What to include in a special education teacher resume
Following is a list of sections to include on your special education teacher resume:Contact details
Place your contact information at the top of your special education teacher resume. Contact details include your first and last name, email address, phone number and the city, and state where you live. Use a professional email address, such as with your full name or initials, from a reputable email provider. Read more: How To Write Contact Information That Gets Your Resume NoticedProfessional summary
A professional summary briefly explains your top or most relevant qualifications for the open special education teacher position. Incorporate strong adjectives into the professional summary to help prospective employers gain a better understanding of what you might be like as an educator at their school. Examples of strong adjectives include "dedicated," "compassionate," "attentive" and "communicative."Education
List the educational credentials you possess as a special education teacher. Most special education teachers possess a bachelor's degree in special education, but some may choose to earn a bachelor's degree in another subject and receive a post-baccalaureate in special education. You might also have a master's degree in special education. For each of your credentials, specify the type you earned, such as a bachelor's or master's degree, and the name of the program. Include the title of the institution where you earned this credential and your graduation date if you earned this degree within the last three years.Experience
Create a section for your current or previous professional experiences, such as jobs, internships or student teaching positions. For each of these experiences, state the title of your role, the name of the organization you worked for and the dates of your employment. Beneath these facts, create a bulleted list of your primary responsibilities or key accomplishments within this position. If you have lots of professional experience as a special education teacher or in similar roles, such as other jobs that help people with disabilities, consider only including the most relevant experiences or roles that you've held within the last decade. If you're new to special education, focus on the professional experiences that have helped you develop transferable skills, meaning abilities that can benefit you in a range of positions and industries. For example, if you have a background in technology, you could describe your experiences with a team to demonstrate your collaboration skills. Related: What Is Special Education and What Are the Benefits?Skills
Adding a designated skills section to your resume can give you the opportunity to spotlight some of your chief hard and soft skills as a special education teacher. Hard skills are abilities learned through training or studying, such as IEP management or functional skills development. Soft skills, meanwhile, are personality characteristics or behaviors that can affect your conduct at work, like empathy and flexibility. Related: What Is the Role of an Academic Interventionist? (With Salary)Certifications
Many special education teacher resumes include a designated section for certifications and licenses. Include any state licenses you possess in this section. Some special education teachers may also have certificates related to their field or to taking care of children, such as in CPR. Related: How to Become a Special Education TeacherTips for writing a special education teacher resume
Here's some advice that can help you write a great resume for open special education teacher positions:Pick a format
Choose a resume format that can best highlight your unique qualifications as a special education teacher. If you're new to this field, for example, you might want to use a functional resume format that can showcase your transferable skills. By contrast, professionals with more experience as special education teachers might use a chronological resume format to emphasize their relevant experiences.Customize your resume
Personalize different versions of your resume for each application that you submit. Customizing your resume for each job that you apply for can increase your chances of advancing through the application process. One strategy for personalizing your resume is to include keywords, meaning specific words or phrases related to special education. You can find these keywords by picking words from the job posting that describe your skills and abilities and incorporating these into your resume. Other strategies for finding keywords you can use in your special education teacher resume include:- Attending industry events, such as conventions, lectures or workshops
- Joining a professional association for special education teachers
- Networking with others in your field
- Reading journals or email digests about the latest news or developments in special education
Showcase relevant experiences
Emphasize any relevant experiences that have helped you develop your soft skills as a special education teacher. While it's important for special education teachers to possess hard skills that help them accomplish their job duties, prospective employers may pay more attention to your distinguishing soft skills when reviewing your application. Since special education teachers work with students who can have complex needs, hiring managers might strive to find candidates they believe can be compassionate educators. Consider adding these additional sections to your resume to demonstrate special education soft skills such as empathy, patience and adaptability:- Volunteer experience: Adding volunteer experience to your resume can demonstrate that you're compassionate, as it means that you spend some of your free time helping others.
- Hobbies: Include hobbies on your resume if they can show some of your soft skills, like organization or creativity. You can also add hobbies to your resume to show a prospective employer you can manage job-related stress.
- Languages spoken: If you're fluent in more than one language, consider listing those languages on your resume. Since some special education teachers work with students who have first languages other than English, this can be a valuable skill to show employers.
- Awards: Add an awards section if you've received any awards or honors from current or previous employers, professional associations, school districts or academic institutions. This might include receiving a teacher of the month award, making the dean's list at your school or receiving an honorary degree.