If you’re applying to grad school, you’ll want to get your resume in lean, mean, fighting shape. A strong resume can make all the difference in highlighting your relevant experience, rounding out your qualifications, and maximizing your chance of being admitted. Plus, you’ll have a strong foundation for when you apply to jobs in the future.
For the NYU Teacher Residency, both our NYU Steinhardt faculty application committee and the district/charter organization hiring managers will review your resume. It will often be one of the first things that help them get to know you. Here are a few tips to help you develop a top-notch resume:
- Simplify your template. Be mindful when it comes to formatting and choosing a clean, professional template that will allow your competency to speak for itself. Think streamlined and simple. Overly designed formats only serve to muddle the point. Make your skills and experience come through loud and clear. Sleek presentation is half the battle. Once you’ve started your application, we will provide a template that can help guide your resume components.
- Bring it to life. A living, breathing person is going to be reading this resume. And they’ve perused hundreds before yours. Keep their eyes from further glazing over by standing out from the crowd. Effectively communicate your skills by providing context: What does this past role or experience say about who you ultimately are? Quantify any significant results that you’ve achieved. Be specific. Describe the experiences in which you’ve demonstrated the skills you’re highlighting. Focus on outcomes. Strategically use words that demonstrate impact, like “achieved,” “improved,” and “resolved.”
- Match your words to the Teacher Residency. Take your time in learning about the program experience and the underlying values of the Teacher Residency. Be sure to use language that’s relevant to becoming a teacher. Thoughtful positioning of your experience as it relates to the Teacher Residency will help demonstrate your potential for success – and safeguard against filler content.
- Get fresh eyes on it. Nothing kills your mojo like a typo. Make sure there are no spelling, grammatical, spacing, or formatting errors. Take a moment to share the Teacher Residency and your aspirations for the program with a friend or colleague. Tell them about the program’s grounding in equity and access; about how you will be prepared to serve all children, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners. Does your resume demonstrate your commitment to these values? Be open to feedback, edit accordingly, and then read it again to be sure it sings.
Follow these steps, and we’re sure you’ll create a top-notch resume that will help you achieve your dreams of becoming a teacher.