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 Edwill4@aol.com

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

Albert.wilson@alum.unc.edu

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 john.teacher@corpsmember.tfanet.org

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