This week on the Jersey Educator Podcast, Jim Boice and Jeff Bradbury sat down for a candid discussion about how educators should be crafting their 2017 resumes.  In this episode, we take a look at some key features that every resume should (or must) have and provide helpful tips for not only your “paper” resume but also your digital and social resumes as well.

This episode of the Jersey Educator Podcast can be found on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and is a companion episode to a previous show where we discussed 11 things every educator should be thinking about as they prepare for a job interview or job fair.

What is a Resume in 2018?

What is a resume . . . it's the age-old question that everyone has an answer for, but yet nobody has the right answer.  Your resume in 2017 looks completely different than it did in 2007 and yet, has the format really changed?  Yes and No

To set some standards for this post, I think we can all agree what a resume is.  Your resume is a gateway through a conversation.  It is a document designed to be handed to someone who is about to have a conversation with you.  It is a professional yet concise way of showcasing your accomplishments in a format that allows your reader to (hopefully) select you above all other resumes in the stack and either create a positive situation that produces a phone call (for an interviewer) or a handshake and a contract.

In addition to your paper resume, we will also be digging into the additional parts that you can use to sell your unique individual brand, your website, and your social media presence to identify how you can create unique and eye-catching experiences that will be sure to land you in front of your future employer.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter

Your Cover Letter is generally one of, if not the first thing that someone sees when reviewing materials.  Cover Letters should be crafted not only to provide a positive and well-rounded picture of you, but they should also provide knowledge that you have done a little bit homework about the position in which you are applying.  Anyone can take a look at a Cover Letter and tell if it's a generic letter or not.

When hand mailing (or emailing) Cover Letters, they should always be addressed to the Superintendent and be professional.  When attending a job fair, it is recommended that while prepping for the fair and seeking who will be there, create a cover letter for a few specific schools you know you will be interviewing at, but always have the basic generic one in your pocket for those schools you might not have planned to meet.

Should you put your Cover Letter on special paper?  I think it's a good idea to do this when meeting people face to face, but the majority of your Cover Letters will probably be sent electronically.

Cover Letter Tips

* Keep it simple

* Keep it Professional

* Spell Check … Spell Check … Spell Check

* Point out some key spots in your resume that you want to draw their attention to

How Do I Write a Good Resume?

If your Cover Letter succeeds where you need it to, your Resume is the next item that should be designed to sell you above all others.  The trick to any good Resume is brevity.  It's easy to take a career, (short or long) and write a 6-page resume.  The problem is that nobody will take the time to read it.

Your resume should be one page. Where we can debate on if this means one full sheet (front and back) or just a single side of a sheet is something we can leave for another blog post, it is important to craft, not write your resume.

A resume has a single purpose. It is a document designed to get your interviewer to bring up conversation topics.  Normally,