Edit!
It is not enough to read it over yourself. A second and third set of eyes will be invaluable to catching errors that you may have overlooked. Read it out loud. This is the best way to see how it will read to someone else.
Design
Be consistent with the format you use and how you list your information. Choose one and stick with it. Be mindful that you are not changing the format from one section to the other (spacing and margin alignment).
ridemcowboy_69@
When including your personal contact information, be sure to include the most up to date and appropriate data. Your contact phone numbers should have voice mail, preferably a message that does not include “what up” or ” leave a message okie dokie!” Stating your name is always helpful.
If you have not already created a separate professional email address, may we suggest you do it. While hotpants or cuppycake may be a well earned and fun nickname, this is not the best way to set you apart from the rest of the candidates. A simple combination of first initial and last name will do and look far more professional!
Know Yourself
Don’t shy away from the great qualities you have to share. As you already know, this is the point of a resume, and it doesn’t hurt to add more and or refresh some of your strengths. Spending one-on-one time with your resume and rewording it also helps you keep the language fresh in your mind. You want to be able to recall your assets and strengths during the interview. Your work ethic, quiet confidence, sense of humour, flexibility, adaptability, positive outlook, initiative, leadership qualities, efficiency, open-mindedness, resourcefulness etc. will shine through.
Helpful Tip: Applying for a teaching position overseas suggests that you have an adventurous spirit and that is half the battle. Experienced and inexperienced travelers are prone to encountering some “culture shock” and it doesn’t hurt to read how others worked through it. Our article on culture shock in Australia may help you generate a few qualities to include in your resume. Qualities that highlight your willingness to learn from a new culture and share your own. These will go a long way.
Think of your resume as your introduction and first impression. Take the time to review and revise. We already know you are awesome teachers, let your resume reflect that.
