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Teacher Career Change Resume: Tips to Help You Land that Job!

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If you want to land that new job, you’ll have to work hard on your teacher career change resume. Remember, your teacher transition resume is your first impression. It’s all about showcasing those transferrable skills and highlighting why you’re the best fit for getting the job done.

If you need help leaving the classroom, check out the  Teacher Career Coach Course .  This step-by-step guide has helped thousands with a transition from teaching. Save time and get support with every step of picking a new path, rewriting your resume, and answering tricky interview questions.

It can be intimidating applying to jobs outside of the classroom, no matter how badly you want out! You may be having a hard time identifying the experiences to highlight on your resume. Maybe you’re struggling with how to write them in a way that applies to a job outside of the classroom. Anyhow, you’re about to break through that barrier! Here are some of my top tips from the Teacher Career Coach Course . These will help you put your best foot forward and land that interview! But first, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You don’t have to start from scratch.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m just a teacher,” it’s time to look closely at all you do on a daily basis as part of that role. Honestly, teachers are some of the most skillful and multi talented professionals I know. The truth is, many teachers battle with Impostor Syndrome , often overlooking their achievements and the value they bring to the table in many careers. Whether you realize it or not, the skills and accomplishments you have already achieved will make a stellar resume. (Trust me.)

You are an asset to your school, and you’ll be an asset wherever your career transition takes you next. First, identify your career accomplishments as a teacher. Then you can effectively apply them to the next chapter of your working life. Without knowing the specifics of your teaching experience, as a former teacher, I know you have desirable skills and valuable experience. Don’t be afraid to brag about yourself. Your new career change resume should reflect your many achievements and in-demand teacher skills! 

Teacher Career Change Resume Resources

In this post, I gathered expert advice to help you master rewriting those resume skills. I want to help you avoid the most common mistakes teachers make when writing their teacher career change resume. Read on to learn how you can tweak your teaching-focused resume to highlight your skills and experience that apply jobs outside of the classroom.

You can also listen to my interview with HR and resume writing expert Alli Arney to learn how to effectively translate your teaching experience on your transition resume . 

Let’s get to rebranding your expertise, shall we? 

*But first a note!* Much of what you include in your resume and cover letter will be dependent on the job for which you’re applying. If you’re not sure what jobs you’re qualified for or even what’s out there, take a look at Best Jobs For Former Teachers . This post will give you an idea of what’s out there, who’s hiring, and what you need to qualify for a position.

Writing a Cover Letter for Your Resume

Every teacher career change resume needs a cover letter! Your cover letter introduces who you are and what you can offer in position X at company Y. A common mistake I see teachers make is creating a generic cover letter to send with all of their applications. 

Some hiring managers may approach your application with the assumption you’re willing to take any job outside of the classroom. Even if that’s the truth, you don’t want the hiring manager to know that. Use the cover letter and an opportunity to showcase why their job is a great fit for you and what you can bring to the table for their company. Hiring managers want someone qualified, excited about the position, and a good fit for the company culture. 

Make sure every cover letter is unique to the job and company you are sending it to. Add in specifics regarding what excites you about the role and how your experience will translate into the new responsibilities. Do research about the company and address how you are equally passionate about their core values and company culture. You will learn so much from a company’s website, including its mission statement and core values.

Get Started on Your Cover Letter

First, start with an introduction paragraph. This will likely stay the same on every cover letter as you introduce yourself. Next, add five to six bullet points about why you are qualified for this specific position and reflect on your qualifying achievements. For example, I am constantly focused on collaborative relationships and strategic partnerships that advance the mission, vision, and goals of the organization. Last, add a closing statement about the position to which you’re applying, why it excites you, and how you will be able to effectively fulfill the role and responsibilities.

Add an Elevator Pitch to Your Teacher Career Change Resume

An elevator pitch is basically highlights who you are, your area of expertise, and your career intentions. It’s clear, concise, and is key to a teacher transition resume. Think about it like this: Imagine being on an elevator and only having about 30 seconds to sell yourself to the hiring manager. You should utilize your elevator pitch on your resume and when you get in front of a hiring manager at an interview. Just like your cover letter, this pitch should always be catered to a specific audience rather than being overly generic. 

Practice your elevator pitch so that it is second nature. It may sound silly but practicing your pitch in front of a friend or even a mirror helps. You can gain confidence in front of a hiring manager or an interview committee after practicing.

Again, an elevator pitch goes beyond your resume. Have your pitch handy at networking events, in job interviews, on any social bios, and in your resume header. Let’s say you are an experienced teacher looking for a transition into a Training and Development Manager position. Here’s an example of an elevator pitch you could use at a networking event or in your LinkedIn bio:

Elevator Pitch Examples

“ I have more than 10 years of experience in training and development as a high school teacher where I have planned, directed, and coordinated various vocational programs. I am skilled in the ADDIE Model and various training methodologies, and I am currently looking to transition from the classroom to the corporate world. If you know anyone who is adding to their Training and Development Team, I hope you’ll send them my way. “

To adjust it to be more resume friendly, you could make the following tweaks:

“I have more than 10 years of experience in training and development as a high school teacher where I have planned, directed, and coordinated various vocational programs. I am skilled in the ADDIE Model and a variety of training methodologies, and I am currently looking to make a transition from the classroom to the corporate world as a Corporate Trainer at Company X.”

While your elevator pitch is short and sweet, you should always be prepared for follow-up questions. Make sure you are comfortable with the different occupational terms and acronyms associated with any career path you seek. This shows your audience that you are knowledgeable and ready to move into that field of work.

Developing Your Teacher Career Change Resume: Formatting Essentials

When it comes to your teacher transition resume, we need to talk about the big F-word: Formatting. 

A whopping 75% of resumes NEVER GET OPENED or seen by a hiring manager. One of the biggest culprits? Formatting. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to sift through applications before they even make their way to a hiring manager’s hands. Luckily there are a few formatting tips that can help you pass the test. 

Length, File Format, and Other Tips for Your Teacher Career Change Resume

When it comes to the length of your resume, it really depends on your experience. While one-page resumes were once a rule-of-thumb, most resumes are now one and a half to two pages. However, if you have 15 years of work experience, you shouldn’t shy away from your accomplishments. In that case, it’s totally acceptable to have a 2-page resume. 

Next, you want to focus on another F-word: file format. There are different platforms and software, but I recommend you send your resume as a Word document, unless otherwise specified. So, when you go to save your resume file, be sure it’s saved in the .doc or .docx format. ATS will reject files saved in Pages, Excel, or JPEG format. 

The last big resume formatting tip is about style . If your go-to is a creative and colorful template that landed you your job in the classroom, it’s time for a change. Simple, chronological resume templates are your best bet in the corporate world, listing your experience starting with your most recent job. This is the most popular resume style, and it’s best for ATSs. It also happens to be preferred by recruiters and HR professionals, so you really can’t go wrong here. 

A chronological resume should be written to include the following elements in the listed order: 

• Header (including your personal information and your keyword-rich elevator pitch) 
• Technology experience and expertise 
• Current volunteer experience (if applicable)

Developing Your Teacher Career Change Resume: Spill About Your Skills (the Right Way). 

As a teacher, you already have skills that can be utilized in the corporate world. It’s time to brag about them. Before you can do that, you have to move past any Impostor Syndrome you may be experiencing and acknowledge the value, experience, and expertise you have to offer. Trust me. You have a lot more to offer in roles outside of the classroom than you may think.

For example, your organization and multitasking skills can easily transfer to administrative tasks. Parent-teacher conferences give you the experience to handle customer service situations, conflict resolution, and stakeholder engagement. You’re no stranger to goat setting or data tracking and analysis. Think about any committees or after-school activities you’ve contributed to or helped organize as project management experience. 

Related Resources: Creating your Instructional Designer Resume

WALKING THE WALK AND TALKING THE TALK

It’s not just about identifying your transferable skills but how you translate them on your resume.

Here are three of my biggest tips to help you effectively translate your transferable skills and experience on your teacher transition resume. 

First, be specific by quantifying your accomplishments . 

Second, unless you transition into an education-based role, leave out the teacher-specific terminology, acronyms, or pedagogy. One of the biggest mistakes teachers make on their transition resumes is not rewriting or translating their resume experience so that it is applied to the world outside of the classroom setting. 

Make sure you are showcasing your skills and experience in a way that translates into the new roles you are looking for. Hiring managers don’t want to see you as a teacher. They want to see you as someone qualified for and ready to take on the role you are applying for.  Depending on the role, managers don’t want to know about record keeping for 25 students, but that you managed a portfolio of 25 clients. They don’t want to hear about teaching pedagogy and lesson planning but about training strategy and training materials. The corporate world isn’t about grading and cumulative assessments but about data tracking and analysis. 

Go back to your career buckets. Figure out which teaching duties fall under each and then focus on translating the teacher-specific language into corporate-appropriate terminology.  Then you’ll have an already translated list you can easily pull from any time you need to tailor a resume for a new job. 

Do Your Research For Your Teacher Career Change Resume

Last but not least, do your research and include job and industry-specific language and keywords in your resume. These terms should be peppered throughout your elevator pitch summary and throughout your highlighted experiences throughout your resume. Not only will using the language make your experience and skills more relatable to the position you are applying for, but it will show the hiring manager that you have done the work and are fully committed to stepping into the role, rather than a teacher looking for any new job they can get. 

Insider tip? You can utilize job descriptions as a tool, looking for the keywords and experiences highlighted throughout. Find a way to incorporate the industry-specific language as you translate your skills and experiences. Just make sure you know enough to expand upon the ideas if asked in an interview.

If you don’t feel like you have experience in any of the major keywords that pop up, look them up before you write them off. You likely have more experience than you are giving yourself credit for. More often than not, teachers have the skills. They’re just used to calling it something else.

Acquiring New Skills for Your Teacher Change Resume

Even after translating all of your relevant experience, you might find that there are some areas where you are lacking and that’s okay. Depending on the experiences you had while teaching and the role you are looking to transition into, you might find that there are certain skills that would be beneficial to have to make you a more desirable candidate. 

The good news is you can work on new skills while you are still teaching in the classroom. There are a variety of online classes and tutorials you can take at home and add to your teacher transition resume. The added keywords will make it easier for you to find a new career and you’ll likely go into it feeling more confident and prepared. 

Developing your Teacher Career Change Resume: Final Thoughts.

I know that was a lot of information. Maybe you were already stressed about writing your career transition resume, and now you’re feeling even more overwhelmed. If that’s the case, start by taking a deep breath. (Right here, right now). You don’t have to write and send out a hundred resumes in one day, or even one week. 

In fact, you don’t have to write hundreds of resumes at all. 

A lot of teachers ask, “Do I have to create a million different resume templates for all of these jobs?”   Absolutely not. While you should tweak your resume to fit each specific position you are applying for, you can save time by creating a template for each general category of positions you apply to. For example, you might have one template for training-type positions and another for jobs that fall under curriculum writing and instructional design categories. 

One final word of advice? When it comes to taking resume writing advice, please, please, please vet your source to ensure the information applies to the position and industry you are applying to.

Teacher Career Change, Beyond the Resume

Developing a professional teacher transition resume is just the first step on your journey to a new career. If you have more questions like: How do I get employers to notice my resume? What kind of jobs am I qualified for? What do I do after I get the interview?!?

I want you to know that if being in the classroom is no longer an option for you, there are many career options for teachers. As a former teacher who transitioned out of the classroom, I have been at that crossroads. I successfully moved from teaching into a new career that has left me happier, healthier, and more relaxed than I ever could have been in the classroom.

Next steps to a new career

One of the biggest mistakes that we see teachers make is that they try to  navigate this process alone . Often, they put off “researching” until the very last minute. Which sets them up for a very stressful application season. I want to help you get some clarity in the options available to you. To know EXACTLY what you need to do (and not do) in order to get your foot in the door. You don’t have to do this on your own. With the help of an HR expert with over 10 years of experience and a team of former teachers, I’ve created a guide to support you in the early stages of your transition out of the classroom.  Tap the button below to learn more .

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How to Craft Your Teacher Career Change Resume + Ace Your Interview

Once you’ve decided that you want to leave the classroom, the next big question on your mind is, “What career am I going to pursue?”  Well, there are two different ways you can go…the employee route or the entrepreneur route.

The entrepreneur route means that you go into business for yourself. Maybe you start a website , a boutique , a virtual assistant business , an online tutoring business, a photography business , or a TpT shop . The career is irrelevant; the important thing to note is that as an entrepreneur, you are going into business for yourself.

The employee route means that you choose to work for another individual or company. Again, we are less concerned with who hires you and more interested in how to get you hired for the job of your dreams.

So in today’s episode, we are going to focus on the employee route and how writing a teacher career change resume will help you land some of the best jobs for teachers outside of education. The cool part about what I’m sharing is that these tips will help you in getting hired for ANY position.

But we are going to spend the majority of our time unpacking some of the specifics you might not have considered when you began thinking about landing the best jobs for teachers outside of the classroom .

So let’s discuss the 15 things you need to do to design a winning teacher career change resume and land your dream job outside of teaching.

Creating Your Teacher Career Change Resume

1| write specifically.

Everyone has a resume, but there is a lot of difference between a “leaving teaching resume that includes all of your teaching experience and literally nothing else” and a well-planned, well-executed specific resume.

Think about it like this. There are dollar store pens and then there are flair pens…I rest my case.

The whole point of writing a resume is to give the applicant board as much relevant information as possible in as little space as possible.

So you want your transition out of teaching resume to be unique and a nice reflection of you while still being completely tailored to the position for which you are applying.

Your resume shouldn’t be generic. I know this may feel frustrating when you’re applying for a lot of positions at once, but I promise it will pay off in the long run. You definitely want your resume to reflect specifics of the field and position into which you want to move.

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2| Research transferable skills

Be sure to listen to Episode #5 where we discuss the top transferable skills that teachers possess that makes you a prime candidate for any job you want. Think about what types of transferable skills you have that apply to the particular field you are interested in.

The most important part about this is remembering that each field of study and each niche has its own language. So you want to take time to figure out which of the skills are your strengths and then translate those into the niche-specific buzzwords that particular community uses.

Then add those words onto your teacher career change resume so the application board knows you have the skills they are seeking.

3| Use niche-specific language

I mentioned this in tip 2, but you want to make sure that you speak the language of the people in your potential career. Most professions have a “lingo” and you want to be sure that you know the lingo of your chosen field of interest.

Think about teaching. We use words and acronyms like social-emotional learning (SEL), individualized education plan (IEP), and curriculum-based assessment (CBA).

If you stopped people on the street and asked them what these acronyms meant, most probably wouldn’t have any idea what you were talking about. However, if you are a new teacher wanting to get hired, these acronyms are important for you to know.

This same rule applies for other fields. If you want to break into a community or niche outside of the world of education, you need to learn the lingo. The best way to do this is by using Google and type in common acronyms for (fill in the blank of the field).

Once you understand the common acronyms for that field, you will want to compare these to your transferable teacher skills and see which ones are similar. Then research the buzzwords in the niche of the job you hope to pursue to find even more gold to add to your teacher career change resume.

4| Be prepared

You would think this would be supremely obvious, but according to my husband, who does interviews regularly for his job, the number of individuals who come to interviews completely unprepared is staggering.

So after researching the lingo (including buzzwords & acronyms) of your potential profession, make sure you research the specific position you hope to get as well as the company you want to join.

Make certain that your career goals align with the motto and beliefs of this particular company . You don’t want to go through the trouble of interviewing, getting offered the position, and working for one day only to realize you don’t agree with the company’s position on an important issue.

Once you determine you are a good fit for the company, take some time to look online for interview questions related to your chosen field and formulate answers as a way to prepare for the questions you might be asked in an interview.

This will instill confidence in you and help you get into the mindset of someone who already has the position…before you ever walk through the door of the interview.

5| Reach out to someone at the company

If you want to be prepared for a potential interview, then you need to know about the company and also the workers there.

You can call the company and ask to speak with someone in the department to which you are applying or ask to speak with the supervisor about the position.

Be respectful of this individual’s time and ask if he/she has 5 minutes to answer a couple of quick questions about the position. If the person is busy, let him/her call you at a more convenient time because the last thing you want to do is be a nuisance.

Ask a few preselected questions that will help you understand more about the work environment, the position itself, and the supervisor. Remember, to write these ahead of time so you don’t waste time trying to think of them on the spot.

The point of this exercise is to get a little extra insight and to get your name in front of the individual early.

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Nailing Your Teacher Career Change Interview

6| know what you’re interviewing for.

This may seem ridiculous, but there are so many people who just saunter into interviews with no idea what they’re even interviewing for. My husband sees this all the time.

He is always astounded by how many individuals step into an interview completely clueless about the position. Ultimately, the interviewee is simply wasting everyone’s time.

This is a very frustrating situation…especially when an interview panel has a full day of interviews. Make sure you’ve spent time studying the position and dissecting the job requirements and duties so that you can answer the questions in an interview well.

Think about the specific skills you bring to the table that will allow you to be an asset to the company and how those skills set you up as the perfect candidate for the position.

7| Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses

In every interview, there is always the obligatory “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” question. While it may be phrased in a number of different ways, this is the moment for you to shine.

You want to spend time talking about what you have to offer the company that makes you the obvious choice of candidate. Then you want to be honest about your weaknesses in a way that does not make you look like a liability. Let me give you some examples.

Instead of saying this…

• I’m a terrible speller.
• I hate people.
• I’m OCD about organization.

Say this…

• I appreciate spell check as spelling isn’t my strong suit.
• I work best independently as I tend to be introverted by nature.
• I thrive in a tidy workspace . I’m not a fan of disorganization.

The point here is for you to admit your weaknesses, but in a way that doesn’t take you out of the running for this particular position.

8| Don’t assume anything

You cannot assume the interview panel knows anything you don’t say or that you haven’t told them during the meeting. You may have written something in your application or even in your resume, but you still need to mention it during the interview as needed. 

This is especially important if you happen to know someone on the interview board or you have worked at this particular company before. They are only able to write down things you say during the meeting and if you don’t say it, it might get overlooked elsewhere.

Also remember to avoid the word etcetera.

This is something people say when they’ve been asked a question that they aren’t fully prepared to answer. They will say “etcetera” to fill in the space of those things they can’t think of during the interview.

But remember, the interviewers don’t know what etcetera covers unless you clarify it. So just leave it out of the conversation completely.

9| Answer ALL of the questions

Another issue that my husband sees frequently in interviews is candidates not answering all of the questions. For example, the interviewer might ask you something like this…“Name some skills that you feel would be important to have to do this job effectively. Then tell us your strongest skill.”

Potential candidates answer with their strongest skill while completely ignoring the first part of the question. This isn’t an encouraging start for interviewers because they want an employee that actually listens.

So listen carefully to the questions asked and answer ALL of them as succinctly (and thoroughly) as possible.

Now what I just said might seem a bit like an oxymoron. How are you supposed to answer a question succinctly and thoroughly? Think of it like this…

You want to include as much information as needed to answer the question(s) completely without talking in circles and repeating yourself 53 times. You want to prove that you have a thoughtful answer while also being respectful of the interviewers’ time. 

10| Dress Appropriately

It doesn’t matter if you are applying for a non-profit, a grocery store, or a Fortune 500 company, you want to dress appropriately. Think about the old adage…Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have!!

Even if the place you’re interviewing at has “Casual Fridays” and you happen to be getting an interview on one of these days, you are not yet an employee and those rules don’t apply to you. So think about how a professional would dress and dress accordingly.

Men should wear a suit and tie or at the bare minimum a polo shirt and nice slacks. If you come in with wrinkled khakis and a shirt 2 sizes too small, you are not going to make a good impression.

Women should wear a nice pair of slacks or skirt with a MODEST dressy top or dress if you feel more comfortable. Leggings (unless under a dress), low cut or revealing tops, and bra straps make a terrible first impression.

Remember, you will be the face of this particular company to the world and they don’t want sloppily-dressed individuals representing their brand. And even the best teacher career change resume will not cover up the negative impression a poorly dressed applicant gives during the interview.

11| Don’t fidget

When we get nervous, we do annoying things without even realizing it. We tend to tap our pencils, shift in our seats, click our pens, or clear our throats because we literally don’t know what to do with ourselves. 

But this is super-distracting to the interviewers. That’s why practicing with someone prior to your actual interview can be really helpful.

You can simulate the interview environment (including paper, pen, or pencil on the table) to see if you have any fidget or annoying habit that will cause the interviewers to be distracted. After the simulation, the person can give you feedback on things you are doing well and things you need to work on before completing your interview.

12| Show interest

It is sad to even have to mention this, but another thing my husband has mentioned that amazes him is how little people seem to care about the job for which they are interviewing. There have been times he wanted to ask the interviewee if they actually even wanted the job.

To avoid this, be forthcoming with all of the information you have to share and don’t make the interview panel prod you for answers. This doesn’t make a good impression and since the goal is to land this job, you want to show interest.

If you don’t feel like you’ve had the opportunity to truly express why you want the job, at the end say something like…

• “I want this position because…”
• “I would like the opportunity to work here because…”

Then mention anything you gleaned during your conversation with the supervisor in your pre-interview phone conversation. This may be exactly what they’ve been waiting for someone to say!

13| Don’t be afraid to ask questions at the end

In many interviews, you will be given the opportunity to ask questions of the panel. Be sure to take advantage of the time and ask any clarifying questions.

You want to make sure you’ve already determined the types of questions you want to ask BEFORE you step into the interview though so you don’t forget them when you get nervous. You might even want to write them down and pull out your note at the end.

This will allow you to show the panel how serious you are about the position and also give you the opportunity to ask any questions that you would like answered related to work environment, their favorite things about working for the company, and how long they have been with the company.

Staying Front of Mind

14| send a thank you.

This is such an important part of the interview process. You want to thank the supervisor for the opportunity to interview for the position. This can be done “old school” style by sending a physical thank you note or card or it can be sent via email.

Make sure you are specific so that it doesn’t appear to simply be a canned response that you send to everyone. This is also one more way for your name to stay in front of the supervisor’s mind.

15| Ask for feedback

After you have sent your thank you email, you will find out whether or not you were chosen as the candidate for hire. If you did NOT get hired, don’t be afraid to reach out to the supervisor and see if he/she could give you a little insight into why you didn’t get the position.

This isn’t a power move; it’s simply a way for you to determine what you could have done better. But if you are going to go to the trouble of asking what you could have done better, be sure to listen carefully to feedback given to you.

Then take the time to turn that feedback into  better interviewing skills. And who knows? You may be able to use this insight to secure a different position with the company in the future.

These 15 tips are designed to help you create an amazing teacher career change resume and deliver an awe-inspiring interview that leaves the company begging for you to work for them.

You are an extremely enticing candidate, but it is your job to show these companies just how badly they need you on their team.

So take time to create a standout resume designed for the position to which you are applying, prepare for the interview, arrive at the interview dressed professionally and confident that you are the best candidate.

You can do this!

If you know you need some help designing a teacher career change resume and strategic interview coaching, I can help! As a coach, I love helping clients leave the classroom ready to begin their new career with confidence. Click the button below for your free 30 minute Zoom call.

Jennifer is a former elementary school teacher (M. Ed.) turned literacy interventionist, blogger, podcaster, TpT author, and homeschooling mom. When she's not with her husband & boys, she's sharing her love for Jesus, designing websites, helping other teachers pursue online businesses, organizing ALL THE THINGS, or watching New Girl. Read More >>

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5 Transitioning Teacher Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

When crafting your transitioning teacher resume, it's essential to highlight your adaptability and diverse skill set. Demonstrate that you can leverage your teaching experience in new contexts. Provide specific examples of how your educational skills translate to other sectors. Show prospective employers your ability to manage projects, communicate effectively, and lead with confidence.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Resume Guide

Resume Format Tips

Resume Experience

Skills on Resume

Education & Certifications

Resume Summary Tips

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

As a transitioning teacher, articulating your extensive classroom management skills in a way that resonates within a corporate environment can be particularly challenging. Our guide provides tailored strategies to help you translate your educational expertise into corporate lingo, ensuring your resume appeals to a broad spectrum of employers.

• Apply best practices from professional resumes to spotlight your application;
• Quantify your professional experience with achievements, career highlights, projects, and more;
• Write an eye-catching transitioning teacher resume top one-third with your header, summary/objective, and skills section;
• Fill in the gaps of your experience with extracurricular, education, and more vital resume sections.

We've selected, especially for you, some of our most relevant transitioning teacher resume guides. Getting you from thinking about your next career move to landing your dream job.

• Tutor Resume Example
• Child Care Teacher Resume Example
• Piano Teacher Resume Example
• Distance Learning Teacher Resume Example
• Technology Teacher Resume Example
• Professor Resume Example
• Science Teacher Resume Example
• After School Teacher Resume Example
• Creative Art Teacher Resume Example
• Middle School Teacher Resume Example

Optimize your transitioning teacher resume format to pass the recruiters' assessment

What recruiters are looking for is systematised content that is clear and coherent. Thus, your transitioning teacher resume needs to answer requirements and why you're the best candidate for the role from the get-go.

• Sorting your experience in the reverse chronological order - starting with your most recent and relevant roles. This is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals;
• Writing your contact information (e.g. personal phone number and email address ) and your portfolio or LinkedIn link in your transitioning teacher resume header. If you're wondering to include a photo or not, always make sure that it's appropriate for the country you're applying in;
• Use the basic, most important transitioning teacher resume sections - your experience, education, summary, etc. Use your resume's real estate wisely to tell a compelling, professional story and match job description's keywords;
• Don't go overboard with the length of your resume. One page is absolutely fine if you happen to have under a decade of relevant experience.

Are you still wondering if you should submit your transitioning teacher resume in PDF or Word format ? The PDF has a few more advantages, as it doesn't change the format and the text can't be altered upon application.

Format matters most when your transitioning teacher resume is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS).

The ATS parses resumes, looking for specific keywords, skills or experience that match the job description.

P.S. We recently did a study on how the ATS works and were able to demystify three of the biggest misconceptions about how it assesses candidate resumes.

To pass the ATS evaluation, select any of the serif or sans-serif fonts. Popular choices that would help your transitioning teacher resume stand out include Raleway, Exo 2, Montserrat, etc.

Most traditionalists go for Arial or Times New Roman, but it's often the case that many candidates choose these fonts, and you'd thus lose points on the uniqueness front.

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

Always remember that your transitioning teacher certifications can be quantified across different resume sections, like your experience, summary, or objective. For example, you could include concise details within the expertise bullets of how the specific certificate has improved your on-the-job performance.

The six in-demand sections for your transitioning teacher resume:

• Top one-third should be filled with a header, listing your contact details, and with a summary or objective, briefly highlighting your professional accolades
• Experience section, detailing how particular jobs have helped your professional growth
• Notable achievements that tie in your hard or soft skills with tangible outcomes
• Popular industry certificates to further highlight your technical knowledge or people capabilities
• Education to showcase your academic background in the field

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Demonstrated ability to design and implement lesson plans that accommodate different learning styles and achieve curriculum objectives.
• Experience in classroom management and student engagement techniques to maintain a positive learning environment.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain complex concepts and collaborate with colleagues, students, and parents.
• Proven track record of using assessment and feedback to guide student learning and measure progress towards learning goals.
• Flexibility and adaptability in using a variety of pedagogical approaches and technology tools to enhance the educational experience.

Adding your relevant experience to your transitioning teacher resume

If you're looking for a way to show recruiters that your expertise is credible, look no further than the resume experience section.

Your transitioning teacher resume experience can be best curated in a structured, bulleted list detailing the particulars of your career:

• Always integrate metrics of success - what did you actually achieve in the role?
• Scan the transitioning teacher advert for your dream role in search of keywords in the job requirements - feature those all through your past/current experience;
• Dedicate a bullet (or two) to spotlight your technical capabilities and how you're able to use the particular software/technology in your day-to-day roles;
• Write simple by including your responsibility, a job advert keyword or skill, and a tangible outcome of your success;
• Use the experience section to also define the unique value of working with you in the form of soft skills, relevant feedback, and the company culture you best thrive in.

Industry leaders always ensure that their resume experience section offers an enticing glimpse at their expertise, while telling a career narrative. Explore these sample transitioning teacher resumes on how to best create your resume experience section.

• Developed and implemented an interdisciplinary curriculum, boosting student engagement by 30% through the integration of technology and real-world applications.
• Led professional development workshops for a team of 20 teachers focusing on innovative teaching strategies, which increased department-wide student performance metrics by 25%.
• Spearheaded a literacy improvement project that helped narrow the reading gap for underperforming students, improving average reading levels by nearly two grades.
• Orchestrated a STEM program for grades 6-8 that resulted in 85% of participants successfully completing advanced mathematics courses.
• Integrated assistive technology in the classroom to support students with special needs, leading to a 40% increase in individual student performance.
• Collaborated with local businesses to provide real-world problem-solving experiences, raising student achievement scores by 20%.
• Championed a district-wide initiative to integrate digital learning tools, which was adopted by 15 schools and enhanced the learning experience for over 10,000 students.
• Secured a $50,000 education grant to fund a technology-enriched curriculum, resulting in signficiant improvements in statewide test scores for our students.
• Piloted a coding and robotics after-school program that led 95% of participants to pursue technology-related electives the following year.
• Coordinated a student exchange programme with international partners, enhancing cultural awareness and language skills for over 200 students.
• Implemented project-based learning initiatives that increased student mastery of complex concepts by 35%, as evidenced by project assessments and standardized testing.
• Authored a grant that secured $30,000 in funds for new classroom technologies, directly improving the learning environment for 500+ students.
• Created and executed a groundbreaking interdisciplinary project that linked mathematics with social studies, helping students enhance their analytical skills and historical understanding.
• Drove student participation in national math contests, with 10 students placing in the top 100 rankings, demonstrating excellence in problem-solving and critical thinking.
• Mentored and advised the school's robotics club, leading to a first-place victory in the state robotics competition, reflecting the effectiveness of applied learning strategies.
• Established a community partnership program, bringing in local leaders to create a mentorship network that improved student aspirations and career readiness.
• Initiated a technology integration plan which saw a 50% increase in the use of educational software tools, diversifying instruction and catering to varied learning styles.
• Organized school-wide science fairs, resulting in a 60% increase in student-led research projects and a heightened interest in scientific inquiry and innovation.
• Headed a bilingual education program that improved English proficiency levels for 90% of participants, enabling better integration and academic success in mainstream classes.
• Launched a peer tutoring and mentoring initiative that supported over 300 students, promoting a culture of academic collaboration and student leadership.
• Evaluated and revamped the social studies curriculum to incorporate multicultural perspectives, leading to more inclusive classroom discussions and an increased sense of community.
• Curated a school garden program tied to science education, teaching about ecology and sustainability, which enhanced student awareness and interest in environmental science.
• Facilitated the adoption of a flipped classroom model, increasing student homework completion rates by roughly 40% and allowing for more interactive and personalized classroom instruction.
• Developed partnerships with local technology companies to provide students with hands-on experiences, inspiring 25% of graduating students to choose tech-focused college majors.

Quantifying impact on your resume

• Include the number of students you have taught or managed to demonstrate your ability to handle large groups and individualize attention.
• List any improvements in test scores or grades under your tutelage to show measurable success.
• Specify the percentage of students who achieved proficiency or advanced levels on standardized tests to highlight achievement benchmarks.
• Mention the number of educational projects or curricula you have developed to exhibit your initiative and planning skills.
• Quantify the amount of budget you managed for school events or programs to demonstrate financial responsibility.
• State the number of teacher workshops or professional development sessions you've conducted to show leadership and expert knowledge.
• Detail the number of educational conferences or seminars attended to underscore a commitment to ongoing learning and networking.
• Present a count of any extracurricular activities or clubs you have supervised to illustrate additional responsibility and engagement with students.

Action verbs for your transitioning teacher resume

Lacking relevant transitioning teacher resume experience?

Learn how to write your transitioning teacher resume experience in spite of having no real-world (or applicable) experience for the job.

You should:

• Feature relevant projects or publications that could impress recruiters or showcase that you have the basic skill set for the job
• Shift the focus towards your people (communication, organization, etc.) skills to demonstrate that you're a quick learner and can easily adapt to a new environment
• Use the resume objective to not only highlight your accomplishments but also map out how your career plans are perfectly aligned with the company's vision
• Select either the functional-skill-based resume format (that puts the focus on your skills) or the hybrid one (balancing expertise with skills).

Recommended reads:

• How to List Expected Graduation Date on Your Resume
• Perfecting the Education Section on Your Resume

List all your relevant higher education degrees within your resume in reverse chronological order (starting with the latest). There are cases when your PhD in a particular field could help you stand apart from other candidates.

Defining your unique transitioning teacher skill set with hard skills and soft skills

In any job advertisement, a blend of specific technologies and interpersonal communication skills is typically sought after. Hard skills represent your technical expertise and indicate your job performance capacity. Soft skills, on the other hand, demonstrate how well you would integrate within the company culture.

Incorporating a balanced mix of both skill types in your transitioning teacher resume is crucial. Here's how you can do it:

• In your resume summary or objective, incorporate up to three hard and/or soft skills. Make sure to quantify these skills with relevant or impressive achievements;
• The skills section should list your technical know-how.
• The strengths section is an ideal place to quantify your competencies by focusing on the achievements facilitated by these skills.

Top skills for your transitioning teacher resume:

Curriculum planning

Learning assessment

Educational technology integration

Classroom management

Lesson plan development

Subject matter expertise

Special education

Data analysis and interpretation

Teacher training

Bilingual education

Communication

Adaptability

Time management

Problem-solving

Conflict resolution

Organization

Motivational skills

Showcase any ongoing or recent educational efforts to stay updated in your field.

The basics of your transitioning teacher resume certifications and education sections

Improve the education and certification sections of your transitioning teacher resume by:

• Dedicating more prominent space to certificates that are more recent and have helped you update your skill set
• Keeping all the information you list to the basics: certificate/degree name, institution, and graduation dates
• Writing supplementary information in the details of your certification or education section, only if you lack experience or want to show further skill alignment
• Including your credential or license number, only if the information is valid to your application or certification

Within transitioning teacher job adverts, relevant education, and certification are always listed within the key prerequisite for the role.

Ensure you meet all job requirements with some of the leading certificates in the industry:

The top 5 certifications for your transitioning teacher resume:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) - Association for Talent Development (ATD)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - (ISC)²
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR) - HR Certification Institute (HRCI)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) - Scrum Alliance

If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.

• When Should You Include Your High School on Your Resume?

Deciding between a resume summary or objective for your transitioning teacher role

Understanding the distinction between a resume summary and an objective is crucial for your transitioning teacher resume.

A resume summary, typically three to five sentences long, offers a concise overview of your career . This is the place to showcase your most pertinent experience, key accomplishments, and skills. It's particularly well-suited for those with professional experience relevant to the job requirements.

In contrast, a resume objective focuses on how you can add value to potential employers. It addresses why they should hire you and outlines your career expectations and learning goals. Therefore, it's ideal for candidates with less experience.

In the following section of our guide, explore how resume summaries and objectives differ through some exemplary industry-specific examples.

Resume summaries for a transitioning teacher job

• With over a decade of experience in secondary education and a proven track record of enhancing student performance through innovative curriculum development, this seasoned Biology teacher is seeking new challenges in a dynamic school district. Accomplishments include raising state test scores by 20% and leading a science department restructure for efficiency.
• Dedicated English educator with 15 years of experience fostering a love for literature among high school students. Recognized for integrating technology into classroom instruction to improve engagement and learning outcomes, culminating in a 25% increase in students' standardized reading scores within two academic years.
• Ambitious financial analyst with 8 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company, eager to pivot into the educational sector. Brings a strong proficiency in data analysis and quantitative reasoning, which will be leveraged to teach mathematics and financial literacy, inspiring practical and impactful learning.
• Former healthcare professional with 5 years of experience in patient education and advocacy, aiming to translate this background into a health science teaching career. Expertise in public health initiatives and health technology will drive the development of a forward-thinking health education curriculum.
• Seeking to draw upon a rich history as a community organizer and volunteer in diverse educational settings. While new to formal classroom teaching, enthusiasm for educational equity and a robust foundation in pedagogical methods will be dedicated to achieving excellence in elementary education.
• As a recent graduate with a Master's in Education and a passion for innovative educational approaches, committed to fostering a positive learning environment for students of all backgrounds. With fresh pedagogical knowledge and a drive for continuous improvement, determined to contribute meaningfully to curriculum design and student success.

Extra transitioning teacher resume sections and elements

Creating a winning transitioning teacher resume isn't about following a rigid formula. The key is to tailor it to the job requirements while maintaining your unique personality.

Consider including these additional resume sections to enhance your profile:

• Awards - Highlight industry-specific awards as well as any personal accolades to demonstrate recognition of your expertise and achievements;
• Hobbies and interests - Share your interests outside of work. This can provide insights into your personality and indicate whether you'd be a good cultural fit for the organization;
• Projects - Detail significant projects you've been involved in, focusing on your contributions and the outcomes;
• Publications - If you've authored or co-authored academic papers or other publications, include them to establish your credibility and in-depth knowledge of the field.

These sections can give a more comprehensive view of your capabilities and character, complementing the standard resume content.

Key takeaways

Writing your transitioning teacher resume can be a structured and simple experience, once you better understand the organization's requirements for the role you're applying to. To sum up, we'd like to remind you to:

• Always select which experiences, skills, and achievements to feature on your resume based on relevancy to the role;
• In your resume summary, ensure you've cherry-picked your top achievements and matched them with the job ad's skills;
• Submit your transitioning teacher resume as a one or two-page long document at the most, in a PDF format;
• Select industry leading certifications and list your higher education to highlight you have the basis for technical know-how;
• Quantify your people's skills through various resume sections (e.g. Strengths, Hobbies and interests, etc.) to show recruiters how your profile aligns with the organizational culture.

Looking to build your own Transitioning Teacher resume?

• Resume Examples

How to Put an MBA On Your Resume (With Examples)

Should you add unrelated work experience on your resume, how to write an effective personal resume, 6 examples of how to introduce yourself in an email, the different ways of submitting a resume, resume critique like a pro: 11 steps walkthrough.

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The Educators Room

Empowering Teachers as the Experts

Revamping Your Resume for a Career Change

Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click  here  and support independent journalism!

Almost three years ago, I wrote an article entitled, “ Jobs For Teachers Who Leave the Profession ” about the various jobs teachers could do outside of being in the classroom. After being shared over 1,000,000 times, I figured we should do an update about HOW teachers can transition into jobs that seem unattainable for a teacher.

Over the years, we’ve had numerous comments from readers like Mark who said

“I have found that many businesses don’t hire former teachers because they assume teaching is an easy job and that teachers have no “real” transferable skills. It is unfortunate that assumptions are the roadblocks to entering a different field”

Or from Lizette from Facebook who said,

“…I have applied to everything possible in the last 5 years to leave teaching. I have not had one single phone call or interview…”

The job market is extremely fickle, but after three promotions, I’ve discovered that there are ways for teachers to transition into other careers if they don’t approach it like they are getting their first teaching job. What do I mean? Be confident and know that you have the skills needed to be successful- teachers are basically project managers who work in customer service on a daily basis. So what’s next?

The first step of changing a career is to take a good look at a career you would like to transition to- for the purpose of this article, we will use the Corporate Trainer job listed below.

The first step would be to then go through each job description detail and see if you can align it (using the same keywords) to what you already do in your current job. For example, the first job duty is to “ manage the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the New Hire Training programs as well as on-going learning opportunities…”

Does that sound familiar to what you do in your school? If not, think about your work with new teachers and how you come up with programs to help acclimate them to the building.  The next step would be to figure out how to use the same keywords to convey your teaching experience. (Note: For the first job description, the keywords would be manage, delivery, learning opportunities, and organization.) Then brainstorm the times that you’ve trained and worked with new or in-service teachers. Write down everything you did with those teachers to do on the job training, and then put it in terms that will remain truthful to your work, but will also use the same keywords.

Here’s an example. “ Manage the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of the New Teacher program and Liberty Middle School as well as teaching opportunities that support the school organization’s needs…”  You would need to align the job duties of the job you want to the current job you have. This will take time, but when you finish make sure to save the file as CorporateTrainer_Yourname.PDF so that you can use it time and time again.

After you’ve formulated your resume with the correct keywords, it’s critical for you format your resume so that it looks like you are the person for the job. For this step, I scoured the internet for hours and found several templates that worked well for me.

One of the examples that I liked was that it was clear that I was not looking for entry-level work and I had space for me to “brag” on career highlights and to summarize my professional life.

Another way to go is go “trendy” but this should be done with careful consideration to the job you are applying to. It’s tempting to go to a graphic organizer to create one of these resumes, however, use free programs like Canva  to create these resumes for free.

As you start to format your resume for careers outside the classroom, keep in mind these tips and/or hacks:

• Have a designated day and time to search for jobs that you may be interested in applying to.
• You should customize your resume for each job you apply to.
• Save all your resumes as PDFs and keep them in Dropbox or Google Drive so that you can quickly access them.
• Have a cover letter available so that you can quickly change them as you need.
• Use LinkedIn to create a profile so that you can become searchable online for your job skills.
• Utilize your school district’s resources to see if they have any certification classes (i.e. Project Management) you can take for little to no charge.

To sign up for our 4-week course entitled, “ How to Leave Your Job in Education: A Guide for Teachers to Get Out of the Classroom “, click here.  

Related posts:

Franchesca Warren

For fifteen years Franchesca taught English/Language Arts in two urban districts in Atlanta, Georgia,... More by Franchesca Warren

Join the Conversation

Thank you for all of the helpful insight! This is an amazing resource!

Do you have a link for the resume template image?

2nd, I would like a link to the resume template. Revamping my resume is the one thing holding up my transition out of teaching.

Here is the link to the resume example picture shown in the article: https://www.livecareer.com/resume/templates/classic

What’s giving the most trouble is the professional summary. How do I summarize 9 years of teaching for a job out of the field?

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• Transitioning Teacher Resume Example

Resume Examples

• Common Tasks & Responsibilities
• Top Hard & Soft Skills
• Action Verbs & Keywords
• Resume FAQs
• Similar Resumes

Common Responsibilities Listed on Transitioning Teacher Resumes:

• Develop and implement lesson plans that meet the needs of all students
• Create a positive learning environment that encourages student engagement and participation
• Provide instruction and assessment of student learning
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with students, parents, and colleagues
• Collaborate with other teachers to develop and implement curriculum
• Monitor student progress and provide feedback to students and parents
• Participate in professional development activities to stay current with best practices
• Utilize technology to enhance instruction and student learning
• Maintain accurate records of student performance and attendance
• Enforce school policies and procedures
• Participate in extracurricular activities and school events

Speed up your resume creation process with the AI-Powered Resume Builder . Generate tailored achievements in seconds for every role you apply to.

Transitioning Teacher Resume Example:

• Developed and implemented innovative lesson plans that catered to diverse student needs, resulting in a 10% increase in overall student engagement and participation.
• Established a positive and inclusive classroom environment, fostering strong relationships with students and parents, leading to a 15% improvement in student satisfaction scores.
• Collaborated with a team of teachers to design and implement a new curriculum, aligning with educational standards and resulting in a 20% improvement in student performance.
• Utilized technology tools and resources to enhance instruction and student learning, resulting in a 25% increase in student achievement and academic growth.
• Monitored and tracked student progress, providing timely and constructive feedback to students and parents, leading to a 10% improvement in student performance and grades.
• Participated in professional development activities and workshops, staying up-to-date with best practices and instructional strategies, resulting in a 15% improvement in teaching effectiveness.
• Implemented effective classroom management strategies, enforcing school policies and procedures, resulting in a 20% reduction in disciplinary incidents and disruptions.
• Participated in extracurricular activities and school events, fostering a sense of community and school spirit, leading to a 10% increase in student involvement and engagement.
• Maintained accurate records of student performance and attendance, ensuring data integrity and providing valuable insights for student support and intervention, resulting in a 15% improvement in overall student success.
• Innovative lesson planning
• Classroom management
• Curriculum development
• Student engagement strategies
• Inclusive education
• Parent-teacher communication
• Team collaboration
• Technology integration in teaching
• Student progress monitoring
• Constructive feedback delivery
• Professional development participation
• Instructional strategy application
• School policy enforcement
• Extracurricular activity coordination
• Record keeping and data integrity
• Student support and intervention strategies
• Community building within school
• Adaptability to diverse student needs
• Knowledge of educational standards
• Ability to increase student performance and satisfaction.

Top Skills & Keywords for Transitioning Teacher Resumes:

Hard skills.

• Curriculum Development
• Classroom Management
• Differentiated Instruction
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Lesson Planning
• Special Education
• Technology Integration
• Behavior Management
• Parent-Teacher Communication
• Classroom Organization
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
• Professional Development

Soft Skills

• Classroom Management and Discipline
• Instructional Design and Lesson Planning
• Differentiated Instruction and Individualized Learning
• Student Engagement and Motivation
• Assessment and Data Analysis
• Collaboration and Teamwork with Colleagues
• Parent and Guardian Communication
• Adaptability and Flexibility in Teaching Methods
• Problem Solving and Critical Thinking in Education
• Time Management and Organization in the Classroom
• Empathy and Understanding of Student Needs
• Communication and Active Listening with Students and Parents

Resume Action Verbs for Transitioning Teachers:

• Facilitated
• Collaborated
• Differentiated
• Implemented
• Coordinated
• Communicated

Generate Your Resume Summary

Resume FAQs for Transitioning Teachers:

How long should i make my transitioning teacher resume, what is the best way to format a transitioning teacher resume, which keywords are important to highlight in a transitioning teacher resume, how should i write my resume if i have no experience as a transitioning teacher, compare your transitioning teacher resume to a job description:.

• Identify opportunities to further tailor your resume to the Transitioning Teacher job
• Improve your keyword usage to align your experience and skills with the position
• Uncover and address potential gaps in your resume that may be important to the hiring manager

Complete the steps below to generate your free resume analysis.

Related Resumes for Transitioning Teachers:

Teacher career change, career coach, substitute teacher, experienced teacher, teacher assistant, special education teacher, high school teacher, elementary school teacher.

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22 Teacher Resume Examples That Worked in 2024

• Teacher Resume
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Writing Your Teacher Resume

Teachers are the backbone of society. You spend more time with the children you educate than their parents do! And effective teachers like you are compassionate, intelligent, and organized, among hundreds of other things.

It can be difficult to highlight all your experience and skills on your teacher resume, and you’ll want to save some for your  teacher cover letter .

These 22 teacher resume examples are helping teachers with varying levels and types of expertise land jobs in 2024 . They’re a great place for you to get started building or  updating your resume .

Please note that this guide is geared toward educators in the K-12 space. If you’re applying to teach at the college level, you’ll likely need to  write a CV . 

Teacher Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• When listing your student teaching experience, focus on what you contributed instead of your responsibilities. 
• Since you want to make the resume reviewer’s job as pleasant as possible, clearly state the subject and grades you taught in a resume bullet.
• When you go to make a cover letter , this is your ticket to dive deeper into how you helped your students achieve greater success in the classroom.

Daycare Teacher Resume Example

• If you’re a pro at integrating play-based learning like building blocks or water play into your daycare environment, do more than list it in your skills section. Use your work experience to show your skills in action.

Elementary Teacher Resume Example

• Include licenses or certifications in a dedicated “Certifications” section on your elementary teacher resume. Our  user-friendly resume templates  and  Google docs resume templates  let you add a section just for certificates and licenses.
• For example, “Improved students’ passing rates on the statewide annual exam by 13%” effectively shows competency through an estimate.

Middle School Teacher Resume Example

• Including a  career objective  can help explain why you’re a strong candidate if you have limited work experience or if you’re undergoing a career change.
• Certifications are typically required qualifications for teachers, so it’s best to list any relevant certificates you’ve acquired. 
• Projects can be a great place to highlight experiences not technically work-related but still highly relevant to your passion for teaching. 
• An activities section is the spot for interesting, quirky experiences or  hobbies on your resume ; just be sure you can explain  why  they’re relevant when you get an interview! 

First Year Teacher Resume Example

• Succinct, to-the-point, and intriguing are everything your career objective should be-it should be two to three sentences summarizing your teaching career goals and demonstrating your readiness to help the hiring institution attain its objectives. Weaving in mentions of past relevant experiences like a teaching internship can leave a solid impression that gets you hired.

High School Teacher Resume Example

• The “Education” section of your  high school teacher resume  should list the degree you’ve earned. No need to list high school since that’s a given.
• For example, instead of saying, “Prepared students for standardized exams,” say, “Helped improve standardized testing performance by 3%.”
• If you list “collaboration” as a skill, then somewhere in your resume’s work experience bullet points, it should be clear that collaboration is part of your repertoire.

PE Teacher Resume Example

• Save a small section on your resume’s side column for role-relevant tertiary educational background, much like how Amanda flaunts her bachelor’s degree (Physical Education) from the University of Central Florida. It’s about showing you’ve put a great deal of work into amassing the necessary knowledge and skills.

Science Teacher Resume Example

• You see, few other things piss off hiring managers as much as a resume littered with grammatical mistakes, from typos, punctuation errors to awkward phrases. And that brings us to the essence of staking the time to meticulously proofreading yours before hitting the send button. Better yet, involve a second pair of eyes, be it a friend, family member or career coach.

Math Teacher Resume Example

• Such unique achievements make your math teacher resume shine and grab the attention of your dream employer. Identify such feats in your career and let them take center stage in your application.

Art Teacher Resume Example

• Your also have to prove that you go beyond the curriculum to offer students more opportunities such as through showcasing their work to the world.

Social Science Teacher Resume Example

• Ask a friend, colleague, or even a co-worker to proofread your resume. If you’re low on time, invest in a spell-check system like Grammarly or run your resume through our  resume checker  to catch any typos or comma errors. 
• All our example resumes include the essential sections, and you can add your own sections to customize your template to your specific needs.

English Teacher Resume Example

• Summaries are two to three-sentence paragraphs that can be thought of as a recap of your best self on your resume. 
• Purely optional, you can include one if you have years (10+) of experience in your field.
• Summaries work best to showcase your tried and tested years in the education field and any specializations you’ve honed, such as teaching AP-level courses.

Foreign Language Teacher Resume Example

• Why?  Hard skills are more specific to your profession and easier to demonstrate throughout your resume. Plus, they show school admin that you’ve already got some technical know-how for the job. 
• Aim to include six to eight specific skills, emphasizing hard skills (like “bilingual” and “lesson planning”) over soft skills (like “organization” and “caring”).
• If you’re hoping to switch from teaching German to teaching history, you don’t need to include many details on your strategies for teaching verb conjugation, for example.

Experienced Teacher Resume Example

• It’s perfect time to turn to your technology skills and how you’ve tapped them to solve everyday teaching challenges. Show how you’ve leveraged Zoom and Google Classroom for virtual teaching, Quizizz for tailored tests that improved average students score, and so on.

New Teacher Resume Example

• Also, show how it has been a lifelong process for you, and how you are ready to bring in your set of pedagogical skills in the learning environment.

Student Teacher Resume Example

• Schools know you have to start somewhere, so what they’re really looking for is that you show the promise and potential to step inside their classrooms and successfully manage and teach a class.
• If you’ve volunteered as a teacher after school, provided tutoring or homework help, or even assisted in a teacher’s grading load, you have valuable experience to add to your resume.

Teacher Assistant Resume Example

• Instead of vaguely stating, “Worked with assistants and teachers,” give concrete details, like “Worked with 2 assistants and teacher to provide instruction to 60+ 2nd graders with IEPs.”
• An objective is valuable if you’re light on experience and need to fill some white space, but it loses its value if it’s not customized.
• Tailor your objective by mentioning the target school by name and sprinkling in some keywords from the  teacher job description , so long as they honestly describe you!

Substitute Teacher Resume Example

• If you’re a certified substitute teacher (or teacher) in your state, include that in a dedicated “Certifications” section on your substitute teacher resume. This will help you stand out from other applicants, as this is not required in every state.
• Any prior subbing experience should highlight maintaining a disciplined classroom. One of the toughest aspects of being a sub is commanding a classroom, so demonstrating your strength will increase your chances of getting an interview.
• Another way to impress is by  formatting your resume’s  work history in reverse-chronological order; it lists your most current and relevant experience first, so the admin can glimpse your best stuff first.

Collaborative Teacher Resume Example

• Choose one or two key areas, such as section titles or your header, to include a pop of conservative color.
• Use two contrasting fonts on your resume template . Just don’t pick anything hard to read—remember, recruiters scan resumes within seconds, so it has to be understood at a glance.
• Even if your projects aren’t teaching-related, highlight skills you used or developed, like working with kids, collaborating with co-workers, or taking a leadership position.

Special Education Teacher Resume Example

• Does your resume take up the entire page?
• Does it have half to one-inch margins? (Either half an inch or one inch is fine.)
• Does your resume include separate sections for contact information, education, skills, and work experience?
• Start each bullet point with action words, like “spearheaded” or “brainstormed.” 
• Either end all bullet points with a period or none at all. Be consistent with punctuation.
• Write your work experience in the past tense.
• Avoid using personal pronouns like “me” or “I” on your resume. We’re pretty sure the employer already knows you’re writing about yourself!

Assistant Teacher Resume Example

• Consider a certifications section in which you proudly spotlight credential like Child Development Associate (CDA), just as Matthew does. Of course, a proven understanding of early childhood education best practices is sure to get a nod from the hiring manager reading your piece.

Teacher Aide Resume Example

• Begin by spotlighting your most recent, senior position (paired with key quantified achievements and relevant tool applications) and backtrack through your junior roles. This technique is golden for illustrating your career progression in a resume and should show an increment of responsibilities and wins as you go up.

Related resume guides

• Teacher Assistant
• Preschool Teacher
• Elementary Teacher
• Substitute Teacher

Formatting Your Teacher Resume

Formatting ensures your teacher resume is readable, logical, and complete. Imagine understanding a book without chapter headings or margins and no discernable organization. It would be a nightmare to parse out any information when nothing follows a clear structure and doesn’t lend itself to being read correctly. It’s an extreme example, but it proves the necessity of formatting. 

Just as you create lesson plans to help your class learn best, format your resume so your qualifications are conveyed and understood. We’ll cover three important formatting elements in the following sections: resume formats, your contact header, and resume readability for ATS.

Three resume formats

The most popular  resume formats  for 2024 are reverse-chronological, functional, and combination/hybrid. Here are some of the pros and cons of each:

• Reverse-chronological : This format highlights your career progression in an easy-to-scan list, making it ideal for recruiters and ATS. However, this format exposes time gaps and can be repetitive if you’ve held the same position at multiple schools.
• Functional : This format focuses on your skills, ideal for limited teaching experience or gaps. However, it’s commonly known to confuse potential employers and ATS.
• Combination/hybrid : This leverages an in-depth skills section and a small experience section to accurately summarize why you’re the best candidate for the job. However, it’s easy to structure this poorly, and it can look like you’re hiding a lack of work experience.

We advise the reverse-chronological format for your teacher resume because it proves you have practical knowledge and a steady career. This format tells the story of your teaching career in under  six seconds , which is how long recruiters will take to read your resume.

Include the right details in your contact header

Your contact header should be easy to locate and read. Some suggest not adding contact information in the header, but that’s why formatting your contact header properly is so important. With good formatting, none of your information gets buried, and it can distinguish you from other applicants. You should include:

• Job title you’re seeking
• Phone number
• City, State (optional)
• Professional links (optional)

Per industry standards, place the header in either the top left-hand corner or centered beneath your name. Not enough space? Remove the optional elements or go down a font size. Choose a sans-serif font that’s no smaller than your resume’s body text. 

Like the example below, you can put your header in a color block to grab attention quickly and add personality. It’s best not to use obnoxious colors (neon green would be a hard no), and always double-check that the color works well with black body text or white font. 

Sometimes, the ATS won’t read your resume properly despite having a beautiful header. That’s why we recommend submitting it as a .docx (friendly for ATS) and as a PDF (friendly for employers). 

We have plenty of  excellent resume samples  you can check out for inspiration on your header, and if you’re rushed, choose one of our  free resume templates  to start and finish your teacher resume in record time. 

Ensure the ATS and employers can read your resume

To ensure your resume reaches principals and department heads, you’ll need to pass muster with the ATS. The good news is formatting for the ATS also results in a resume easy to read by employers. 

Resume tips to steer you on the right path:

• Not only is a one-page resume faster for recruiters and ATS to scan, but it forces you to be concise and include only what’s relevant. 
• Most ATS don’t recognize documents in Open Office, Adobe Pages, HTML, or PDF (on occasion). The wisest option is to submit your resume as a .docx and  as a PDF to give employers options if one doesn’t work.
• The standard 10–12-point font is the best readability range for employers and ATS.
• Even at a reasonable size, some fonts are hard to read, unprofessional-appearing, and ATS-unfriendly. Stick to standard sans-serif fonts like Helvetica or Arial.
• One-inch margins are standard, but you can be flexible. Avoid going smaller than a half-inch or larger than one inch to keep your teacher resume professional and tidy.
• You may confuse the ATS and the school if you have odd header titles. Use standardized headers, as you see in our resume samples , to make each section easy to find (and comprehend). 
• ATS uses keywords to determine your eligibility, including skills (Google Classroom, modifying lessons, parent communication, etc.) matching what’s in the job ad. 
• If your resume sections aren’t in the recommended order, they may confuse ATS. Yet again, it’s best to stick to the standard. Try using our  resume builder  to ensure your structure is logical and readable. 

Writing an effective resume  may feel daunting, but it’s far more manageable if you take it section by section. You may even want to use one of our  fresh Word resume templates  designed just for teachers. Let’s dive into each resume section you’ll want to consider:

Does an objective/summary on your teacher resume matter?

Teaching history, top skills for educators.

• Listing education, certification, and optional sections

Customize your teacher resume for the job

Revise and edit your teacher resume.

Principals and their hiring teams may see hundreds of resumes across a wide array of teaching roles, so it’s crucial to showcase your talents and personality quickly. Objectives and summaries can work as excellent introductory tools, but many end up being generic, boring, or vague. 

First, consider whether you’ll use an  objective or summary statement (or neither). An objective highlights your interest and qualifications for the role, while a  resume career summary  distills your specialized skills and experience in a few lines. Use an objective if you’re seeking your first teaching position or switching from teaching one subject to another. On the other hand, veteran teachers may opt for a summary (or no statement at all).

Regardless of your circumstances, if you use either of these introductory statements, you should always tailor your message to the position. Let’s look at specific examples to contrast a D+ resume objective with one worthy of an A. 

A generic, vague objective tells recruiters nothing about you beyond the bare minimum:

New high school teacher seeking employment at a local high school closer to family. Talented at communicating with teenagers and teaching. Received many compliments and letters at last place of employment.

The above objective lacks personality and neglects to mention anything specific. This next objective, however, is focused and tells the principal about the applicant’s skills:

Compassionate algebra tutor with 4+ years of experience. Excellent at coaching students in formulas and helping them develop analytical thinking skills and mathematical competency at all levels of ability. Seeking to use my communication and interpersonal skills to build meaningful student relationships and improve their mathematical abilities at Joaquin High School.

Like the visual example below, the above objective works because it details the applicant’s experience and how it’s relevant to their new goals within the classroom. 

With summaries, it’s difficult to narrow down years of experience into one paragraph, so they often end up looking like this:

Skilled and experienced teacher who loves working with littles. Adept at communication and care. Excited to use my skills for Sunnyside Elementary. 

For starters, repeating “skilled” and “experienced” won’t tell employers anything. A good summary should sell your experience and qualifications, making principals wish they’d had the chance to hire you years ago:

Elementary education teacher with 12+ years of experience managing 25-30 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders’ classrooms. I am a patient, personable, and compassionate professional eager to bring my expertise to Sunnyside Elementary. Awarded Teacher of the Year in 2020 and 2021 for creating online individualized lesson plans for over 65 students during the height of the pandemic.

This summary works because it tells the recruiter their specific qualifications, namely personalized lesson plans and classroom management, and their skills (in this case, two awards). 

It’s tempting to list every job you’ve ever had to prove you’re qualified, but this becomes either overwhelming or redundant. It also means you can’t include much about each position, which won’t inspire principals to hire you. 

Instead, pick two to four of your most relevant teaching positions. Quantify your responsibilities and incorporate skill keywords to improve your ATS score with each. 

No teaching experience yet? Add internships, student teaching, volunteering, or other special projects like the example below that can highlight your soft skills like leadership. Certifications and awards are helpful additions, too. 

How to write your job description bullet points

Whether you’re describing a past job, an internship, or a college project, you’ll need to craft your bullet points with care. Every word counts, so use active verbs, definitive language, third-person pronouns, and consistent verb tenses. Pay careful attention to consistency with punctuation—using periods at the end of some bullets while none for others is sloppy.

Based on these resume writing tips , here are some examples of well-crafted bullet points suited for a teacher resume:

• Taught mathematics, English, general science, art, geography, and history to 60+ 3rd grade students
• Collaborated with parents to discuss student performance and options for an improved learning experience, such as individualized instruction for students with learning disabilities
• Hosted annual fundraiser to raise $6,500 for 10+ teachers to attend the RAISE conference and led yearly trips to RAISE meetings, resulting in overall more effective teaching strategies and a renewed passion for academia

These bullet points work because they’re descriptive and results-oriented. Strive for conciseness and specificity with your job description bullet points.

Maximize your classroom impact with numbers

From an employer’s mindset, metrics cement your abilities by proving that your actions resulted in a desirable outcome. If possible, include metrics on 50 percent of your job description bullet points to showcase the results of your effective teaching. 

When talking about past teaching roles, it’s a good idea to discuss the following metrics:

• Increase in test scores, passing rates, or grade point averages
• Number of students/classes taught
• Increase in student participation/improved behavior

The following examples use the metric types listed above to describe a teacher’s impact further: 

• Co-founded a S.T.E.M. club with the aid of 4 fellow teachers, increasing student passing rates in science and mathematics by 13%
• Established weekly one-on-one student conversation sessions to intentionally build student-teacher relationships, resulting in a 15% overall increase in classroom participation and attendance
• Hosted monthly Write-Til-You-Drop sessions for high school students struggling in English and offered expertise for outlining thesis development and argument structure, which resulted in 31% higher essay scores for participating students

The  skills section of your resume  is a quick guide to what you bring to the table as a teacher. That means choosing the right skills for each job is crucial. You might be organized and great at time management, but if employers want to see that you’re compassionate and great at lesson planning instead, your resume may be set aside. 

Since teachers fulfill many roles, employers will want to see a host of varied skills, including soft, hard, and technical capabilities, such as these:

Common teacher skills

• Collaboration
• Problem-solving
• 1:1 communication
• Organization
• Class management
• Active listening
• Lesson planning
• Google Classroom
• Parent communication
• Gradebook software

These skills demonstrate aptitude and support the responsibilities a teacher must complete on the job. Remember that while the above list outlines common and popular teacher skills for your resume, defer to what the job description is explicitly seeking. 

Education, certifications, and optional sections

You’ll need to include different elements on your resume depending on your education level, years in the workforce, and any specializations or concentrations you possess. All teaching positions require a bachelor’s degree, and an increasing number of teachers hold a master’s. Also, ensure you’re up-to-date on your state certifications, like the California candidate below.

If you hold many certifications, you don’t necessarily need to include them all if you’re applying for one specific role. For example, suppose you’re an ESL-certified teacher with a graduate ESL certificate seeking an ESL role. In that case, you’ll need to include  that  certification either in a summary/objective, in your work experience, or in your education. 

This candidate’s education speaks volumes with a classic bold font and color.

While including education and certifications is required, a projects section is optional. If you’re a drama teacher, for example, new to directing but experienced with leading drama camps, including a projects section to describe the drama camps you’ve led or assisted with can add a relevant impact. List and discuss projects on your resume, just like a paid position.

Additionally, consider adding  interests and hobbies to your resume . Most teacher resumes should save room for other information, but it’s a good idea to add these sections when the job you’re applying for stresses the importance of school spirit and culture.

Choose your interests that reflect the school’s values. However, be picky about what you include. Finding every Easter Egg in the entire timeline of Zelda games might be your favorite pastime, but that doesn’t mean you should list it on a resume (unless you’re applying for Nintendo, in which case this might be appropriate, and you’re reading the wrong resume guide). 

It’s up to you whether you include any optional sections on your resume, but always be sure to be as specific as possible. Your interests should also be specific. “Reading” doesn’t say much about you, but “leading classic book clubs” is far more likely to get you a job as an English instructor.

Generic resumes are easy to spot and will likely get tossed. To avoid the trash, tailor your resume to every position you apply for. This tells principals you’ve researched the school and the role, and you genuinely care about the position.

To customize your resume, scan the  job ad  to know what responsibilities, accomplishments, and keywords to include in your skills section and your bullet points. You should also tailor your objective/summary (if used) to have the school’s name and speak to anything unique about the school that particularly interests you. Check your resume against the job description to ensure you’re addressing their concerns. 

As a teacher, you already know the pitfalls of submitting drafts before they’re revised, so don’t let minor mistakes slip through the cracks. Instead, take a break and hand your resume off for peer review. You can also use our free resume checker  to get tips from our AI software. 

After a day, return to your resume and consider the constructive criticism you received. Edit and check for errors, inconsistencies, or gaps. Read through your resume at least twice more, one for content and one for proofreading. Once you’re sure it’s error-free, you can submit it proudly. 

Start Setting up Your Classroom (Almost)

Go ahead and celebrate because if you’ve made it this far, you’re well on your way to that A+ resume! By spending more time throughout each phase of the writing process, you’re vaulting yourself closer to your next teaching job. It’ll be time to turn in a simple resignation letter at your current job and start setting up your new classroom before you know it!

If you’re not quite satisfied with your current resume, upload it to our  resume checker  for our AI-powered tips. If it’s time to start from scratch, use our  resume builder tool  to work with our AI from the ground up. We can’t wait to see you land your next teaching role!

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Switching Careers? Here’s How to Write a Strong Resume.

• Benjamin Laker,
• Vijay Pereira,
• Abhishek Behl,
• Zaheer Khan

Start with a personal statement.

When you’re switching career paths, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on: updating your resume. Crafting a smart resume is key to showing your potential employer why you wish to make a change. While there’s no one right format to write a resume, here are some tips you can follow:

• Begin the resume with a personal statement. This is a short description about who you are, your reasons for changing your career, your new goals, how your previous experience can be transferred to the new industry, and why you’re perfect for the job.
• Next, instead of highlighting your work experience first, showcase the skills you’ve learned throughout your career. That’s because when changing careers, the hiring managers reviewing your application may not always be familiar with the roles and responsibilities of a different industry.
• Below your skills, you can include a more traditional description of your relevant work history. You don’t need to include every job you’ve ever had, especially if you’ve held a number of positions that don’t highlight any essential skills required for this role.
• Finally, end with a chronological list of your educational qualifications. You can also include details about any certifications or courses that you may be undertaking that may be relevant to the position you’re interested in.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Switching career paths and trying something completely new can open you up to exciting opportunities, help you learn new things, and even earn you more money. But it’s not always easy — especially if you’re looking to move into an entirely different field. Apart from doing your research and unearthing opportunities, there’s one essential thing you need to focus on before you make the leap: updating your resume.

• Benjamin Laker is a professor of leadership at Henley Business School, University of Reading. Follow him on Twitter .
• Vijay Pereira is a professor of strategic and international human capital management at NEOMA Business School.
• AB Abhishek Behl is an assistant professor of information management at the Management Development Institute Gurgaon.
• ZK Zaheer Khan is a professor in strategy and international business at the University of Aberdeen.  

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More From Forbes

5 resume tips for teachers moving from the classroom to corporate.

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Teachers in crisis.

If you’re an educator who has been pondering to leave the field in some way, this article can help you learn how to begin to transition. Whether you want to continue to work in education, or if you want to change your career path completely, the tips below can help you get started on a new journey.

According to a Labor Department report  obtained by the Wall Street Journal,  teachers quit the profession in 2018 at the highest rate of any year on record. Roughly one million public education workers walked away from the classroom in 2018, and many career experts claim that number will continue to rise. 

Also, over the past 40 years, most people who became teachers were female. The share of female college students majoring in education has shrunk from 32% to 11%, according to  MarketWatch .

As I've seen throughout my career as a teacher, and a college academic advisor, the number of students choosing to go into teaching has also dropped nationwide. 

In the UK, according to  The Guardian , around one in five teachers (18%) expect to leave the classroom in less than two years. Also, two-fifths of teachers, school leaders, and support staff want to quit in the next five years—blaming out of control workload pressures and excessive accountability.

Reasons teachers typically leave the classroom can include a lack of administration and parental support, budget cuts, concerns about school violence, overwhelming expectations, and even the battle to gain students' attention due to mobile phone distraction.

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Teenagers and their mobile phones can cause great distractions in the classroom when not used ... [+] properly.

And, many educators' salaries are so low that they have to work a second job. 

Also, due to technology, it can be a challenge to separate school and home life, as many educators are dealing with around the clock communication needs, and on-demand time from students and parents.

Many teachers state they are tired of standardized tests that have curbed creativity, the arts, gym, and music.

The expectations have become almost too much to bear.

When Teachers Are Unhappy

One critical concern that always stands out to me regarding teaching: if educators are not happy, our students won't be happy either. The effect of this dramatic loss can not only change a student's love of learning—but can have a dramatic impact on the economy over the years to come.  

What Teachers Can Do

If this sounds like you, and you are not happy in your current role as a classroom educator, it is only fair to both you and your students to consider other career options. 

For this article, I spoke with Lynda Spiegel , who is a specialist in resumes and creating LinkedIn profiles.

Spiegel, once a teacher herself, runs Rising Stars Resumes , where you can find her offerings, a plethora of information, guidance, and sample resumes for almost every industry. 

According to her site, Spiegel has spent the last 14 years as a Global Human Resources executive, and she understands how recruiters and hiring managers view a potential candidate's resume. 

As a recruiter, she has experience posting jobs on LinkedIn, so she knows how to write a LinkedIn profile that will improve the chances of being found by a target employer. 

Teacher Transition Resume Tips

Here are some tips Spiegel shared with me for educators who want to transition from the classroom to corporate. These tips have been edited and condensed for reading purposes.

Understand The Difference Between Academic And Corporate Resumes 

Candidates for jobs in the corporate or non-academic and non-profit organizations need to articulate their value proposition – what, in a nutshell, they can provide in terms of what a company or organization currently needs. 

Leave Out Terms That Don’t Apply For A New Role

When you pivot to a new career, you need to eliminate terminology from your prior role.

Focus On Transferable Skills

First, read the details in each job posting that you're considering applying for with a critical eye. 

You may know that you're perfectly capable of handling the requirements, but if you have no experience with them, you're not likely to be considered. This is the place you need to focus in on for your resume—where you can include things you've done in addition to classroom teaching. 

For example, while all teachers are, in a sense, trainers, companies are mostly interested in peer-to-peer training. If you've done this, that's a plus to highlight. For another example, if you've participated in organizing trips, that may be useful for teachers who want to get into travel or event planning.

Turn Your Specialization Into A Corporate Asset

Every teacher is qualified to get hired as a curriculum consultant or with an edtech businesses—and this is an especially good option for elementary education pedagogues. 

High school teachers can leverage subject matter expertise by looking for work in a related field, and then highlight those projects you’ve developed in your resume. 

Robotics teachers can describe the 3D-printer project they assigned, while literature teachers aspiring to editorial work can reference the school literary magazine they’ve advised.

Don't Forget To List Software Competencies

While most corporate settings don't use edtech software, you should list these skills on your resume, along with every other application in which you're familiar. 

After all, the skill of being conversant in any software is a transferable skill that companies need.

More Information

For more information about transferring into a different profession, or if you want to stay in education while working outside classroom walls, be sure to follow Spiegel's work on LinkedIn , and you can join my teacher support group on Facebook for further support.

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Changing Your Career to Teaching

Have you been sitting back recently, contemplating your future and where you are headed? Are you thinking about changing your career to teaching , but not exactly sure where to start?

Well, I'm here to tell you that you are certainly not alone. As a Certified Career Coach and Resume Writer, I often work with individuals who are looking for a rewarding career change, guiding them on their path to a successful life change.

When you have discovered that your once-rewarding and satisfying job no longer provides you with the same excitement and enthusiasm, it may be the time to consider a career change. Complete commitment to this pursuit will open you up to endless career possibilities.

During the course of my career I have worked with many individuals who wanted to change careers and embark on a new challenge, teaching children. I have heard many reasons why mid-career changers are drawn to a career in education, and have ventured to list a few examples.

• Giving Back to Society: Many successful professionals have often embraced a career in teaching in order to "give back" to society. They often want to teach the real-world experiences they have learned through hands-on participation in a particular field.
• Mentoring & Guiding: Often career changers choose teaching as a means to coach and lead today's youth and foster in them a passion for learning.
• Sharing Knowledge & Passion: I have found that most career changers bring a high level of enthusiasm and dedication as new educators, combined with a solid understanding of diverse subject material.

Beginning the search for a new career can be overwhelming and a bit frightening, to say the least. However, here are a few things that you will want to consider before embarking on your journey:

• Retraining & Professional Development: Going back to school will give you a chance to learn your new career and provide you with a greater understanding of the role and how to sustain employment within that area.
• Interchangeable Skills: Research and dig deep for your transferable skills that are relevant to teaching. Determine the the traits and strengths you possess that can be applied to the education sector. For example, teachers must possess the ability to be creative, organized, disciplined, and self-directed; if you have these skills, showcase them in your resume, cover letter, and interview.
• Maximizing Your Skill Set/Your Resume: Your resume must emphasize your relevant past career achievements and contributions; be proud to list each and every one. Learn what principals or school districts are looking for when hiring teachers; their goals and objectives and where they are headed. Once you have drafted your resume, get feedback from someone you trust.
• Envision the Position: You may want to envision how you look in the role of your new position, working within that venue day after day. Ask yourself, What parts of the job do I like the best? Am I really interested? Performing this exercise may help you find your right career path.

Focus on the skills you enjoy using the most, and build a career based soundly on your passions and your dreams.

The process of looking for and finding your new career is a huge opportunity for you to develop deeper self-awareness, and it may just be the thing that supercharges your zest for life.

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Career Change Resume for 2024 [9+ Examples]

Thinking of switching careers?

It might feel a lot like taking a leap of faith. 

You’re stepping into the unknown - that alone takes a lot of courage and determination.

You might even feel like a recent graduate all over again.

You have 0 experience, entering an entirely new field, competing with people who’ve been doing it forever!

That sounds pretty scary.

But here’s the thing:

As long as you’re armed with the right resume, the transition can be a piece of cake.

And luckily, we’re here to help and guide you through the process.

So, if you’re thinking of breaking into a new career industry, be sure to read on.

• How to pick the best resume format for a career change
• How to create a skill summary and wow the recruiter
• How to show off transferable work experience
• 3+ other ways to impress the recruiter (even if you have 0 relevant work experience)

Choosing the Best Career Change Resume Format

A big part of creating an effective resume is choosing the right resume format to tell your story with.

You need to structure your resume in a way that best shows your transferable skills and experience.

And when it comes to switching careers, the combination resume format does that best.

Here’s why:

This format places equal emphasis on skills and important work experience . 

This way, you can show you have the right industry transferable skills , even if you haven’t had the actual job title.

The format is ideal for people:

• Making a career change with transferable skills or work experience.
• With some employment gaps.
• With a diverse range of skills and experience .
• Applying to both creative and traditional roles.

And here’s what you include within this format:

• Contact information
• Resume objective or summary
• Skills summary
• Work experience
• Certification

Now, we’re going to go over each of those sections and explain how to write them step-by-step.

Here’s what you need to know:

How to Add Your Contact Information the Right Way

Your contact information is arguably the most important part of your resume.

Even if you’re the most qualified person in the world, it’s not going to matter much if you misspell your email and the HR manager can’t contact you.

So, here’s what you should include in this section:

• First name, last name 
• Phone number - Make sure to include your country code if you’re applying outside your country.
• Email address - Something professional like [[email protected]].
• Location - The company needs to know if you’re located in the region or if they may have to sponsor your relocation.
• Title - Either your current professional title or your new desired one. We’d recommend including the job title you’re applying for word-for-word.

Once you’re done, we’d recommend that you double-check, even triple-check everything. You wouldn’t want to miss your chances of landing the job because of a typo, would you?

• Got an online portfolio? You can also mention the links here. For example, if you’re a developer, you can include a link to your GitHub profile. If you’re a writer, a Medium link, and so on...

All clear? Good!

Now, let’s cover how to write a successful career change resume objective or summary.

Impress the Recruiter With a Career Change Resume Objective or Summary

So you’ve got your contact details down.

Now, you need a reason for the HR manager to continue reading the rest of your resume.

So, how do you get the recruiter to stop and read your career change resume when they only look at resumes for 6 seconds on average?

The answer: by using a resume objective or summary.

Both of these sections explain why you’re the best person for the job and act as a preview to the rest of your resume.

Here’s how the two differ:

Your resume summary shows your best accomplishments that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Your resume objective highlights how your current skills are relevant and will transfer to your new position.

As someone going through a career change, you can include either one.

But as a rule of thumb, if you were working in a related field and have some transferable skills, go for a resume summary.

On the other hand, if you were working in a completely unrelated field, go for a resume objective.

Check out these examples to get a better idea of what both of these might look like:

Career Change Resume Summary Example

• “Customer support specialist with over 4+ years of experience in over-the-phone technical support looking to leverage communication skills as a Sales Agent at Company XYZ. Excellent track record of delivering quality support, with an average rating of 4.6/5 over the past 2 years.”

A career change resume summary helps the HR understand how your skillset from your previous job can translate into your new one.

In that case, it’s best to mention:

• Your current relevant skills or experience.
• How your background can help you excel at the current job.

Career Change Resume Objective Example

• “Organized and hard-working employee looking to join XYZ as a marketing assistant. Looking to take advantage of my skills in Photoshop, graphic design, and creative copywriting to help XYZ with their marketing efforts.”

See the difference here?

Even though the person doesn’t have any relevant work experience, their resume objective still shows how their skill set is relevant to the new job.

Show Off Your Know-How With a Skills Summary Section

Your resume summary / objective is only an introduction. Now, you need to show the HR what you’ve got.

To do that, you need a good skills summary section.

Skills summary is a must-have section for just about any career change resume.

It puts more emphasis on your skill-set, as opposed to your work experience. This allows you to show how you’re a qualified candidate, even though you haven’t done the job before.

Here’s what a sample skills summary section might look like for a front-end developer.

Career Change Resume Skills Summary Example

• Built an online personal portfolio and resume website using HTML, CSS, JS.
• Created an online JS/jQuery quiz game that takes multiple answers and shows results to the user.
• Built a beautiful weather app with Angular 8 from scratch, designed UI with Sketch.
• Created responsive website templates (that are also mobile friendly) using modern CSS techniques and JS libraries.
• Worked with design and development groups to create applications from mock-ups in Sketch, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Familiar with Git, XDebug, and Chrome Developer Tools.
• Debugged over 10 JS web apps for a SaaS project.

Simple enough, right?

You list out each of your key skills, and then back it up with how you’ve used it in the past.

Now, you might be thinking, “what about the work experience section?” Do I just skip it, and use a skills summary instead?

Nope - you still need to list your work experience.

In this case, though, you’d want to use it to show off your transferable skills. Here’s how:

Use Your Work Experience to Show Off Transferable Skills

Let’s take a different example and say you’re moving from a job in sales to copywriting.

A resume you’d use for sales compared to a more creative field like copywriting is probably going to be a bit different.

But what do both of the roles have in common?

Well, for one, they both require you to have excellent communication skills. You also need to be good at understanding your target market and conveying complex information in simple language.

And that’s the common thread you want to focus on in your work experience section.

So, when listing your previous jobs, think of some transferable skills that you bring to the table that are going to be relevant.

Even unrelated jobs have some universal skills that are helpful everywhere.

To give you a better idea of what we mean, let’s look at some examples:

Sales Executive

Company X - 11/2016 - 04/2019

• Created and presented pitch deck that secured a $500,000 deal - largest for Company X to date.
• Boosted sales for the most underperforming product by 40% by developing helpful and instructional material for prospects.
• Created and edited sales materials, scripts, and technical documents for accuracy and consistency.

Here’s what’s done right:

• Shows transferable skills and achievements.
• Highlights only the parts from the experience that are related to the new role.

While the above example doesn’t talk about product descriptions or ads, communication materials and sales scripts do show that the candidate can write.

So, for a copywriting position, it’s going to be relevant and worth mentioning.

Now, compare that to the career change work experience below:

• Cold-emailed 100+ prospects daily.
• Closed 14+ deals in 2019 so far.
• Hit and exceeded company KPIs for the past 2 years in a row.

Sure, this example is good. But only if the candidate is applying for a sales job.

For copywriting, though, none of the skills mentioned are going to come in handy.

So, when listing previous job positions, you should focus only on what’s relevant.

Now that you know how to properly list work experience, let’s move on to the next section: Education.

Make Your Education Section Shine

Your education section is going to be an important requirement for just about any position above entry-level.

Listing education on your resume is pretty straightforward.

All you have to do is list your latest educational entry (e.g. college degree), and then include all the important stuff below it.

For example, you can include things like:

• Name of degree (Minor - optional): e.g. B.A. International Business Administration.
• Name of educational institution: e.g. University of Groningen.
• Years attended: e.g. 2015 - 2019.
• Location of the program (optional): e.g. Groningen, Netherlands.
• GPA (optional): 3.84 (only include if you excelled).
• Courses that are relevant to the job (optional): e.g. Advanced Business Finances.
• Exchange programs (optional): e.g. exchange program in Florida, U.S.

Here’s what the full listing for this educational entry might look like:

You might be wondering, what if I don’t have the right education for the job? Maybe, you have an M.A. in Philosophy, but you’re applying for a job in marketing. Do you still list it?

The answer is a definite yes.

Even if the degree is not relevant at all, it still shows that you’re passionate about learning and education.

In some cases, you might even be able to show off some transferable skills with your degree.

Let’s say, for example, you have a B.A. in English Literature , and you’re applying for a job in marketing. 

You could stress on how your degree gave you amazing writing skills (a must-have for most marketing roles), like so:

B.A. in English Literature.

University XYZ - 2014-2018

• Excelled in creative writing courses
• Part-time as a reporter for the university website

PS - Do you still have some questions on how to list your education section? Maybe you’re wondering what else you can include? Check out our full guide on how to list education on a resume with 13+ real-life examples.

Done with your education section? Awesome!

This brings us to the next section on your career change resume.

How (and Why) to List Skills On a Career Change Resume

When it comes to the skills section, what most recruiters want to know is if you can actually do what the job ad asks for.

And like with the other sections till now, relevance is key.

You should only ever list skills that are appropriate to the job you’re applying for.

To find out what’s relevant, start by scanning the job listing.

Most job ads usually include a list of requirements or skills they expect for a good candidate to have.

So, all you have to do is mention those exact skills on your resume.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Career Change Resume Skills Example

Assuming the job ad is for a junior front-end developer who has:

• 2-4 Years of professional experience using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• Up to 1 years of visual design experience focusing on strong UX/UI.
• Good communication skills and team-player

You’d want to list the following skills:

• Communication Skills
• Team-Player

So, all you have to do is mention these skills, and you’re good to go!

• Not sure which skills are a must-have for your role? Check out our complete list of all must-have skills for any given field or position!

Showing Career Certifications on a Resume

When you’re switching careers, certifications are an amazing way to show you’re serious about your craft.

This shows you’re willing to put in the work and that you’ve already taken the first steps.

When listing certifications though, make sure they’re relevant to your field.

For a marketing role, here’s what that might look like:

• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certified, 2019.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification, 2018.
• SEMrush Content Marketing Toolkit Course, 2018.

And here’s an example done wrong:

• TechCamp Python Bootcamp, 2019.
• Udemy JavaScript 101 Course.

For a marketing role, those certificates are completely irrelevant and aren’t even in the same field.

While they might be impressive on their own, that doesn’t mean they make you a better marketer.

Listing Personal Projects

Another great way to show that you’re the right person for the job is to list personal projects.

This can be just about anything:

• Founding a sports team in university
• Project you did for business class
• A Part-time online store you created on Etsy
• Passion-project for wood-working
• And whatever else you love (that’s relevant for your new career)

Pretty much anything that can make up for your lack of experience in the field counts.

But of course, keep in mind that your projects should be relevant to your new job.

Getting into coding? Here’s what your projects section could look like...

Make sure to stick to relevant projects, though.

The HR manager cares about your CODING experience, not about the fact that you started a basketball team in college.

Now, compare that to:

• Excelled in Anthropology and Archaeology classes at University X.
• Self-taught knitting pro.

You shouldn’t list projects just for the sake of standing out or filling up space. 

The more irrelevant information you mention in your resume, the more likely it is for the recruiter to accidentally skip out on all your must-have sections.

• Still have some space on your resume? You can also include the hobbies & interests section. Check out our guide to learn how (and why)!

How to Write a Career Change Cover Letter

Done with your resume?

But wait, before you get too excited - you’re still not done.

You need to back up your resume with a career change cover letter.

And no - it’s not like the usual cover letter you’re used to writing. 

When you’re switching careers, you want to use your cover letter to highlight WHY you’re switching fields and WHY your skills are a good match for the new role.

To do this, make sure you bring up a ton of examples and call out any key statistics or measurable results to draw upon, if possible.

To help you craft the best career change cover letter, check out the example below:

Here’s what’s done right with this cover letter:

• Addresses the reader (i.e. “Dear Doris” or if you can’t find their name, “To Whom it May Concern.”).
• Makes it clear they want to transition into a different career (from marketing and retail sales into public relations in this case).
• Shows they’ve done the research and the letter is tailored to the company's products and brand.
• Provides specific examples and achievements (“raised more than $ 10,000 for the event.”).
• Ends on a confident note and provides a call-to-action (and where to contact them).

Think your cover letter game is lacking? Check out our complete, step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter.

If you're thinking about a career change, and want to join a community of global professionals who are also re-designing and reframing their careers, then consider Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator.

Unsettled’s Lifestyle Incubator program is a 4-week highly interactive “virtual retreat” for professionals seeking to redefine their career trajectory and be more intentional about designing their next steps.

Through original workshops, weekly live sessions, practical tools, frameworks and peer-to-peer conversations with a global and diverse community of professionals, they will help you identify the core tensions between the lifestyle you want and the career trajectory that aligns your values, interests, and skills.

Key Takeaways

To recap, going through a mid-career transition probably sounds intimidating. 

But if you craft your career change resume focusing on transferable skills and experience - then you’re good to go!

Just make sure you follow these main key tips while working on your resume:

• Use the combination resume format to highlight your transferable skills and work experience.
• Include all the essential career change resume sections - contact information , resume objective or summary , skill summary , work experience , soft and technical skills , certifications and personal projects.
• And while doing so, highlight only what’s relevant to your new position.
• Finally, make sure you attach a tailored cover letter to your resume and mention WHY you’re switching fields and what unique skills you’re bringing with you.

At Novorésumé, we’re committed to helping you land your dream job, every step of the way. Be sure to check out our career blog to stay up to date with the industry-leading advice and more actionable tips.

Suggested Reading:

• How to Get Your Resume Layout Right [3 Free Templates]
• How to Write an ATS Resume
• 20+ One-Page Resume Templates [Free Download]

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