If you think you’re applying for the high school English job and somehow your application gets routed to the pile for the elementary school gym teacher position, your very specific letter ensures that you’ll get to the right hands. You should also be very specific about which position for which you’re applying, because there may be other openings in a variety of different teaching roles. That may be your elevator pitch in its simplest form, but this is your chance to add some necessary color. (Spoiler alert: they don’t get read.) Necessity #2: Your Elevator Pitch And I think we all know what happens to application packages that don’t engage the reader. If you make it seem too much like an impersonal form letter, or the stiff letter of a person who is uncomfortable talking about this job application, you run the risk of not engaging the reader. You want your cover letter to seem professional, but approachable.

To Whom It May Concern: (too formal/too impersonal).

Rodriguez, Superintendent of Mudville Public Schools (too formal-you’re not introducing royalty at a state dinner)

Dear Mudville Public Schools Administrator (too vague/impersonal).

If that, too fails, go with a generic address like, “Greetings.” It’s not ideal, but it feels less stiff and formal than the old favorite, “to whom it may concern.” If that’s the case, and all you know is the school or school system where you’re applying, try to find information online about who has hiring responsibility for the school district. You’re working with an entirely online application process, with no visibility into who might be reading this. So even if you’re submitting your cover letter and resume digitally, treat the email like a regular letter.

The fact that you’re likely submitting these online, or writing an email, can lead to a false sense of shortcut familiarity. It’s also important to use the right tone. If not, it’s worth doing a little digging online to see who will be on the receiving end. If the job listing includes a specific name, great! You’re all set. Before you start putting together your resume/cover letter package, do a little legwork about who will likely be reading this. Whenever possible, make sure you’re addressing your letter (or email, if you’re being all modern about it) to someone specific. This means that you need to engage the reader up front. Your more specific goal with your cover letter is to make sure that your name and qualifications are as memorable as possible, setting a tone that the reader can carry over into reading your resume. Great-it’s the same goal as every other person applying for this open position.

If you’re a teacher, your most basic goal is (most likely) to get a job teaching. Necessity #1: A Personalized Introduction If you’re a teacher, you want your cover letter to rock every bit as much as you do.įirst let’s start with the basics of a good cover letter, and what that means for your job search as an educator. But the reality is that every teacher had to go through the very ordinary hiring process to get their jobs, just like everyone else. But while we, as a society, see teachers at the head of the classroom, imparting the knowledge one needs to get by in this world, we might not think of the hiring process it takes to get there. They give us so many of the tools we need to get by in life, and in the most Hollywood-ready moments, inspire us to get into poetry and stand on desks.

Teacher resume cover letter