Saturday, December 27, 2008

Cover Letters for Teachers

Cover Letters for Teachers

Why are cover letters so important? They provide the prospective employer with a brief review of your skills and abilities in the form of a letter. These types of letters are written much differently than resumes and can have a potent impact on your future employer.

The best news is that writing one it isn’t that difficult. An excellent teacher is always going to be in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for teachers through 2014 will grow somewhere between 9 and 17% per year.

“Experts predict that over the next ten years the nation will need 2.2 to 2.4 million teachers. That means there will be 150,000 to 250,000 openings for teachers in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The needs are greatest in urban and rural communities and in curricular areas such as special education, mathematics, science, bilingual education, and English as a second language.” This information comes from www.recruitingteachers.org, a non-profit organization based in Belmont, MS.

What does that mean? It means there will be continued growth in the field of education. If you are a good teacher, you should not encounter problems in finding a great job in a location that you desire.

What about that amazing teaching position at that awesome new school that you have your eye on, though? Do you think the competition for that position will be greater? Of course it will. The great paying jobs always demand the best and the brightest people. That is why your credentials and qualifications will have to be presented in the most incredible way if you are to get the job of your dreams.

One aspect of making a great impression on a prospective employer is to create a fantastic picture of who you are - with words. Let your cover letter show the school administrators just how remarkable you are.

The cover letter has one goal. That is to get the employer excited about the resume. It is a marketing tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way.

What makes the best impression on employers? The wise use of accomplishments with anecdotes will win over a principal or school administrator much faster than simply stating what you did and where you worked. Let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and stories. Don’t just state what you are capable of, show what you have done in the past with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

You are a part of a significant sector of the labor market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and secondary school teachers, except special education, held about 3.8 million jobs in 2004. Of the teachers in those jobs, about 1.5 million are elementary school teachers, 1.1 million are secondary school teachers, 628,000 are middle school teachers, 431,000 are preschool teachers, and 171,000 are kindergarten teachers.”

You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer – and – how can you do so in a way that makes the employer want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview?
Let your cover letter generate interest in your resume, then let your resume hold the employer’s attention so that you are invited in for a face to face meeting.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Make it glow. While it may not persuade an employer to grant you an interview by itself, it is a vital part of the whole package that sells an employer on YOU.

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Monday, April 14, 2008

A Resume Guideline Makes Writing a Resume Easier and Faster

Resumes are an essential part of our work lives. We do not enjoy writing them, but we know we need them if we are going to succeed in our careers. Many times, we put off writing one until we are desperately in need of one, then we are more likely to leave things off and make unnecessary mistakes because we are pressed for time.

You are so much better off writing your resume BEFORE you need it.

Use a proven guideline to lead you through the process so that you don't waste time wondering what you should list on your resume. One of the best guidelines you can use is shown below. It will show you, step by step, how to create a professional resume.

The information is based on a chronologically formatted resume, but it can be tailored to any format you choose.

The guideline:

The Heading. It tells the employer who you are and where to contact you. List your name, address, phone number(s) and email address if you want to be contacted that way. Proofread this carefully to ensure all of the information is completely accurate.

Job Objective. While some experts say this section isnst necessary, you stand a much better chance of getting the job you are seeking if you tell the employer exactly what position interests you. Sure the cover letter will mention what you are looking for, but what if the cover letter gets separated from the resume? Focus your job objective on the company’s goals and the job position, not your needs and wants.

Education. If you list your education next (you can list your work experience if you think it makes a better impact), be sure to include the name and location of the institution, your course of study, graduation dates (or dates of attendance) and your GPA if itss good.

Work Experience. This is fairly easy with one exception: the dates of employment. That is what usually drives people the craziest. In this section, write out the name of the employer, your title, the dates you were employed and your work-related responsibilities and accomplishments. Consider that anything which relates to your new job should be at the top of your list so the employer reads that first. If you write that you opened the mail when you also supervised 6 people, you have it backwards.

Activities/Honors. These goodies should have a section of their own and should be listed toward the bottom of the page. Again, if it fits with your job objective, list it. If it doesn’t, but it looks good, use it if you have space.

Other. There are other possible sections you might want to add to your resume. They could include foreign languages, computer experience, volunteer work and professional affiliations. If they apply, use them.

References donst even need to be mentioned. Everyone knows that if you are asked for references, you can provide them.

So, now you have everything you need to write your resume. Ok, so you have a great guideline for writing your resume. The rest is up to you, your memory and whatever time it takes to get it all in print.

Yes, itss a bother to have to write a resume, but you have to do it, right? Just get it done. You can do it!


Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com

Professional-Resume-Example.com is a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. Carla holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books. She is currently working on her Master's Degree in Education at Texas A&M University.

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Resume Cover Letters are Essential for Job Search Success

Resume Cover Letters

If you are sending resumes to employers, you need to be sure you are also writing cover letters for those resumes. Writing cover letters for resumes is not difficult, but it is necessary if you intend to make a great impression on prospective employers.

Cover letters are a prelude to the resume. They explain parts of the resume that might need clarification. They start the selling of YOU before the employer even gets to read your actual qualifications. They build up your credentials so that the prospective employer is already interested in getting to know you better.

Some resume experts do not believe that writing cover letters for resumes is important, but there is one thing for certain. It will never work against you. If an employer likes to read cover letters before reading resumes, then you are ahead of the other candidates for the position. If the employer does not care one way or the other, then you have lost nothing by including one.

A cover letter is a great way to prepare and excite the employer about what they will find in the resume. Don't recite what is in the resume, but highlight certain elements of your character, your accomplishments and your background so that the employer is interested in knowing more about you.

There is one awesome thing about writing cover letters for resumes that makes them an essential part of your job search: you can target the job and the employer much better than by simply using a resume alone.

The cover letter should be personalized and directed to each company in which you are interested in working. Point out specific areas of the job that interest you. Explain why working for that particular company is of importance to you. When you add these elements into your cover letters, they will be read more thoroughly and you will be more likely to receive a phone call for a job interview.

There are some people who say that the resume gets read first, then the cover letter. Others say just the opposite. For you, it will not matter as your resume and cover letter will both be targeted to the position you are seeking. It does not matter which one gets read first. Employers like to have both, so you need to provide both.

Writing cover letters for resumes is what differentiates the best job candidates from the rest of the crowd. Yours should convince the employer to grant you an interview.

You can be the success you want to be by working hard and making the extra effort.


Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com

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Saturday, March 22, 2008

Resume Writing Service

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