teacher cover letter Archives

Teacher Interview Cover Letters

Cover Letter Question from @deyoungb – Brian D – “Besides proper spelling and grammar, what do people who do hiring look for in cover letters?

Brian – Thanks for contacting The EDU edge. Many candidates feel the need to write an extensive narrative with their entire background and educational philosophy in their cover letter. When our administrators who are a part of The EDU Edge consortium screen applications for our schools, often times we’ll see cover letters spanning more than one page. Here’s an Insider TIP: From our experience in hiring teachers, the reality is that cover letters rarely get read in their entirety. Schools and districts usually have thirty to forty application packets to sift through, if not hundreds. When you write an extensive cover letter you are opening yourself up to the possibility of saying the wrong thing, grammatical errors (as you correctly stated), or obscuring the most important information you want to relay.

Our advice is to keep it short, to the point, and to focus your energy on the more important aspects of getting the job i.e. a quality resume, building your instructional knowledge, preparing for interview questions, building contacts and references, designing a strong, robust portfolio, etc (see Chapter 3 of ‘The Insider’s Guide to The Teacher Interview’ – How to Get an Interview).

Having said that, here are some bread and butter basics when writing a cover letter:

Letter should be on high-quality, lighter color, 8 ½” x 11” paper.
Send the original letter with name signed in blue. (This was once frowned upon in correspondence etiquette circles, but in the age of computers and photocopiers has become an acceptable way of showing the letter was individually signed by you)
Use perfect grammar. (As you correctly stated!)
Make sure that there are no typos or misspelled words.
Never use impersonal greetings i.e. To Whom It May concern, Dear Madam, Dear Sir, etc. Call the school and find out the person and the person’s title to whom the letter should be addressed.
Keep the cover letter short; one page, with about three paragraphs, including your opening.
Be sure your letter is specific to the position, district, and building you are applying to.

Among other things that we suggest and discuss in Chapter 4 – Cover Letters and Resumes, we recommend that you express the following in your cover letter:

· Your interest in the position.

· A very brief summary of your education or experiences.

· Why you would be a good fit for the open position.

· How they can get in touch with you at a moment’s notice.

Good luck to you Brian! And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Teacher Vitae and Resume Suggestions

Resume Question from @deyoungb – Brian D asks, “As far as resumes go, do you have any recommendations on length, content, etc?”

Brian – Thanks for contacting The EDU edge. Do we have advice on Resumes? We sure do! Chapter 4 – of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview is entitled Cover Letter and Resume Advice. This publication by The EDU Edge is designed to help teacher candidates like you understand the exact mindset of schools before they get in the “interview hot seat,” to explain the teacher interview process and to make sure you maximize each and every interview you are able to secure.

It would be tough to put a whole chapter here in this blog but let’s see if we can help you with your specific question “resume content, length, etc.” First, you have to decide if you are going to produce a Curriculum Vitae or a Traditional Resume. Resumes are characterized by brevity. They are a one to two page summary of your education, skills and work experience. CV’s are longer and more detailed. They are a minimum of two pages and contain detailed explanations of previous academic and professional work. The CV includes educational and academic background about you as well as teaching, research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details.

Our consortium of administrators at The EDU Edge sees thousands of resumes each year. We find that most K-12 educators (especially ones your age – I’m assuming you are soon to be or have just graduated from college) are using a hybrid of a resume and a CV, which includes most of the structure of the CV listed above, but does not go beyond two pages. It includes an increased level of description, but does not read as a narrative such as collegiate level CV’s. This allows potential employers to quickly make their way through the CV while at the same time understanding the nature of the work or accomplishment in each area. We think using this hybrid approach is advisable. Even if you are newer to the field, a two-page document with a high level of detail on your academic, related professional experiences, presentations, awards and affiliations is a good idea.

Additionally, we recommend that you:
· Start your CV with three to four bullet points that provide the highlights of your qualifications to catch the eye of the reviewer.
· Use a chronological approach as opposed to a functional approach.
· Write simple and specific sentences.
· Be specific about your past work and accomplishments.
· Avoid language that generalizes.
· Do not write in the first or third person.
· And finally, do not write in paragraphs. Reviewers have very limited time to scan these documents and they will skip your CV if it is not efficient to read.

Good luck to you Brian! Consider getting The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview. If you like the advice here, there are many more insider tips in this book. And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)