Whether you instruct yoga, creative writing or dog training, in order to do your thing, you'll first need to craft a top-notch instructor resume. Seems like a daunting task?
Relax! Our comprehensive, yet easy-to-follow guide is here to make your resume writing process as easy as can be. So, dive right in and discover our customizable templates, captivating examples, practical tips, and resume samples submitted by professional instructors.
Keep reading and find out how to :
- Include only necessary contact information in your instructor resume
- Give your instructor resume the right format
- Craft a compelling and concise professional profile for your instructor resume
- Include effective soft and hard skills in your instructor resume
- Make your instructor resume shine with a relevant work experience section
- Make your instructor education count
- Access top resources for job-seeking instructors
Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.
1. Include only necessary contact information in your instructor resume
Don't overwhelm your prospective employer with unnecessary details. Oversharing isn't the way to go if you want to save the recruiter’s time and make your CV breathe.
These are the must-have details that should feature in your header:
- Full name
- Phone
If you’ve ever pondered about whether it’s professional or not to put your photo on a CV, this article will certainly shed light on it. To cut a long story short, use a professional headshot only if it’s needed in your country.
2. Give your instructor resume the right format
One of each instructor’s superpowers should be the ability to design effective instructional plans with clear learning objectives and attainable targets.
And what’s a better way to prove this skill if not choosing the right format for your CV, making it easy to read and well-balanced at the first sight.
- Separate individual sections clearly — use white space and bigger headings.
- Use bulleted lists rather than chunks of text when describing your work history. This way you'll avoid cluttering your CV.
- Use preferably a two-column layout. This way you'll keep your page count low — remember it shouldn't exceed two pages.
- List your accomplishments reverse-chronologically.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.
3. Craft a compelling and concise professional profile for your instructor resume
Your professional profile is the first thing that hiring managers set their eyes on, and that’s why you should make it as impressive as possible. Make it a perfect combination of your relevant achievements and exceptional skills.
It may not be easy to encompass all these in 2-5 lines and catch a hiring manager’s eye. However, as a passionate instructor, you surely have a great skill to stimulate your students’ interest from the very beginning when setting an interesting learning objective.
Just like with your objective, you can spur interest in your resume with an effectively written professional profile. To make the most of your resume summary and hook the hiring manager, you may need to focus on the following aspects:
- Use the keywords from the job posting in question.
- Describe your relevant skills and accomplishments employing powerful adjectives and verbs.
- Make your professional profile concise and to the point.
A good instructor professional profile example
Highly motivated and energetic Yoga Instructor who is comfortable working with people of all ages and has deep knowledge about asana, as well as relaxation and breathing techniques. Enjoy inspiring others to improve wellness and commit to long-term health and fitness goals. Committed to providing extensive instruction and counseling to clients, while motivating them to find true inner peace and their healthiest self. Possesses skills to modify the practice on-demand based on the abilities or injuries of class participants.
4. Include effective soft and hard skills in your instructor resume
Your resume skill-set will always depend on a specific job position and on requirements your prospective employer will have.
Notwithstanding, you may perfectly get inspiration from a universal set of abilities that will make you stand out as a great instructor.
You'll certainly need to possess great technical skills and a deep knowledge of different methodological approaches to planning, delivering classes, and assessment. But remember to also include important soft skills showcasing how well you can engage with learners and co-workers, as this is what makes you successful in any workplace.
The best soft skills to put on your instructor resume
- Outstanding oral and written communication
- Active listening
- Flexibility
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Teamwork
- Patience
- Work ethic
- Attention to detail
- Curiosity
- Engaging style
- Leadership
- Social and emotional intelligence
- Strategic thinking
- Creativity
- Cultural competence
5. Make your instructor resume shine with a relevant work experience section
Your work experience section should undoubtedly reflect your expertise and a deep enthusiasm for what you do.
Many candidates may mistakenly think that mentioning as many past responsibilities and duties as possible is the key. Is it though?
The crux of the matter is that your prospective employer will look for your accomplishments rather than daily responsibilities. Keep in mind to make your work experience relevant, concise, and include keywords from a specific job posting, linking them to your accomplishments.
What’s the best way to highlight your achievements and make them verifiable? You can definitely pull it off by using numbers, whether it’s the number of your students, student test scores, awards won, number of referrals, or budget management.
Instructor work experience work section example
Yoga Center, California, US
Yoga Instructor
2015-2019
- Prepared weekly plans for engaging yoga classes.
- Conducted intermediate and advanced level pilates and yoga classes for 52 members.
- Guided meditation at the beginning and end of each class to help students center themselves and get the most out of each session.
- Gave in-depth understanding of breathing techniques.
- Provided students with excellent knowledge of human anatomy and impact of asanas on different body parts.
- Built genuine relationships with clients to establish my value as a wellness educator.
- Received 100% student satisfaction at the end of each course.
6. Make your instructor education count
You may see education as one the most straightforward sections to put on your CV. You state the name of your school along with its location, the degree you obtained and your graduation year (if applicable). Simple like that.
However, you can actually take it to the next level and spice it up by adding relevant coursework, accomplishments and areas of interest.
If you obtained certifications relevant to the instructor position you crave, mention them in a separate section.
Instructor education section example
Education
Marymount California University, California, United States
Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
2011-2015
- Excelled in: Respiratory and Cardiovascular Physiology
- Area of interest: Nutrition and Exercise in Health
Instructor certifications section example
Certifications
- First-Aid & CPR Certification, September 2019
- 500-hour Yoga Training, California Yoga Center, December 2019
- Certified Yoga Teacher, Yoga Association of California, March 2018
Now, when you've created an appealing instructor resume, scan your resume for issues here and see how it compares against other resumes.
7. Top resources for job-seeking instructors
Before you put the metaphorical pen to paper and start working on your instructor resume, you need to know where to look for suitable job opportunities. We hope that the following list of resources will give you enough inspiration to throw yourself into the job search:
- For all instructors: Using websites like Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, SimplyHired, or Monster allows you to find job postings that speak to you regardless of your professional focus.
- For language instructors: Discover new language-teaching opportunities, home or abroad, with Europe Language Jobs, Dave’s ESL Cafe, or TESOL International Association Job Board.
- For sports instructors: If you've found your professional purpose in helping others form a positive attitude to sports, check out Ski Jobs, UK Sport, or Sportspeople.
- For fitness instructors: Lead your clients to a healthy lifestyle with job opportunities offered by GymJobs.com, YogaTrade, or FitnessJobs.com.
- For animal training instructors: Help your clients nurture relationships with their furry friends through job positions brought to you by AnimalJobsDirect, Equistaff, and APDT’s Job Board.
- For dance instructors: Let the rhythm carry you to niche job search platforms like Dance/USA, Dance Teacher Finder, and DanceJobs.
- For martial arts instructors: Whether it be for fitness or self-defense, the popularity of martial arts is on the rise. Seize the opportunities offered by Premier Martial Arts or the Martial Arts Teachers' Association.
- For arts instructors: From creative writing to painting and designing, spread you love for art with platforms such as The Art Career Project, Americans for the Arts, or National Art Education Association.
Whatever your metier may be, don't forget to always custom tailor your instructor resume to align as closely as possible with the candidate requirements listed in the job posting you're applying for.
Instructor Resume FAQ
How can I best showcase my skills as an instructor on my resume?
Focus on your teaching skills by emphasizing both your pedagogical methods and subject-area expertise. You can include specific teaching techniques, curriculum development experience, soft skills, and any specialized educational tools you are proficient in using. Also, we recommend quantifying your achievements when possible, such as by noting improvements in your clients’ progression, their satisfaction, or feedback ratings from instructor evaluations.
What are common mistakes to avoid when crafting an instructor resume?
Some of the most common mistakes include: NOT tailoring your resume to align with the job requirements, typos, grammatical errors, cluttered and disorganized layout, and irrelevant information. Luckily, the majority of these issues can be prevented by using our resume builder that catches all the errors you've missed.
How should I use action verbs in my instructor resume?
When describing your past work experience, start bullet points with action verbs like "developed," "taught," "designed," "coordinated," or "implemented" to convey your active role in achieving outcomes. For example, "Developed and implemented a new curriculum that increased student engagement by 30%."
What is the appropriate length for an instructor resume?
Your resume shouldn’t exceed two pages; but the ideal length is one page. If you're a seasoned instructor with extensive experience, a two-page resume can allow you to detail your professional background sufficiently. However, if you're newer to the field, aim to fit all your information into one page. Always focus on your most relevant experiences and accomplishments.
Should I include references on my resume?
Don't do it unless the job posting you're responding to explicitly instructs you to. Instead, prepare a separate list of references and be ready to show it when asked to. You can also include a sentence like “References available upon request” on your resume/cover letter. This approach helps to save space on your resume for more relevant content.