Resume Writing Tips for School Administrators

Working in school administration is a demanding position that requires top-notch leadership, communication, and organizational skills. Whether you already work in school administration or are looking to advance from a teaching position, these school administrator resume tips will highlight the skills you need to take the next step in your career.

Title/Summary

Start your school administrator resume off with a strong, attention-grabbing introductory statement that explains who you are and what you have to offer. This paragraph should clearly state your years of experience in school administration, education, or both, and give a snapshot of your most impressive achievement or strength.

For example:

“Highly resourceful, personable principal with over 10 years of experience in School Administration with extensive experience leading operations to foster students’ growth. A well-regarded leader who implemented successful plans to improve student performance in middle school math and reading across all grade levels.”

Core Competencies

Immediately following your introduction, list around 10 or so key strengths and skills. If you are applying for a specific job, include the skills you possess (keywords) mentioned in the job posting for that role.

Examples for a school administrator resume include:

• Budget Creation
• Classroom Management
• Reading Literacy
• Conflict Resolution
• Verbal and Written Communication
• Student and Parent Relations
• Program Development

Professional Experience

Make the most of your principal resume or assistant principal resume with a detailed "Professional Experience" section that highlights your experience and key skills. For each position you’ve held, describe your initiatives and achievements along with the key duties. When describing the job responsibilities, use active words that speak to your strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

For example:

• Improved parent involvement with personal outreach to all families
• Developed a program to successfully decrease student absenteeism by 50%
• Collaborated with neighboring school to establish professional development sessions for teachers

It’s especially important to show in a school administrator resume that you have a proven track record for leading teams or committees. Make sure to also include any quantifiable results. This is the place to celebrate your accomplishments as a school administrator or teacher, and illustrate how you can bring similar results to your next position.

Teaching Experience

If you’re switching from a teaching role, use your work history to emphasize aspects of your teaching that show your ability to thrive as an administrator. For example, you might share strategies you implemented to improve test scores, your participation in grade-level teams or committees, or any unique technology-driven instructional methods you used.

If you’re writing a principal resume or assistant principal resume, you can still devote a section to your classroom teaching experience to show your full talents as an educator.

Emphasize Student Impacts

As mentioned earlier, it’s important to focus on outcomes and achievements. Since you’re writing an educational leadership resume, remember that the hiring team wants to see how you’ve changed circumstances for the better in your previous roles — whether as a school administrator or teacher. Keep the focus on how you enhanced student outcomes and include specifics, such as numbers and percentages.

For example:

• Supported 35 teachers in developing plans to increase student test scores
• Developed marketing plan that increased new student applications by 30%
• Established a mentoring program for incoming students that helped boost retention rates by 25%

Certifications and Licensures

Include your active and current certifications and licensures in the educational leadership resume. This is especially important if you’re moving on from a teaching role. Order the credentials by significance — most to least important.

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Supplemental Information

At the end of your school administrator resume, include any extra details such as any volunteer work or community involvement, especially those that demonstrate your aptitude for leadership and service. If you’ve served on community committees, this can show you have leadership and planning skills as well as the ability to collaborate with community members.

As you move into the next phase of your career, prepare yourself for interviews using these proven strategies. If you need additional help with your principal resume or assistant principal resume, check out our professional resume writing services.