Re-teaching The Teaching Cover Letter

There are few professions one would consider fearless as much as those professionals who teach. They are amazingly brave and strong people that are willing to stand in front of a classroom of children, or worse yet, teens and try to share knowledge day in and out. For people like me who are in awe of their bravery it is a constant source of amazement that their kryptonite seems to be, in many cases, the blank page that should somehow become the cover letter for their resumes.

Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil for teachers and a fear that must be overcome in order to get the desirable, or quite often better paying teaching positions that exists. If you are among the many teachers out there that has difficulty facing the demon known as the resume cover letter keep reading for some excellent advice that will re-teach you the ins and outs of this important tool for getting that interview.

First of all, first impressions matter. When it comes to a resume cover letter, no one is going to read the resume if you don’t have their attention with the cover letter. Make sure your cover letter gets their attention from the very start for best results and keeps that attention throughout. You do not want the reader of your cover letter skimming over the good stuff through boredom. Make your cover letter personable, interesting, and entertaining. In other words, show them who you are as much as possible in one little page.

Keep the cover letter on target. Do not get sidetracked by listing all your wonderful character traits or interests that have very little to do with the job of teaching. You have a limited amount of space to convince the hiring body that they need you stay focused on that goal and tell them why they need you and how you can help them.

You’ve probably heard more than once that you will never get what you are looking for unless you ask for it. Keep this in mind when it comes to cover letters. What you want from your cover letter is a job ultimately but initially an interview. With this in mind, ask for an interview in a prominent location during the writing of your cover letter and restate your desire for an interview near the end of your cover letter (this allows those who skim the middle of the cover letter the opportunity to see your request for an interview if they missed it the first time).

You should also keep your cover letter short and sweet. Don’t rehash your resume in your cover letter. This is the mistake that other teachers are making, don’t let it happen to you. Use your cover letter instead to tell a little about what you can bring to the table that is unique to you. Do not fill the page with the things you cover on your resume instead use this opportunity to succinctly state why they should bother to read your resume and invite you to interview over the other applicants vying for the same position. Keep your cover letter short and to the point for best results. The less detail driven it becomes and the more personable it appears the more likely it is that your resume will actually be read over the others.

Keep the language in your cover light and friendly as though you were talking to a colleague. This will create the greatest possible first impression and keep you from becoming overly dry during the course of writing your cover letter. Dry is out when it comes to cover letter these days you want something that is a little bit new and different from the others. You should also make it sound as though you are actually excited about the opportunity for which you are applying. Enthusiasm is an excellent tool for getting the interview and if it is genuine will often get you hired over those who may be ‘more’ qualified so keep this in mind not only when creating your cover letter but also when preparing for the interview that you are sure to have after sending in your awesome cover letter.

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