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Teach For America Resume Toolkit
Greater New Orleans
Teach For America Resume Toolkit _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Introduction: Using this Toolkit ………………………………………………………………………………...3
Step One: Learn What Makes a Resume Excellent ……………………………………………………4 Become familiar with the inverted pyramid framework
Make three key decisions about your resume format
Step Two: Record Information About Your Accomplishments………….……………………...8 Using the Strength Assessment Activity, reflect broadly about the skills and activities you would like to include in your resume
Conduct a detailed review of your skills and accomplishments
Step Three: Tailor Your Resume ……………………………….………………………………………..…...10 Identify accomplishments to highlight in the EXPERIENCE section
Action Verb List
Step Four: Finalizing Your Resume………………………..…………………………………………….…..13 Consider changing your resume formatting
Remove less relevant experiences from your resume
Perform a four point resume check
Resume Revision Checklist …..……………………………………….………………………………………..15 GNO Sample Resume …..……………………………………….………………….…………………………….16
Resume Vetting Form…..……………………………………….…………………………………………….…..17
Using this Toolkit _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overview of Resume Toolkit Sections
This toolkit breaks down the resume
writing process into four steps. Each
step includes interactive exercises,
examples, and frequently asked
questions from corps members.
As you write your resume, you will need to reference additional resources, including:
Strength Assessment Activity
GNO Resume Checklist (at the end of this packet)
GNO Sample Resume (at the end of this packet)
GNO Feedback Form (at the end of this packet)
Estimated Amount of Time to Use this Toolkit
Resume writing requires careful thought and revision. Although this toolkit will streamline your resume writing process, we
recommend that you spend between two and four hours if you are editing your resume. This time commitment is a valuable
investment which will help you ensure that you effectively represent yourself to potential employers.
Prepare the Materials You Will Need
We recommend that you print out and use this toolkit like a workbook so that you may write your responses into the spaces
given within each step of the toolkit.
Here’s what you’ll need to use the toolkit:
printed copy of your most recent resume if you have one
printed copy of this Resume Toolkit, including the appendices
printed copy of your Strength Assessment Activity
access to a computer during the time you read and complete steps relating to resume writing and editing
Items to Note and Looking Ahead
Since your resume is the key lever that gains you an interview, spending time revising your resume at different times will
allow you to create a strong and robust representation of your value and skills to a potential employer. We recommend
volunteering at a local school or obtaining a position that allows you to work with children, having actual experience allows
you to stand out to School Leaders!
Candidate #1 1039 Hamilton Street [email protected]
Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 919-451-9371
EDUCATION University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill August 1999 – May 2003
Bachelor of Science, Psychology
Dean’s List Junior and Senior Year
EXPERIENCE KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory, Math Teacher
Gaston, NC
July 2005 – Present
*Develop and implement math remediation curriculum for 6th-highest performing
middle school in North Carolina
*Reached 98.6% passing in 2004-2005
*Inspire students to reach their maximum academic potential
*Hold daily after-school remediation sessions
*Assistant coach, boys basketball team
*Recruiting specialist
Teach For America, Science Teacher
Neal Middle School – Durham, NC
August 2003- June 2005
*Classes attained highest scores in school on End-Of-Grade tests
*Reached significant gains (80% mastery of content) with students in both
Science and Math
*Assisted with multiple extra-curricular activities including after-school program
and tutoring
*Head coach, boys soccer
Induction Coordinator, Teach For America
Eastern North Carolina
Summer 2003
*Coordinated housing and speakers for post-Induction
*Compiled regional information binders for 60 corps members
*Coordinated nightly community dinners for corps members
*Obtained funding and supplies for classroom materials given to corps members
ACTIVITIES Assisted with 2006 Charlotte TFA pre-Induction.
Led teaching workshops at various TFA conferences.
REFERENCES Available upon request.
Learn What Makes a Resume Excellent _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 1 ● Step 2 ● Step 3 ● Step 4 Resume Review Exercise
Take 30 seconds to view a resume that was submitted to you by a
Teach For America corps member interested in a full-time teaching
position. You will notice that the same person is presented in both
resumes, one of which was an actual resume submitted by a Teach
For America alumnus and the other is the same resume edited
using tips in this toolkit.
Candidate #2 1039 Hamilton Street
Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870
919-451-9371
EDUCATION
1999 -2003 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL CHAPEL HILL, NC
Bachelor of Science in Psychology, May 2003
Cumulative GPA: 3.4 GPA in major: 3.76 Dean’s List from 2000-2002
President of UNC Circle K
Member of UNC Intramural Soccer Team for four years
Earned 60% of tuition through full-time co-curricular employment
EXPERIENCE
2005 – present KIPP: GASTON COLLEGE PREPARATORY GASTON, NC
6th Grade Math Teacher
Selected to teach in the 6th highest-performing middle school in North Carolina, which is part of a national network of
high-performing charter schools
Develop and implement math remediation curriculum for 90 students that resulted in 98.6% of students passing state
end-of-grade assessment in 2004-2005 and 98.7% of students passing in 2005-2006
Inspire students to reach their maximum academic potential through use of innovative techniques such as singing,
chanting, and movement
Developed and coordinated the first annual Schoolwide Math Olympiad in spring 2007
Serve as Assistant Coach for 20-member Boys’ Basketball Team
Worked with National KIPP Foundation to identify and cultivate 20 school leader candidates, which resulted in three
assistant principal and two principal hires nationwide
2003 - 2005 TEACH FOR AMERICA / NEAL MIDDLE SCHOOL DURHAM, NC
7th Grade Science and Math Teacher
Served as member of highly selective national service corps of recent college graduates of all academic majors who commit
two years to teach in under-resourced public schools and become lifelong leaders in a wide range of careers
Led science classes to attain highest math scores in school as measured by state end-of-grade assessment
Planned rigorous curriculum resulting in an average of 80% content mastery in both science and
math as measured by state end-of-grade assessment
Advised 100-student after school math enrichment and tutoring program
Coached Boys’ Soccer Team members to help them win 2nd
Place in the 2004 Durham County Championship
Summer 2004 TEACH FOR AMERICA – EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA DURHAM, NC
Induction Coordinator
Contacted local company managers to secure approximately $1,000 of funding and supplies for classroom
materials to distribute to corps members
Developed schedule and contacted 7 regional speakers for post-Induction ceremony
Coordinated housing and nightly community dinners for 60 incoming corps members
Compiled 100-page regional information binders to supplement corps member training
SKILLS AND
INTERESTS
Enjoy long-distance running and historical fiction. Continue volunteer work coordinating Teach For America corps member
orientation and presenting science workshops for all new science teachers at regional conferences.
The Inverted Pyramid Framework An excellent resume organizes information in an inverted pyramid to help the
employer easily locate information about the applicant’s most relevant
accomplishments. To apply this framework to your resume, devote the vast majority
of space on your resume to your most recent and relevant accomplishments and put
this information near the top. As a rule of thumb, the further you go into the past, the
less detail should be included about your achievements. NOTE ON RELEVANCE: This
position you are applying for is a teaching position, so school leaders are going to look for
experience working with kids or tutoring/leading peers. A volunteer position working after
school with children may actually be more relevant in this case than an internship with a
marketing firm. Consider your audience when looking at relevance of positions.
Review Your Resume
Activity: Speed Read Your Resume Take 30 seconds to scan your resume and jot down notes directly onto your
resume about each bullet point below. You will use these notes as we continue
the exercises in this toolkit.
What do you notice first? Is this what you would want employers to notice about you
first or is more relevant information buried further down in your resume?
Does your resume appear to be clearly and consistently formatted at a glance or
does it look cramped or confusing?
Is the font easy to read or confusing and overwhelming?
Do you notice anything else that you might want to consider changing?
Activity: Make Stylistic Decisions About Your Resume
Decision #1: Whether to place the EDUCATION section at the top or bottom of your resume
Education at the top o Placing EDUCATION at the top highlights relevant academic experience and de-emphasizes limited work
experience
Education at the bottom o Placing EDUCATION at the bottom highlights relevant work experience and de-emphasizes academics.
Decision #2: One EXPERIENCE section vs. more than one EXPERIENCE section
One Experience section o Consider using one EXPERIENCE section if you have held 3-5 professional positions and all of these positions
demonstrate skills relevant to teaching and/or if all experiences you will include on your resume are equally
relevant to teaching.
More than one Experience section o Consider more than one EXPERIENCE section if breaking the resume into subcategories allows your most relevant
experiences to go first in reverse chronological order and/or if you have significant experience which logically
breaks down into several sections. Also consider this if your two or three most recent experiences are not very
relevant to the opportunity for which you are applying.
Example 1: If you are a corps member and have significant college leadership experience, this might be
broken down into PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE and LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE.
o Including more than one EXPERIENCE section focuses the employer’s attention on experiences most relevant to
the position which may not be your most recent experiences.
Activity: Resume Section Selection Read each explanation of when it is helpful to use each section in the second column of the chart below. In the third column
of each section, please note what TFA-GNO requires you to include and any other relevant information. There are 6 key
check points you will need to include within your resume, they are mentioned below and highlighted in the Sample
Resume at the beginning. PLEASE NOTE: If you are already certified you will NOT participate in a Certification
Program and should list your own certification information.
Resume Section When to use the Section and TFA*GNO-LA Delta specifics GNO-LA Delta
Required
CONTACT INFO Please include your email address and cell phone number as well as the TFA*LA Delta office
address:
Make sure your email is a permanent email address and NOT a college email
TFA GNO office:
1055 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 600
New Orleans, LA 70130
Yes
Include specific
check points
EDUCATION &
CERTIFICATION
This should be included in every resume, although it may be placed at the top or bottom of
your resume as you learned earlier. You will want to rename the section “EDUCATION
AND CERTIFICATIONS” since you are applying for a teaching position.
Include your graduation date or expected graduation date (see Sample Resume)
Include the description and date for your Teacher Certification Program (see Sample Resume)
Within The Teacher Certification Program, include your assigned subject and
relevant grades (reference your Testing Registration Instructions for this information)
Yes
Include specific
check points
(see note above if
you are already
certified)
EXPERIENCE This section should be the bulk of your resume and include results-oriented bullets! Yes
LEADERSHIP
EXPERIENCE
An ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE sub-section is useful for including less recent or relevant
experiences without going into too much detail. Consider including this section if you have
a number of experiences, but are not relevant to include each of them in detail in your
main EXPERIENCE section.
If applicable
HONORS AND
AWARDS
For some corps members, this section might not be relevant or you may have included it
within your EDUCATION section. Significant honors or awards would be selective
merit-based honors of which you are very proud and tell the potential employer
something else about you that is not included elsewhere in the resume. You should only list
national or highly selective awards and clearly define why they were so distinguishing for
employers who may not be familiar with them.
If applicable
SKILLS AND
INTERESTS
This is a good place to include brief information about computer or language skills and
hobbies or interests you would like to highlight for an employer. Most corps members
will include this section, but it is best to keep it brief and place it at the bottom
of your resume. Including your hobbies and interests may help you stand out to employers
and may give you a common interest to discuss during the interview. This section also gives
you the opportunity to highlight your volunteer work if you have not already included it in
previous sections. (Please note that you should only list computer skills that are not
generally acquired, such as website development. Listing Microsoft Office or the internet
are no longer applicable in today’s markets.)
If applicable
Record Information About Your Accomplishments
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 1 ● Step 2 ● Step 3 ● Step 4
Activity: Skill and Accomplishment
Brainstorming
As you complete this short exercise, jot down the first answers that
come to mind and don’t worry about them being formal or exact.
This process will provide a framework for presenting your experience
and ensure that you are hitting on key points as you go into more depth
in the second activity in this step.
1. If you could highlight three to five accomplishments (not responsibilities) from previous paid or unpaid work which
demonstrate your skills and achievements, what would they be?
2. If you could emphasize three to five skills which you have that you would like to make sure an employer sees, what would
they be? Which positions or roles have you held which allowed you to develop or demonstrate these skills?
3. Look back at your Strengths Assessment Activity. How do these strengths play into your skills and accomplishments that
you’ve already listed? If your strengths don’t come across, think of examples where you can highlight these strengths.
4. If there was one message that you would want to convey to an employer through your resume, what would it be?
Which of your accomplishments demonstrate this?
Now that you have captured your skills and what you want to communicate through your resume in a broad sense, let’s go
through a more systematic exercise to identify accomplishments to highlight in your resume.
Activity: Role, Position, and Achievement Identification
As you complete this step and the next one, you will be developing your resume content. This activity will provide you with a
comprehensive record of your accomplishments which you can build upon whenever you are working on your resume or
preparing for an interview. As you complete this exercise, you will revisit information from the “Skill and Accomplishment
Brainstorming” activity to ensure that your list is comprehensive.
For the first part of this activity, follow the steps below. Do not worry about whether items below are in chronological order
or will ultimately be included in your resume; for now, just write anything down that comes to mind. If it seems
overwhelming to consider all significant roles that you have held, you may want to give yourself a time limit to complete your
chart.
1) Write down as many of your previous roles, positions, and achievements as you can think of
This may include paid work, volunteer work, graduating from school, accomplishments relating to your interests, or
significant projects you completed. Many of these will be placed in the EXPERIENCE section of your resume, but others will
go elsewhere.
2) Jot down any related accomplishments that come to mind for each role, position, or achievement to later jog your
memory as you work through this process
If an achievement or award relates to your academic experience, put it in the column next to the appropriate academic
category. See the QUICK TIP box below for ideas for accomplishments to include.
3) Ensure that your strengths from the strength assessment are reflected throughout your roles, positions, and achievements.
Tailor Your Resume
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 1 ● Step 2 ● Step 3 ● Step 4
Write Accomplishment Statements for Your
EXPERIENCE Section
It is essential to craft strong statements describing your
accomplishments for your EXPERIENCE section. This section is the
heart of your resume and is also one of the most difficult sections to write.
First, read the key accomplishments and skills you have already written down for the first role, position, or achievement you
will include in your resume. If you think of other key accomplishments which are not already written down, write them now.
Next, for each key accomplishment you have written down, craft a compelling statement to describe the
accomplishment. Continue this process until you have incorporated all of your key accomplishments and skills into
accomplishment statements and written them down.
Finally, when you are finished writing the accomplishments, decide whether each role, position, or experience is substantive
and relevant enough to the position to include in the EXPERIENCE section of your resume. If you are unable to come up with
three or more accomplishment statements for a role, position, or achievement, consider removing it from the EXPERIENCE
section, combining it with another role or position which you held with the same organization, or placing it as a one or two-
line entry in a shorter ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE section.
Excellent accomplishment statements will meet the following requirements:
written in a clear and concise manner that will be understandable to the employer
begin with a strong action verb – avoid vague verbs such as “worked”, “took part in”, or “handled” or weak lead-ins,
such as “responsible for”, “gained experience in” and “assisted with” (see page 25 for action verb ideas)
highlight your specific role in the accomplishment
emphasize the results of your work, which are quantified whenever possible
If your accomplishment statement includes jargon or abbreviations which the employer may be unfamiliar with, rephrase the
statement and be more specific. If there is a way to incorporate action verbs, vocabulary, or skills and qualifications required
on the job description into your accomplishment statements, try to do that to make your “fit” with the opportunity even
more obvious.
See an example of accomplishment statements below:
Note that some of these accomplishment statements above are more measurable than others, but all of the statements
begin with strong action verbs and discuss specific role and accomplishments.
Raised $3,500 through solicitation of donations and fundraising events to support organizational activities
Conceived of concept for center and spearheaded establishment and state and federal recognition of the
organization as a non-profit organization
Lead bi-weekly Board of Directors meetings, managed financial records, secured liability insurance, and
oversaw all organizational activities
Organized, marketed, and coordinated staffing for three community-wide 5K races with 350 participants
Authored proposals and interfaced with organizations to receive grants totaling $3,000 and equipment valued
at approximately $1,500
Conceptualized and managed after school fitness programs in three schools to improve cardiovascular health
of 65 students
Designed original and engaging lessons differentiated for diverse group of low-income students.
Analyzed and rewrote 9th grade English and reading curriculum for 850 students which contributed to a 20%
increase in English 1 district standardized test scores in 2006-2007 academic year; was voted 9th Grade
Teacher of the Year by peers.
Spearheaded Voice of the Valley grant proposal project which resulted in $12,000 National Education
Association Innovation Grant and included implementation of two interactive service-learning based teaching
units for 90 students.
Co-edited and published anthology of 250 student stories. Fundraised for and organized recognition ceremony
for 400 community members.
Developed and implemented year-long program for 9th and 10th grade students to teach English to pre-
Kindergarten migrant students which contributed to increased pre-kindergarten reading comprehension as
measured by end-of-grade reading assessment.
Coordinated summer curriculum implementation for 9th grade English Department which impacted 850
students and resulted in the highest re-test passage rate for ninth grade in the county.
Mentored three first-year teachers and collaborated with principal to interview 15 prospective teachers and
make hiring recommendations.
Created curriculum for 30-student Research and Technical Writing class to develop college-level writing
skills.
Action Verb List These action verbs will help you describe your experiences and accomplishments during your experience in concrete, concise
terms. Vary your action verbs throughout your resume and select the most powerful verb to describe each accomplishment.
accelerate
accomplish
achieve
acquire
activate
actuate
address
adapt
administer advise affect allocate amend amplify analyze anticipate appoint appraise approve arbitrate arrange assemble assess assist assume attain attract audit
augment author authorize automate avail award balance broaden budget build buy calculate capture centralize challenge
clarify
close co-author
collaborate collect combine communicate compile compose compute conceptualize conceive conclude condense conduct consolidate construct contribute contact contrive control convert coordinate correct counsel create cultivate
decentralize decrease define demonstrate delegate design determine develop devise devote diagram direct discover distribute document double
edit
effect elect
eliminate employ encourage enforce engineer enhance enlarge enrich establish estimate evaluate examine exceed execute expand expedite explain expose extend extract facilitate forecast form formalize formulate fortify find frame fulfill gain gather generate govern guide handle hire identify illuminate implement improve
increase
incur inform initiate innovate inspect inspire instigate instruct insure install instill institute interface interpret interview introduce invent investigate isolate issue launch lead lighten liquidate localize locate maintain manage market minimize moderate modernize modify motivate negotiate nurture obtain offer operate organize orient originate
perform
pinpoint pioneer plan prepare present preserve preside prevent process procure produce program promote prompt propose prove provide publicize publish purchase react recommend reconcile record recruit rectify redesign reduce refine regain regulate reinforce reject relate reorganize re-negotiate replace report represent research resolve restore
revamp
review revise revitalize salvage save schedule segment select sell serve settle service shape
simplify
solve
specify
stage
standardize
stimulate
streamline
strengthen
structure
study
suggest
summarize
supersede
supervise
supply
support
surpass
survey
systematize
teach
terminate
test
tighten
trace
trade
train
translate
utilize
write
Finalizing Your Resume
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 1 ● Step 2 ● Step 3 ● Step 4 This is a crucial final step. Editing your resume ensures that your
resume is unique, flawless, memorable, and tailored to the
position. Dedicate a minimum of one hour to editing your resume
and remember that we require that you keep your resume to
one page.
There are two main ways to shorten your resume and improve
its impact: changing your formatting and removing less relevant
experiences from your resume. Filling your resume with relevant experience isn’t enough; an excellent resume also
eliminates or de-emphasizes less impressive or less relevant experiences.
Consider Changing Your Resume Formatting Make sure your resume format is easy for a potential employer to scan quickly. If the portions of your resume that you want
to jump out to employers are not obvious enough or if your resume is longer than it needs to be, you may want to consider
making some formatting changes. As you make changes, remember these guidelines:
Make sure your resume is still readable. If you choose to decrease the font size or change fonts, ensure that it is
easily readable. For most fonts, a size between 10 and 12 point font is ideal. For some fonts, you may be able to get
away with using 9 or 9.5 if it does not appear too tiny. It is safest to use a conservative font, such as Arial,
Garamond, or Times New Roman.
Make sure your resume doesn’t appear too cramped. Hold your final draft of your resume at arm’s length and see
whether it looks too cramped. It is usually best to stay between .5 and 1” margins on the top, bottom, right, and
left. If you plan to use unequal margin measurements, balance your margin sizes symmetrically, keeping the top
and bottom margins the same and the left and right margins the same.
Format contact information effectively. Save lines of space by placing your information so that it is visible, clear,
and convenient – but not as featured as your name. Your contact information does not need to take up more than
three lines.
Use lines and white space effectively. Consider using a format that allocates more space to your accomplishments
and less space to the names of your section headings. If you find you still can’t fit everything in, look for places
where you’ve used up several lines of space just to accommodate a date or title, and experiment with reformatting.
Use consistent formatting for bullets and alignment. Make sure that your bullets are the same size, shape and color.
Also ensure that if you use right-alignment for dates or locations, that that it is consistent throughout the resume.
Remove Less Relevant Information and Experiences from Your Resume Now that your resume is close to being finalized, it may be helpful to literally go through your resume line-by-line and
ensure that every resume entry communicates your skills, knowledge, or achievements that are in some way relevant to the
position. If you find an area in your resume that doesn’t communicate anything new or that may somehow detract from your
resume, consider rewriting that section or removing it entirely.
If you have included any of the following, we recommend you remove them:
The phrase, “References available upon request”, since this is assumed
Salary history or requirements, since this is not generally appropriate to include on a resume
Personal information, such as height, weight, marital status, or health status
High school information (unless you attended a school in New Orleans or won a highly competitive honor or
award).
Answer the following questions to see whether you may want to remove accomplishments from your resume:
Do you have any entries in your EXPERIENCE section which are less relevant, seem repetitive, or may not be
impressive to the employer and could potentially be cut? Consider reducing or improving them.
Do you lead each resume entry with the strongest accomplishment statements? Did you move down or
eliminate weaker accomplishments? Consider re-ordering or further editing.
When you feel that your resume is very close to its final length, you are ready to move on to the four point resume check.
Conduct a Four Point Resume Check 1) Avoid common corps member resume pitfalls. Make sure you don’t make the same mistakes we’ve seen corps
members commonly make.
Listing every possible experience – Unless you have made significant contributions within a position, you
do not need to list every job you’ve ever held on your resume. Consider only listing jobs where you can
highlight specific actions you took and the associated results.
Leaving out major accomplishments – If your resume entries look too short or you’d like to make it more
powerful, make sure you consider and accurately convey your achievements on your resume. If you
summarize, water-down, or oversimplify your key accomplishments, an employer may draw incorrect
conclusions about your work ethic or motivation and you may never be given the opportunity to prove
yourself in an interview.
Overemphasizing past or college experiences – Recent experience should generally be described more
comprehensively than past experience. A good rule of thumb is to use four or more accomplishment
statements for current or more recent positions, three or more for other recent positions, and one to two
for less recent or relevant positions, tapering off to none as you reach back into your earliest employment.
Focusing on tasks rather than outcomes – ensure that you did not simply copy the responsibilities of roles
or positions you have held, but that instead you emphasized your role and accomplishments. Don’t be
humble and make sure each bullet is outcomes and results oriented!
2) Make your resume unique
Remember that other corps members may also be applying for the same opportunity and several of them will have
used information or referred to the same examples in this toolkit. Use a variety of action verbs and use descriptive
wording to ensure that your resume stands out. Be aware of the truly unique aspects of your own experience and
incorporate them into your resume. However, as you are making your resume unique, remember to verify your
information. Everything you include on your resume is fair game in an interview and will establish your credibility.
3) Check for typos or formatting inconsistencies and have someone else check too
Look for errors which the computer may not find through a spelling or grammar check, such as your name and
employer names. To do this, try reading your resume backwards, from a distance, and upside down. If at all
possible, don’t check this the same day you write it; look again with fresh eyes the next day or make sure to ask
several friends to proofread it before finalizing the document.
Check the following:
Formatting and justification should be consistent within sections of your resume (bullets and alignment)
Dates of employment should be correct and in order
Resume entries should be in reverse chronological order (for chronological resumes)
Capitalization, punctuation, bolding, and italicizing conventions should be consistent
Resume should not use the first person (“I”) or any pronouns
4) Make the changes in the electronic version of the resume you created and submit your resume
To submit your resume electronically:
Save your resume as a Word document using this format for the file name – Lastname.Firstname Resume
o If you are using a Mac, please make sure your file name has an ending for PCs to read it (i.e. .doc)
o Do NOT send a PDF version of your resume
Submit your resume by clicking this link.
Resume Revision Checklist _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Check to make sure that your resume flawlessly adheres to the following standards:
Follows the 6 TFA-GNO required checkpoints and submission guidelines.
Contact info lists the GNO office address as well as cell number and email address
Ensure your email address is permanent and professional, NOT a college email
Description for Teacher Certification Program is copied and pasted from the Sample Resume (unless
you are already certified, in which case it includes your certification information)
Section for Teacher Certification Program or certification includes BOTH actual certification areas
and relevant grade levels you will be certified to teach
Graduation or expected graduation date is included
Resume file is a Word document and is saved as Lastname.Firstname.Resume
Resume is only 1 page
Follows basic resume formatting standards.
Margins are ½ inch or more and resume does not appear cramped
Font is between 10 and 12 point and a readable, traditional font (Times New Roman, Arial)
Use present tense for ongoing work and past tense for completed work
Listings within each section are in reverse chronological order
Spacing, bullets, alignment, and other formatting is consistent
Keep your resume concise and easy to read – limit it to one page.
Avoid personal pronouns and articles (the, a, an, me, my)
Use bullets anywhere you have 3 or more sub-points
Hit the high points; do not mention every activity, job, or award—be selective
Tailor your resume to the job.
Utilize vocabulary that relates to the industry and job description where possible
Keep in mind your audience, school leaders, throughout the resume
Consider changing category headings or rewording experience for a better fit
More recent and relevant experiences should be given the most space
Make your resume interesting and memorable!
Use a variety of action verbs to describe your accomplishments
Be detailed and quantify your accomplishments whenever possible
Differentiate yourself from other applicants
Sell your strengths – make sure that your strengths from the assessment activity are represented
throughout your resume
Recheck your resume to ensure that it is flawless before you submit it.
Scan for grammatical errors and misspellings
Avoid slang, jargon, or confusing language
Lead with categories that best present your experience and use space wisely
If there appear to be awkward or unexplained gaps of time, add or rewrite
Reminder to submit resume as a word document here.
Greater New Orleans Sample Resume _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
JOHN A. TEACHER
1055 St. Charles Ave., Suite 600, New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 555-1234 [email protected]
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
TEACHING ASSISTANT
Claxton Elementary School (Asheville, North Carolina) August 20013 – June 2015 Worked in conjunction with a lead teacher to create and facilitate lessons, apply developmentally appropriate curriculum and classroom activities,
and evaluate and assess student progress in a kindergarten classroom of 32 students
Facilitated daily one-to-one and small group reading programs with an emphasis on phonemic awareness and sight word recognition
Implemented a classroom community project with a focus on multicultural literature, anti-bullying lessons, and service projects
READING SPECIALIST
America Reads: P.S. 134 (New York, New York) September 2009 – August 2011 Created engaging activities and lessons for kindergarten and first grade students; one-on-one and in small groups, focused specifically on instruction
with English as a Second Language students
Received advanced training in pre-reading skills, concepts of print and the phonemic awareness model of literacy education
Students grades increased an average of 1 letter grade following a full year of working in the program
PROJECT COORDINATOR
STOP the Violence: Students Taking on Prevention (Reston, Virginia) November 2007 – December 2009 Aided in the research and design of a grassroots, youth-lead project, collaborated on the writing of a grant proposal, lobbied for and procured 1.5
million dollars in federal funding for a three year project
Collaborated in creating curriculum and program materials, trained 300 youth to facilitate conferences, and lead conferences for 1,500 middle and
high school students to identify and address issues of youth violence in their communities
ACADEMIC ACHEIVEMENT & CERTIFICATIONS
HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER
Teach For America Partner Certification Program (New Orleans, LA) beginning June 2017
Will be a highly qualified teacher in secondary math, grades 6-12, for the 2017-2018 school year through an alternative certification program
approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents
Responsible for developing and implementing a five-week summer school curriculum for inner city youth at Teach For America’s Summer Institute
in Atlanta, GA
BACHELOR OF ARTS
University of North Carolina-Asheville (Asheville, NC) Expected May 2015 Department of Mass Communication
University of Dakar (Senegal, West Africa) January 2013 Research Colloquium: Cross-Cultural Education
ACADEMIC HONORS Dean’s List: UNC
Recipient of NYU Educational Research Grant
Member of Lambda Pi Eta National Honor Society
Recipient of New York University Steinhardt Scholarship
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES Counselor for Our Voice: Asheville Women’s Resource Center 2012 – 2015
Common Ground Collective Spring Break and Winter Break Volunteer: 2012 – 2013
Hurricane Relief and Community Rebuilding Project, New Orleans, LA 2009 - 2011
Boys and Girls Club of Brevard, North Carolina: Volunteer 2009 - 2010
Resume Vetting Form _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Corps member name:
Resume revision due date: (follow online instructions to upload revisions)
Resume requirement: Notes:
Contact info lists GNO or LA Delta address, cell and permanent email
Includes The New Teacher Project section or actual certification
Certification section includes correct certification subjects and grades
for both certification areas
Graduation or expected graduation date is listed
Resume file is a word document and titled: Lastname.Firstname
Resume
Resume is only 1 page
Resume requirement: Notes:
Education and Experience sections are easily distinguishable
Dates, titles, employers, locations are easily distinguishable
Grammar (tense of action verbs) and spelling are correct
Continuity in text/spacing and margins/general formatting
Includes action verbs and is not passive
Includes at least 2 examples of work in education/with youth
Resume is quantifiable and results oriented