Being a teacher is a special calling. It requires a mastery of various courses and subjects as well as whole-hearted determination and commitment to nurturing students and fostering learning as a journey of holistic growth and development.
This essence is carried through to the current challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many businesses, the education sector has been pushed towards location-independent methods. Teachers have been forced to adjust and adapt to digital technology and online platforms for learning.
Pursuing their vocation despite the challenges of the new normal, teachers have quickly shifted and are now teaching online and uploading course modules for their students.
If you are a teacher, this level of professionalism and tenacity can be communicated effectively in your resume. Bring out your best qualifications and show hirers in Malaysia that you are the best fit for their educational institution by proving you are flexible to the changing times. Communicating your passion and purpose in teaching will invigorate your resume presentation.
In a few sentences and/or bulleted points, you can tell the hirer about yourself, what you do and have done, your grasp of and dedication to the profession, and how your aims align with their goals as an organization. Make sure the heart of your message shows how you can be instrumental and influential to the overall growth of your students. Demonstrate that your desire to teach and reach your students will not be hindered but even possibly enhanced by the challenges of the current pandemic.
Here are some possible aims that exhibit your knowledge and understanding of what a teacher’s job entails, summarized in a paragraph.
It is important that the educational institution sees how your teaching philosophy and practice match theirs. It would do you well for you to conduct a thorough background study of the school or organization you are applying for. This includes their cultural character and how it fits yours.
Enumerate your professional experience by beginning with your most recent role and move backwards. Make sure to highlight key points in your career, your positions and titles held, the names of schools and universities you worked for, and the dates of employment. Strengthen this account with specific tasks, responsibilities, and experiences that reveal your knowledge and skills in the field of education. It would also be good to bring out experiences involving the use of modern technology to show your readiness to get on the online digital platform as a teaching tool during these times.
You can emphasize the following skills in your CV to show you have the primary abilities that they are looking for in an educator.
Along with your solid educational background, include short training seminars and certificate courses you have attended in and out of your work setting. This will reveal two things about you:
1) Your added knowledge and skills relevant to teaching and
2) Your desire to keep learning and improving what you already know. These are things that Malaysian educational institutions would strongly value in a teaching candidate.
Instead of the usual list of references indicating key persons in your career history who can attest to the quality of your performance and your work attitude, behaviour, and relational skills, try using quotes to make things more interesting. List down what they think of you in short blurbs. Aside from supporting your claims of being an ideal educator, this can also be another opportunity to further show other strengths and skills as witnessed by past superiors and co-workers.
It is inevitable that many teachers may share the same solid qualifications as you in terms of educational background and work experience. However, by including your career motivations and goals, professional aspirations, and practices, you can present your unique brand to the hirers. Your resume can show not just your professional qualifications but what this work means to you and why exhibiting your strong sense of calling and commitment. Your vision and values can resonate with the academic organization and make you stand out as their preferred candidate.
After creating your new resume, update your profile at Jobstreet. Add #WorkNow to show you are ready for immediate hiring. Search for more teaching positions and #JobsThatMatter here. Read more insightful articles at our Career Resources site.
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