Tips for CV/Resume Writing

Schools and agencies like Gulf Education get hundreds and thousands of resumes every year. The people reading the resumes do not have the time to read each one thoroughly, in fact, the average time spent reading a CV is 10 – 45 seconds. That means your Resume needs to make an instant impact on the school or agency. These are a few tips and suggestions you can use to help you with your job search.

Here are some tips

Use a Professional Picture

You do not need to get a professional photographer to take your picture. All you need to do have good lighting, use a white background and wear smart professional clothes.

Clearly State your Name and Relevant Info

Make sure your name, email, phone number, skype address and your subject area are clearly marked on the top page of your Resume.

Philosophy of Education

Open with a quick 5 line paragraph outlining your own philosophy of education. It will help the school to see if your values fall in line with their own.

No more than Two Pages

Your Resume does not need to be any longer than two pages. Take out any irrelevant information!

Keep all experience and information Teacher Relevant

This is a Resume for a teaching position, adding in any information that is not relevant to teaching or education is not only a waste of time but it does not look professional to the reader.

Chronological Order

Make sure that all of the information is in order of most recent first. For example, if you are writing about your teaching experience you put your most recent experience first.

Use Education Terms

Try to use education terms and words throughout your CV.

Spacing

Space out your Resume so it does not look crowded and difficult to read. Remember you might have less than 10 seconds to make an impression so you need to make sure your Resume is clear and concise.

Font & Sizing

Having profession font, sizing, and bold headings are really important. Comic Sans might look good in a classroom but it does not look good on a resume!

Professional Development

There is no need to list every single course that you have taken, keep it relevant to the school and position you are applying to. Use only 3 - 5 courses.

References

Include the person's name, email and phone number.

Language Used

If you are applying to an American Curriculum school it is best to use American terms. For example Grade 1 instead of Year 1 or 1st Class.

These are some short tips for you to help enhance your Resume. If you do find that your CV is too long, untidy, or is not spaced correctly, take your time to correct it. It will make the difference between you getting an interview and a job. Make sure to check out our interview tips here!

Here is a Resume Template from Gulf Education that will help you to submit the perfect application!