10 Best Skills for Teacher Resume + Examples

Top 10 Skills for Teacher Resume

Teaching is a good career that lets you share subject matter knowledge with others and make a difference in the students' lives. It also offers job stability and opportunities for lifelong learning. However, just like with any other job, you need a persuasive resume to land interviews for your dream teaching position.

In particular, you need to focus on teacher resume skills relevant to the position you're after. Without these skills, the hiring manager can overlook your application. Whether you are an entry-level instructor or a seasoned teacher, in this article you will find the most important teaching skills to add to your resume.

Keep reading to find out:

• teacher skills that are absolute must-haves for your resume;
• recommendations and examples of how to use them on your teaching resume;
• tips to elevate the quality of your resume.

Are you too busy with lesson plans? Hire an expert to write a resume for you. At ResumePerk, we have 100+ resume writers in every industry, including education. We will match you with a dedicated writer who will highlight your relevant teaching skills, competencies, and achievements for your target role. It is affordable, and revisions are free until you are satisfied.

What makes teaching a good career?

A teaching career has its challenges, but it offers numerous benefits for talented educators. Here's what makes teaching a good career option:

• According to one poll, 80% of teachers admitted that they are satisfied with their current position.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that in 2022, elementary school teachers earned $60,490 a year (median wage).
• Teachers enjoy a healthy work-life balance, and job stability, and shape the future of their community by contributing to the development of children.

10 Essential teacher skills to include on your resume

The skills listed below are essential for any teaching job. Your resume should emphasize a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills stand for specific abilities that can be measured, whereas soft ones describe your personality and how you work with others.

Education and teaching	Communication skills
Creativity	Technology skills
Differentiated instruction	Curriculum development
Collaboration	Positive learning environment
Assessment and feedback	Classroom management

You can gain these skills through experience as a teacher, training and certifications, formal education, and volunteering projects.

The must-have competencies for high school teachers include:

Education and teaching

Education skills are the core of your resume. It refers to your knowledge of pedagogical techniques, classroom management abilities, assessment strategies, and other skills related to teaching and grading students. You can also show your competencies in teaching by listing formal education, training, and additional courses/workshops.

Communication skills

Communication is another essential skill for teachers. It means you can effectively convey complex ideas and concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. It also includes active listening, giving constructive feedback and the ability to resolve conflicts. Communication skills also help teachers build productive relations with students and parents and use a collaborative approach to everyone's advantage.

Creativity

Using a creative approach, teachers can develop instructional materials that capture the students' interest and motivate them to think out of the box. This is why you should add it to your teacher resume. To show creativity, describe how you developed creative lesson plans, used interactive teaching strategies, and used imagination to explain a particularly tough topic. Creative teachers enhance the learning experiences of students, so this skill is highly valuable.

Technology skills

In the era of blended learning, technology plays a pivotal role in education. If you've integrated technology into learning, mention it. If you leveraged software applications, learning management systems, and online tools for instruction and grading students, it will make you a sought-after candidate for many teaching positions. For today's students who are digital natives, using technology in teaching can also improve engagement, enhance learning experiences, and set students for future success.

Differentiated instruction

When writing a resume for teaching jobs, highlight instruction skills. It means using various teaching methods and adjusting the teaching materials to the needs of students with diverse learning styles. Differentiated instruction skill shows your commitment to meeting the individual needs of each student, including those for whom English is not the first language. The skill also involves using multimedia and various approaches to explain complex topics comprehensively and giving feedback.

Curriculum development

Developing engaging lesson plans is a fundamental aspect of teaching. Your resume should reflect the ability to design a curriculum that meets students' needs and aligns with educational standards. This skill shows your ability to analyze educational standards and design effective lessons, promoting meaningful learning experiences. You can also mention how you used inclusive learning strategies and supported students with different learning abilities through lesson planning.

Collaboration

In any school district, the best teachers work with others to achieve common goals and foster student success. Collaboration skills on your teaching resume mean that you can communicate with coworkers, parents, and other teachers to enhance student outcomes. It also means encouraging teamwork and collaboration between students on group projects to teach them soft skills in a comfortable learning environment.

Creating a positive learning environment

In addition to teaching and devising lesson plans, show your skills in creating a positive classroom environment. Such an environment helps students build emotional connections with teachers and feel valued and heard. Relevant resume skills include setting clear expectations from students, creating a sense of community, encouraging student contribution, and giving them detailed, positive feedback. Such an approach to teaching students leads to better academic results.

Classroom management

Strong classroom management skills mean that you can maintain order, foster a sense of community among students, and make the most of the instructional time. It also assumes showing patience and empathy to any student concerns and building productive student-teacher relationships. By showing these skills, you will prove the ability to enhance student learning and influence their outcomes.

Assessment and feedback

Positive feedback is the essential component of the learning process. Using assessments to monitor student progress and providing constructive feedback drives student growth and achievement. Highlight your expertise in developing meaningful assessments and identifying areas of growth and improvement, as well as using alternative methods of assessment.

4 Strategies to list your skills 

Now that you know the most important skills to highlight on your teaching resume, you need to find ways to communicate them to employers effectively. There are four main strategies to do it:

Create a dedicated Skills section

The easiest way to list skills on your teacher resume is to create a separate section for them. Include skills as a bulleted list for the ease of reading, focusing on the skills relevant to your target teacher jobs.

Here's how your Skills section for education jobs can look like:

Skills:

• Curriculum development
• Lesson planning
• Differentiated instruction
• Organizational skills
• Student development
• Educational technology
• Communication skills
• MS Office Suite
• Elementary education
• Student evaluation
• Time management skills
• Performance metrics

Not sure what specific skills to add? Send us your target job posting, and our experts will adapt your resume for a target job posting. We will optimize it with keywords, use a recruiter-friendly format, and emphasize your biggest accomplishments to help you get shortlisted. Try our services today with a 20% discount!

Emphasize skills in your resume objective

A resume summary or objective is the first thing the recruiter sees in your teacher resume. Thus, it is perfectly reasonable to feature your skills here as well. Note that this section should be 3-4 sentences only, so focus on the most relevant skills and competencies. But don't focus on skills only in this section - mention years of experience, accomplishments, and strengths.

Here's how you can use teaching skills naturally in your resume summary:

Passionate High School Teacher with 3+ years of experience in classroom management, lesson plan development, and creating engaging learning environment. Recognized for improving student SAT scores by 12% by providing guidance and counseling to students. Experienced in developing lesson plans that cater to the needs of students with diverse learning styles. Accomplished in nurturing productive relations with parents, educators, administrators, and students.

Speak through examples

The best teacher resume examples show how candidates used specific skills in practice. Simply put, you need not only to show that you have communication and classroom management skills, but also indicate how and when you applied those skills at work.

When possible, illustrate your teacher resume skills with figures, percentages, and other details that help communicate your impact as an educator.

Here is how you can show specific examples of communication skills:

• Regularly communicated with parents by email and phone, resulting in improved parent involvement and a 90% satisfaction rate.
• Resolved an average of 4 student conflicts monthly in a calm and professional manner, fostering a respectful classroom environment.

Here's how to demonstrate your technology skills:

• Utilized Google Classroom and Moodle learning management systems to add and grade assignments online.
• Incorporated multimedia such as videos, interactive quizzes, and presentations, which led to a 30% increase in student comprehension.

Add them to your teacher cover letter

60% of today's employers demand cover letters, so you should always send them with your resume. Use a cover letter to show the most important skills, such as creating a supportive learning environment, the ability to engage students, and experience with LMS. Adapt your letter content to your target teaching job description so that it aligns perfectly with what the school or other educational institution is looking for.

Keep your teaching cover letter to 3-4 sentences. Such length is sufficient to show the most important skills, experiences, and certifications without overloading the reader. Do not just repeat your resume - expand on the most important experience. For example, if your resume states that you integrated technology in the classroom, your letter should briefly explain how you did it and what results you achieved.

Professional tips to elevate your resume

Including skills on your teaching resume can prove your qualifications and help you pass the ATS. Yet, you need to take care of other sections in your resume. Here are some proven strategies to improve your resume and make it appealing to recruiters:

Adapt it to the job description

In 2024, generic resumes don't work. If you don't adapt your resume to a job posting, the recruiter can consider it irrelevant. Plus, it may be tossed by applicant tracking systems (ATS) before a human hiring manager sees it.

Tailor your resume content to the needs of each particular job opening. Add teaching skills that the employer primarily looks for and highlight relevant achievements. Sure, it takes time, but this approach will eventually land you more interviews than sending dozens of generic applications.

Keep it to 1-2 pages

According to many surveys, employers prefer one- and two-page resumes. If you have under 10 years of teaching experience, opt for a one-page document. Educators with 10+ years of experience can submit a two-page document.

If your resume takes 3 pages or more, consider removing outdated and irrelevant details. Cut off the jobs you had over 10 years ago, irrelevant and part-time positions, and activities irrelevant to teaching. Shorten the job descriptions focusing on achievements and measurable results in the first place.

Choose the appropriate format

There are three formats for teacher resumes. Which one to use depends on your work history:

• A chronological format focuses on your experience primarily. It lists your jobs starting with the current one and going backward, with detailed work responsibilities and employment dates. Such a format is perfect for an experienced teacher with a stable work history.
• Functional resume format focuses on competencies over work history. It emphasizes education and describes your skills in detail without explaining where you acquired these skills. Such a format is suitable for entry-level teachers and professionals changing careers.
• A combination resume features a detailed work history plus a career summary and a list of skills. This format works well in most career situations, but it is important to avoid repeating information in different sections.

Showcase accomplishments

Accomplishments differentiate you from other candidates for a position. Plus, they prove your ability to deliver results and commitment to student success. A resume with visible achievements has more chances to land you an interview.

Add at least one measurable accomplishment for each teaching job you had. "Enhanced lesson content using multimedia tools, which resulted in a 30% improvement in students' retention of material" is a good example of achievement.

Add certifications

As a teacher, you should keep your knowledge up to date and learn new teaching strategies that can contribute to students' success. Adding reputable certifications can considerably increase your employability and help you negotiate a higher salary. If you don't have certifications yet, here are a few ones that can boost your resume:

• Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
• Child Development Associate (CDA)
• Educational Certificate: K-12
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)

Proofread

59% of recruiters are ready to reject a resume if it has typos or poor grammar. This is particularly true for teachers, as your resume should display perfect written communication skills and attention to detail. 

Before you submit your resume, take the time to edit and proof it. Read it aloud to ensure that each sentence makes sense and doesn't sound vague. Check it line by line to detect missed commas, misspelled words, and other minor issues. Remember to write your current job in the present tense, and use the past tense for old positions. 

Many candidates list their skills briefly or forget to add important teaching skills they have. As a result, the hiring manager overlooks their resume even though they qualify for the role. By listing teacher skills comprehensively, you'll boost your chance to get shortlisted for interview. 

Use expert help to enhance your teaching resume 

With the above tips and strategies, you will list your skills more effectively than 9 out of 10 candidates. Yet, it always helps to have a professional review your resume before sending it. If you already have a resume and only need a professional update, our Resume Editing service is right for you. 

Our resume writer will correct any mistakes, improve the word choice, and apply an effective format and structure to make your resume more effective. Thus, you will feel confident when applying for the best teaching jobs out there. Order today with a 20% discount - get your code in chat!