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Preparing Your Professional “Self-Managed” File

Your professional self-managed file minimally contains your résumé and letters of recommendation. Since this is a “self-managed” file, you may also choose to include such other documents as CBEST documentation, unofficial transcripts, a specific cover letter, a specific district application, a copy of your credential, et cetera. We recommend you keep all “original documents” in a safe place. We also recommend you save your documents in hard copy and electronically on disk or CD for electronic delivery and upload copies to the Wildcat Career Connection and to Ed-Join.org.

Writing Your Résumé	Writing a Cover Letter	Letters of Recommendation
Teaching Résumé Examples	Cover Letter Examples	Other Documents

Writing Your Resume

A résumé is a summary of your educational and professional experience. The résumé and the letter of inquiry or cover letter complement each other. The résumé is your work data; the letter that accompanies it is a sales pitch telling the prospective employer how and why your experiences will be useful.
The content and the order in which a résumé is arranged depend on you and your experiences. Employers scan rapidly; therefore, you should put the most important, impressive, eye-catching information first, in an easy-to-read format.
Your resume should also be grammatically correct and perfectly spelled.
You should limit your resume to one page unless you have significant experience. Avoid using resume templates because they are very difficult to change.
If you have a great deal of experience aiding, camp counseling, tutoring, etc., get it all on paper. No experience is too small if it shows your ability to work with children. Additionally, if you are a person who has had a previous career, you may also want to include it even if it seems irrelevant; skills and talents from other careers can be assets, not something to hide.

Teaching Resume Examples

Remember these are only examples. There are many ways to create a résumé. For more examples and help, see a counselor in the Career Center.

Writing a Cover Letter

This letter is to accompany your résumé and will introduce you to the hiring official and indicate for which positions you are applying.
It should generally be one page long and not over 3 or 4 paragraphs, using the same color and paper stock as your résumé.
The cover letter should be clear, concise, and communicate why you are appropriate for the position, school, and/or district.
Focus on data in the résumé that illustrate why and how your experiences have prepared you for this position.
Highlight any outstanding and exceptional qualities you have.
Read over your finished product for spelling and grammatical errors.
If you have any questions, consult your career placement counselor for an illustration of a cover letter.

Cover Letter Examples

Letters of Recommendation

Candidates should include letters of recommendation from their university supervisor and their classroom/cooperating teacher, as hiring officials see these as the most critical and important.
It is also advantageous to have additional letters written by others who have been in a position to evaluate you as a prospective teacher (i.e., someone who has supervised you as a coach, teacher’s aide, camp counselor, or the like).
Generally, hiring officials are not interested in character references, only letters from those individuals who possess adequate firsthand knowledge of your teaching ability.

Other Documents

As you apply for positions, you may want to keep copies of your applications in your self-managed file to have a record of the positions for which you have applied.
If you have a separate portfolio, you might want to include those contents also.
You should also include your transcript; an unofficial transcript will do until you receive your permanent transcript.

Forward to Finding the Job

This document is maintained by: Kathleen Bristow (kbristow@csuchico.edu)
Last Updated: November 23, 2007