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How to Write a Great Resume for a Childcare Job?

November 1, 2018

Today, it is really hard to get a good job without having an amazing resume. This is especially true when it comes to the childcare industry as there are lots of part-time workers and the competition is historically very high. There is also a lot of fluctuation of talent making your application that much harder. But, even if you’re an educator with a subpar resume, there is a good chance you will get the job by simply having a quality resume. Here, we’re not referring to your education or work experience but instead, the way you present yourself to a potential employer. Before we help you create an amazing resume, let’s first see what a resume actually it. Stick with us!

The main point of a resume

Even if you haven’t been active on the job market for years, you probably know how important it is to have a quality resume. This is a document (usually presented in an electronic form) that shows your work experience, education, provides your contact details, tells more about your qualities, flaws and generally, helps employer learn more about you as a person and as an educator. In a way, a resume is a marketing tool helping you land a good job. It not only provides information but also increases the interest of an employer. A good resume has the potential to intrigue, to provoke and to persuade. It can put you ahead of all other candidates for a job and create an awesome first impression.

How to create a resume?

Creating a perfect resume can be an arduous task. So much so that lots of people nowadays prefer hiring a professional resume writing company to do this task for them. Once you create a basis, you can easily modify it and add new information over time. When it comes to childcare jobs, keep in mind that most recruiters will look at your resume for about 10 seconds before going on to the next one. While this is really annoying for candidates, this is the best way for big companies to deal with a large number of candidates. In other words, everything has to be perfect to attract recruiters’ interest. As previously mentioned, there are lots of different things you have to add in your resume. While childcare resumes vary from country to country and they are not official documents, certain rules do exist. Here are some of the most important elements of a resume regardless of where you are living:

• Contact details

Resume always starts with contact details. Here, you have to introduce yourself, leave your address, phone and email. Nowadays, it is also normal for candidates to leave their LinkedIn profiles and in some cases, even Facebook profiles as most companies do thorough checks before accepting people into their organization. Still, certain information is better to be omitted such as date of birth, marital and army status, religious, racial and ethnic data

• Statement

A statement is usually added at the start of a resume and it is changed for every job application. In certain countries, it is customary to put career objectives instead. When adding a statement, you need to mention your professional views, the motivation for joining the company and how you can help them on a daily basis. It is a way of introducing yourself and creating an initial interest

• Work experience

When mentioning your work experience, make sure to put your latest job first. Write down the dates when you started and when you finished working for a company. If you’re still working for that company, make sure to mention that as well. Put the full name of the organization, their address and contact data so that a recruiter can easily check your information. After that, put the name of the position and your responsibilities. You need to mention everything that you’ve done for the company, your daily duties as well as achievements. You might also consider adding everything that you’ve learned during this period

• Education

If you’re new to the industry and really don’t have any prior experience, perhaps it’s better to put your education information first. Like with work experience, it is necessary first to mention your latest education, and then everything before that in that chronological order. Besides schools and universities, you also need to mention all the courses, workshops and other forms of education. Also, make sure to write down the most important classes

• Skills and competence

Here, you need to include all the skill that will help you perform the job better. This might include foreign languages, technical skills, and computer skills. This section can also include your strength and weakness as you can mention areas where you would feel most comfortable with

• Additional information

Additional information section is not as important as the previous ones but can give some insight into your character. Here, you can mention your personal interests, hobbies and some other things that weren’t suitable for other sections of the resume

• Referrals

Lastly, you need to add referrals. These referrals can come from your peers, whether we’re talking about professors or previous managers. They can be very important as they can provide additional info about your work ethic, skills and everything else that an employer can expect from you Keep in mind that while your resume needs to look great and helps solidify the impression that you’re the right candidate for the job, it also has to be truthful too. Most of the information can easily be checked to make sure that you’re providing a realistic overview of your career.

Resume layout

Whether you’re working in a childcare industry or in some other profession, you have to have a proper resume layout. The main benefit of a good layout is that it allows recruiters to easily read it and take in the information. Furthermore, big companies are nowadays using automated software that helps them sift through resumes and rank them according to relevance. You can basically lose an opportunity for employment just because of a minor mistake. Here are some tips that will help you out:

1. Ideally, your resume should be up to 3 pages long. Even if you have more data, perhaps it’s better to omit some of it and focus on things that will increase the employment odds
2. Different job templates are used in different countries. Make sure to check what is the ideal template for your region and stick with it. While there are people who like to experiment with their resumes and try different stuff, perhaps it’s better to go with something simpler if you’re inexperienced. Or, even better, you can hire a professional resume company to do this for you
3. Make sure to include page numbers. Use bullet points when needed
4. Grammar has to be checked afterward. This is especially important in the educational field as it shows your level of competence
5. Photos can be good but they can also be misinterpreted
6. People that don’t have enough experience should always place focus on their education and skill set. You can also mention all the voluntary work that you did over the years
7. Don’t repeat yourself. If your previous job was rather straightforward, there is no need to explain it in detail. Oftentimes, shorter is better
8. Make sure to add important keywords. This will help you pass the automated software test. Keywords include phrases that are relevant to the industry such as “child”, “school”, “childcare”, “education” etc.

Making a cover letter

Resume is often not enough to land a good job; you also have to have a solid cover letter to go with it. Cover letters are a great way to introduce yourself to a recruiter. They are a part of the email but they are not included in the document. Here are some rules for creating a great cover letter:

1. Mention the job position in the title. This way you can instantly remove any confusion that a recruiter may have. Furthermore, it will increase the odds of your email being read
2. Introduce yourself properly. The cover letter needs to resemble normal communication in that sense. Tell them who you are, what you do and what you want from a person
3. If you have a solid background (whether we’re talking about education or previous work position), this is worth mentioning in the cover letter. Such introduction will increase the odds of your resume being opened afterward
4. Tell the recruiter how you can help their company and what kind of an impact you would have on the team
5. At the end of the letter, make sure to thank the recruiter for the opportunity and leave your contact details

Like with resumes, a cover letter is something that needs to create a connection between you and the recruiter and to increase your chances of getting the desired job. Not having a cover letter may be perceived as sloppy or even worse; it can tell a recruiter that you’re not that interested in the position. If you follow all these tips, you can easily get a job in the childcare industry. If you’re uncertain about anything, you can always contact us or simply hire us to create a professional resume that lands you the job you’re dreaming of!

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