My contract with my last international school ended this year, meaning I once again face the daunting task of finding new employment. To do that, I needed to update my resume (or CV). Maybe this is something that comes easily to you, but not for me. Believe it or not, I struggle with promoting myself.
I spent countless hours researching how to craft the best resume possible. However, when it was all said and done, the end product was nothing special. Who is Eric Hayes? A Special Education (or Learning Support) teacher with fourteen years of experience who’s also taught math for twelve years. There aren’t any awards or special recognition to my name. I’m just a teacher.
So, I enlisted the help of a colleague because I felt my resume was very lackluster. As a counselor, she’s coached many students through this process. I was certain that if anyone could help me, it was her. After providing helpful tips on how to improve my resume, she said something that caught my attention, “Unfortunately, no resume can truly capture how wonderful you are with students."
Her words resonated. I wonder how many other teachers feel like I do. They look at their resume and think it’s nothing special. After all, how can a simple document ever adequately reflect a person's love for teaching and their deep concern for students? It can’t convey who we truly are as teachers.
With this in mind, I write the following message: We are more than our resumes.
Our resumes will never show the countless hours spent before or after school helping students. They will never speak of the many connections made by talking with students in the hallways. Where do we list all the support we provide learners to help them find success? We can't. However, these are just a few of the things we do and often without anyone noticing.
There are incredible teachers whose resumes may not be considered impressive, yet their impact on students tells a different story. You probably have a friend or a colleague that fits this description. Maybe we need to rethink how we write a resume, but I think the real answer is: We are more than our resumes.
Edited by Courtney Hayes