Personal Resume Revamp

RESUMÉ REVAMP Hello and welcome to your personal Resumé Revamp Inside this package you will find a goldmine of tips, suggestions, and sample documents to get you well on your way to your wonderful next adventure in the world beyond teaching.    Here’s what you’ll find inside: 1. Considering the Road Ahead 2. Our unique Resumé Revamp lexicon 3. Some resumé examples: what not to do 4. Your resumé template: download in US letter or A4 size 5. A cover letter sample to make your own: download in US letter or A4 size 1

1. CONSIDERING THE ROAD AHEAD Teachers who are considering leaving In my case, the emotional side of leaving the profession are often they are often my teaching career was stressful anxious about the quality of their enough without the strain of putting a resumé. Some of the late career teachers new resumé together from scratch. I’ve I work with have not applied for a job or now realised that what I needed, and looked at their resumé for decades. It’s what my clients now need too, is an small wonder they feel overwhelmed at easy-to-use template package to help the prospect of updating it. them get started with their resumé, that then helps them feel more confident and prepared for the road ahead. Having helped a great many teachers in their transition out of teaching, I am clear about the sort of support that can help teachers translate their valuable experience in ways that make sense to the employers they would most like to meet. I’ve now created the Resumé Revamp package specifically for teachers so I can get that help into your hands. I want to help you with taking the next steps on your journey to a more fulfilling life and career after teaching. It’s my mission to enable you to apply for your next job with ease and grace. No matter where you are on your journey out of teaching, my intention with this Resumé Revamp package is to help you produce a current and professional resumé and application letter. These will get you started sooner on the adventure

of finding your next job and your new She scoffed, ‘Melbourne? Phht! I’m going career.  to London!’ As you get started with this package the I asked her to close her eyes and emotional hurdles will begin to melt and imagine what she’d be wearing to work the road ahead will get clearer by the in that role. day. ‘A pencil skirt, a blazer, and high heels”.   I grabbed a couple of promotional Opportunities await you. Take these pens and tapped them on the desk to templates and make them your own. As imitate the sound of the high heels on you do, your resumé will come to life in the cobblestones of a London street. a way that is clear, easy to follow, and She shivered in anticipation and her will allow your strengths to shine. I want whole face was aglow, even though her to give you the best possible chance to eyes were still shut. Her mother, who be chosen for that interview that will was with her, was astounded by the change your life. transformation.    It’s a powerful process to imagine what Once you are in the room (or on Zoom), you’ll be wearing, where you’ll be living, you can then wow them with your how you’ll get to work, the sounds in awesomeness. the background, the colours, the people   around you. Until you can tap into the Before you get cracking, you need to full sensory awareness of what success know a little more. It’s not just about the looks and feels like, you’ll find it hard to resumé. You’ll need a clear vision of your envisage that dream job, that ideal life. desired future. Once you’ve set your vision, then you can I had a conversation with a young start working on your resumé. woman from regional Victoria, Australia, Of course, you may not have a job title at a trade fair some years ago. I asked in mind, or you may have only a vague what she wanted to do when she idea about the sector that you want to left school. ‘I want to be a PA to a top work in but not really know what kind of executive.’ positions exist in that arena. That’s OK. ‘Will you move to Melbourne for that?’ I You can still make a start by considering asked. 3

the characteristics of a job that you want! would absolutely love.  Then you need to look at your If you’re struggling for clarity about what transferable skills and from there, you jobs you should be looking for, try this can create your resumé. exercise: In your ideal job, are you:  As a teacher you have a wide variety …working in a team or working alone? of skills that are transferable to new …on the front desk or in a behind-the- occupations. The key to standing out scenes role? in a pile of resumés is to ensure your …working independently/ language reflects your relevance and autonomously or do you need help and capacity to do the work required in the guidance (or a bit of both?) new employment situation. If you sound …coming up with creative solutions or like a teacher, your prospective new is there a clearly structured protocol to employer may not understand how your adhere to? skills relate to their environment. Make …operating remotely or engaged in a it clear for them by considering this workplace? language library for suggestions. …located indoors or outdoors? This language library offers translations …wearing a jacket and tie/high heels, from the language of the education smart casual, or bare feet and a world, so that your potential employer T-shirt? can relate to the skills they need in their …wearing a company logo on your shirt world. Imagine you are stepping into or have a free choice of clothing? the shoes of your prospective employer. …making something or fixing Bear in mind that many people working something? in HR may have limited life experience …in a rural, suburban or city setting? and may not see your worth if it’s couched only in education terms. Show If you can answer these questions, it will it to them clearly, in simple language. help you eliminate what you DON’T want, Assume that the reader knows nothing AND give you clarity about what you DO about what you do, and will not understand any specialised language, jargon or acronyms. 4

2. RESUMÉ REVAMP LEXICON A LANGUAGE LIBRARY FOR YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS Common education wording Translation 1. Proficient use of technology for booking Proficient use of meeting and conferencing parent interviews. software 2. Management of parent helpers, student People management and supervision teachers, volunteers, students Coordinating and managing teams 3. Communications via Compass Proficient use of internal communications software 4. School record keeping Data entry and data management. 5. Lesson planning Project planning (short projects might be a single 45-minute lesson. Long projects might be a 3-month unit of work on a specific project. 6. Design, development, implementation Project management of programs into classrooms 7. Listening and processing information in Active listening (this is a skill) staff meetings 8. Understanding student learning data Critical thinking and planning and using it to inform future curriculum planning 9. Dealing with and managing multiple Complex problem solving. tasks simultaneously 10. Contributing to school staff and subject Active participant and team player area/area level meetings. 11. Able to meet deadlines Time management 12. Settling playground disputes and Negotiation and conflict management managing the differing opinions of parents, committees, and school leadership. 13. Purchasing materials and inventory Effective procurement 5

14. Email and phone communication with Client and stakeholder communications and parents, staff, external suppliers and engagement contract workers, fellow teachers and leadership 15. Speaking at school assemblies/ Public speaking and presentation skills meetings/parent teacher nights/ presenting professional learning 16. Assessing the needs of a dynamic Skills in systems analysis and needs classroom environment or year level/ assessment curriculum content/programs 17. Motivating a sports or class team to Leadership and motivation skills. achieve positive/high outcomes 18. Independent daily planning to make best Organisational skills  use of learning time 19. Planning the timing and duration of Scheduling and information management. lessons and what needs to be achieved 20. Accuracy in report writing Attentive to detail 21. Counselling students/parents/ student Coaching and professional support. (NB. teachers They might ask if you have a qualification.) 22. Careful planning for an outcome Goal setting 23. Good spelling and grammar Professional verbal and written communica- tion 24. Will respond to questions to help Managing expectations students understand expectations 25. Creatively think about issues from a High order problem solving number of different viewpoints in order to seek the best solution 26. Consider other people’s points of view Adaptable training styles and techniques to design for the best outcomes for students learning styles 27. Planning sports days, getting Event management permissions, booking transport, taking students on excursions 6

28. Imagining all of the possible disasters Risk assessment and management, scenario that might befall your students’ planning occupational health and safety Group training 29. Leading a staff meeting/classroom  Content creation 30. Preparation of articles for school Mentoring newsletters and online 31. Tutoring 32. Training pre-service teachers Consulting 33. Going above and beyond Driven and enthusiastic team player, responsive to workplace demands 34. Working out stuff on your own Independent thinker and initiator 35. Team or school reviews, collating test Data collection, collation, analysis and data- scores based future planning 36. Filing and dealing with paperwork Administrative skills 37. Editing work and checking for errors Attention to detail 38. ICT (Information Communication Tech- Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, Google nology) suite including documents, spreadsheets, and forms 39. Analyse and determine needs of Ability to differentiate instructions stakeholders, and create clear directions to promote favourable outcomes 40. Creation of rubrics. Use of quality and productivity management tools NB: This is not an exhaustive or prescriptive list but rather a guide for re-languaging your new resumé. 7

Take care that your language you use the same spelling.  represents you fairly Choose a spelling and then stick with it... Make sure others can verify descriptions consistency wins. of your character, and that your achievements are measurable.  For example: ‘Good listener’ is a personal trait, whereas the skill is active listening. Honesty is a character trait, not a skill. It will show up in an interview if it isn’t true when they start digging deeper with questions. “ ‘Good team player’  will come up in a reference check. Write instead: ‘have worked with small and large teams from three to 40 people’. What’s the best way to spell Résumé? It’s tricky, because to be correct, in French, it has accents on both e’s (as shown). In the US it is usually written as ‘Resume which can be confusing, as there is another meaning, although mostly it should be understood from the context.  I prefer Resumé, as it makes pronunciation clear, but this is also a hybrid word, and technically incorrect. As a rule of thumb, if a job description uses a particular spelling, make sure 8

3. A RESUMÉ EXAMPLE: WHAT NOT TO DO! Issues to watch out for or avoid when preparing your resume: • Do not use highlights, drop- shadows, or background colours that might make it difficult for the applicant tracking software to read your resume clearly • Stay away from overuse of colour for the same reason • Avoid multiple fonts; they’re less visually appealing • Avoid using the incorrect accent on the word resumé.  (if you are going to use it, it: should be é). To get the correct accent, type ‘e’ and hold down the key. A pop up box will appear and you should select the second e   • Best not to use unusually shaped dot points like these squares below, or an overly long list of points. Just use plain dots. 3 to 5 bullet points is usually sufficient. 9

A long list of dot points does not help the reader to connect to your experience. • Just include the year you finished your course (if you graduated soon after). There’s no need to include the month.  • White text on a dark background is hard to read and is not seen by the applicant tracking systems that are like little robots looking for keywords in your resumé. • Write a short paragraph (two to How will the Resumé Revamp three sentences) rather than over- downloadable resumé sample help you using dot points. Be contextual, stand out and shine? speak to the role you had, the work This resumé template is designed to you did and the impact you created. help you write your resumé quickly and It is not enough to simply describe easily. It takes into account the current what you did. Then use three to wisdom on creating a powerful resumé. four short dot points to succinctly I have used the name DONNA MADISON describe your key tasks/areas of on all the downloadable templates. You’ll expertise below the paragraph. need to substitute your own name, contact See the resume template for a details and work history etc. suggested layout. Applicant tracking systems software finds it easy to read clean design Make sure you check your spelling and and good use of white space, with no get someone else to check your spelling textured background. FIND OUT MORE in too. the BONUS Getting Past the Applicant 10

Tracking Software Free BONUS CONTENT Getting Past the Applicant Tracking Software Here are some other tips: • Use easy to read text, fonts, and line spacing • Minimal use of bold and italics is pleasing to the eye and easier to understand • Maximum of two fonts for visual balance. • Professional looking limited colour palette, (no bright pinks or startling purples) • Refer to the lexicon for additional examples that might better align with the role for which you are applying • Make sure what you’re writing in the resumé matches up with your LinkedIn profile 11

4. DOWNLOADABLE RESUMÉ TEMPLATE Download in US letter or A4 size [Copy of Donna Madison resumé, insert LINK here] LINK HERE FOR A4 Resumé DOWNLOAD LINK HERE FOR US LETTER Resumé DOWNLOAD LINK HERE FOR A4 (ATS Friendly) Resumé DOWNLOAD LINK HERE FOR US LETTER (ATS Friendly) Resumé DOWNLOAD I always call the contact person for a job I’m applying for. 12

5. DOWNLOADABLE COVER LETTER SAMPLE It I always call the contact person for a job I’m applying for. It makes it so much easier for both parties if you’ve had a conversation and made a personal connection, especially when it comes to writing the cover letter. On one occasion, as I was working on my exit plan out of teaching, although I wasn’t offered an interview, the contact person called me after the selection process. He wanted to let me know that they needed a particular qualification (that I didn’t have), and to thank me for the excellent application and wished me every success. I was really happy with that outcome, and I’ve reworked the cover letter from that application for you to download as an example here: LINK HERE FOR A4 COVER LETTER DOWNLOAD LINK HERE FOR US LETTER COVER LETTER DOWNLOAD Take heart! Remember that on the other side of every application is just another human being trying to do their best to find a good match for the role they need to fill. I wish you every success as you embark on this journey out of teaching and into a life you love. If you would like support in personalising these templates to your specific needs, updating your LinkedIn profile to match your resumé and preparing for your first interview, book a Clarity call with me here: https://go.oncehub.com/LarksongCoaching To your success! Elizabeth Diacos 13