Fall is when job ads for the next year start popping up, so I thought we'd revisit the topic of how to write resumes and ace interviews. In a competitive job market, you need to show your best to potential employers.

First, resumes.

1.    Remember the purpose- the purpose of a resume is to get an interview. It is an advertisement for you. Think about what a good advertisement does- it gets your attention, clearly demonstrates the relationship between the product and the result (in this case, you and good teaching), and leaves a lasting impression. Think in similar terms for your resume.

2.    Don't pad. The resume is not the place to write your teaching philosophy, to tell us about your high school part time job, or give an exhaustive run down of your hobbies.  We do want to know about you, but first we want to know about your experience- the first question in an employer's mind is "Is this person qualified?" Make the answer to that clear in your resume. You can show more of your personality in the cover letter and interview.

As an aside to this, don't name-drop. Yes, it's great you were an extra in a drama, did some modeling, or have film experience. Unless it is relevant to your teaching things like this shouldn't take up valuable resume space. 

 On the other hand, don't leave out pertinent details! Compare these two sections of Job History

 a.     English Conversation Teacher at XYZ School (2001-2004)

         ALT at Inaka Junior High School (2005-2006)

b.  Eikaiwa instructor (2001-2204) Taught ages 5-55 in small group lessons of 3-5 students. Developed and implemented a new curriculum for elementary-school age students.

Junior High School ALT (2005-2006) Acted as a teaching assistant to a Japanese Teacher for grades 1-3 at Junior High School in classes of up to 40 students. Also conducted test preparation and helped with speech contests and other activities.

Example b gives us more of the information we need to know. We are very interested in knowing the details of your teaching career- student ages, class sizes, whether you were teaching alone or with a Japanese teacher, etc. Examples of things you accomplished at your school are also great. If you have experience with curriculum development, organizing an English club, or have other achievements that relate to teaching, by all means write them!

4.    Use clear formatting. Bullet points and bolding are helpful.

5.    Check spelling and grammar! This should be obvious.

6.    Don't lie. This should also be obvious. It is very easy nowadays to check age, visa status, and degree- if you lie about having a visa or degree you will get caught.

We look forward to reading your resumes! Next time I'll talk about what to say (and what to avoid) in an interview. 

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