List of important skills for a teacher resume

When you craft your teacher resume, you want to demonstrate your qualifications, from your education to your experience. Although you may include a dedicated section to highlight specific skills, a potential employer should be able to see what you can do by looking at what you've already done. After all, showing can be much more effective than telling when you're applying to teacher jobs.

Check out these examples of teaching skills that should show up on your resume. We've sorted them into three categories: communication skills, teaching methods, and character traits.

Communication skills

Teachers communicate in a variety of ways with a variety of people, so these skills are particularly important:

• Writing: Teachers write lesson plans, leave written comments on students' work, and send home notes to parents. Your resume itself is the most important way you demonstrate your writing skills to a potential employer, but you should also include items in your resume that speak to your writing ability.
• Speaking: Beyond lecturing students, teachers must speak with parents during meetings and communicate with administrators as necessary, so strong verbal communication skills should show up on your resume.
• Listening: Remember that communicating with students is not a one-way street. The best teachers know how to listen to their students, have open-ended discussions, and encourage questions.

Teaching methods

Every teacher has his or her own style, and that's fine! However, there are some teaching methods that all teachers should adopt:

• Adaptability: Because children learn in a variety of ways, the method that works for one child—or even most of the children—in your class will not work for everyone. You need to be able to identify a child's learning style and tailor your approach accordingly.
• Creativity: Your resume should include an example or two of your ability to think outside the box and create an interactive learning environment. Imagination is especially important with younger children.
• Technology: Because technology is such an integral part of society today, your resume should highlight your familiarity with it and your ability to incorporate it into your lesson plans.
• Leadership: Employers want to know that a teacher can manage a classroom and lead students, instead of being pushed around or run over. Without good classroom management, clever teaching methods will be lost in the chaos. When you list your experience, be sure to include concrete details that support your leadership skills.

Character traits

Though you are unlikely to be hired for your personality alone, there are some character traits that become skills when applied to teachers:

• Patience: Children can be frustratingly stubborn and disrespectful, but impatience will only make matters worse.
• Passion: Your genuine care for students and passion for teaching should be evident throughout your resume without the need for any explicit statements.
• Organization: The best teachers are well-prepared and organized. Mention your lesson plans and related responsibilities to highlight this skill.
• Self-Improvement: Good teachers never stop learning. Your resume should demonstrate a commitment to continued learning, self-improvement, and a teachable attitude.

Move your resume to the top of the class

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