A college professor resume must quickly educate others on your qualifications. To get yourself before the hiring committee, your CV, which will likely include a list of your publications, must be as well thought out as your syllabi.
Just like a university course, your resume has a pointed objective: Get that interview! Resume.io can teach you how to get there with its powerful resources for job seekers. Take advantage of our resume guides and resume examples for 300+ professions, as well as our easy-to-use resume builder.
Read on to discover more about these topics:
- What does a college professor do?
- How to write a college professor resume (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a college professor resume
- Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional resume layout and design hints.
What does a college professor do?
College professors are subject area experts. They develop, organize, and implement a meaningful curriculum for courses at different university levels. But that is just the beginning. Great college professors design assignments that help students to efficiently grasp course content and act as mentors to those who aspire to practice in the field.
In addition, college professors are often expected to continue to conduct research in their field and to publish, publish, publish!
The average salary for a post-secondary teacher in 2020 was $80,560 per year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, however, that figure includes instructors and lecturers as well as professors. Full-time university professors earned an average of $136,767 a year in the 2018-19 academic year, the Chronicle of Higher Education found. Associate professors earned $91,876 and assistant professors $77,600.
College professor job market and outlook
The market for college professors is uncertain. The switch to online schooling necessitated by Covid has coincided with many students deciding to push off starting college or take a leave in the middle of their studies.
Enrollment in the fall of 2020 dropped 2.5 percent and in the following fall, it dipped another 2.7 percent, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported. A drop in enrollment will correspond to lower demand for college professors. Most of the lost rolls will be in contract positions or non-tenured faculty.
How to write a college professor resume
Most resumes contain the same standard sections. You should know what they are, but a college professor CV may contain other elements as well. Here are the standard sections of a resume:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Academic CVs may also contain Research Experience/Scholarship, Presentations, Publications and Grants/Awards.
Choosing the best resume format for a college professor
A college professor resume should emphasize what you are doing now and your most recent publications and presentations. That is why we recommend the reverse chronological order format. In your case, your teaching history and the previously mentioned sections will be organized in this fashion.
If you have a more complicated CV, you may consider one of the hybrid or chronological alternatives we recommend.
Resume summary example: Get philosophical
The summary of a college professor resume should combine a teaching statement with a research statement – all in 3-4 lines. If you have more space, you may expand here to give the hiring committee a better understanding of who you are as an educator and researcher. You may be asked to provide separate, longer statements. In that case, consider the summary the course description of your career and hit the highlights.
The resume sample below will get you started, but if you are looking for more, peruse our education section for related resume samples such as our general education resume example. Our academic resume sample or teacher resume example will also offer guidance.
Dedicated and experienced College Professor with over five years of experience serving as a Professor in the Communications Department of Molloy College. A Communications Generalist, bringing forth knowledge from a variety of communication sectors. Adept in creating powerful curriculum in the fields of Journalism, Media History, Visual Communications, and Digital Media. Adept at working with students to successfully prepare them for personal and professional success in today’s world. Knowledgeable and experienced in various educational philosophies, which best promote the overall experience of a student. A committed faculty member, passionate about working to further enhance the educational offerings of an institution.
Employment history sample: Right on course
For your college professor resume, you may choose to title this section “Teaching History” because that’s what it is. If your career has been more varied, stick with employment history. Here you will describe your teaching experience using strong action words that add to your teaching philosophy statement.
Aim your bullet items at the job you want; in other words, make sure each achievement explains how you will enhance the faculty you wish to join. Below you'll find the employment history section from our college professor resume sample.
- Created powerful and compelling curricula for my Journalism and Digital Media Students, and promoted an open and interactive classroom environment for enhanced learning.
- Worked with a team to research and develop new learning material for students.
- Drafted and graded exam papers and evaluated student performances, assignments and classwork.
- Ran the Journalism and Digital Media Clubs, presenting students with more opportunities to learn about these communication mediums.
- Worked with other members of the college to establish more unity, and school enhancements whenever possible.
- Served as a Student Advisor, helping students to more clearly define and follow their academic path.
College professor CV education example
If you are looking for your first college professor appointment, you may choose to bump this section of your CV up as academics are very important to academicians. All your distinctions and academic awards may also be listed in this section. Be sure to include your GPA if it is outstanding! Further down is our education resume example.
Special sections
Only you know what the most impressive aspects of your career are. Have you published multiple papers in prestigious journals? Do you present at national conferences that are well-respected? Did you earn Professor of the Year distinctions?
Choose the order of your sections and whether you combine or separate them based on what you want to emphasize. Take into account what your targeted university seeks and the philosophy of the department when you make your decision.
2013-2017 Vassar College, Bachelor of Arts in Communications Poughkeepsie, NY
2017-2018 Fordham University, Master of Arts in Journalism NY, NY
Resume skills example
While you may choose to push the skills section of your college professor resume down, it still carries weight. We have not yet discussed the Applicant Tracking Systems that scan your resume and input it into HR databases, but you will need to take the ATS algorithms into account. The ATS algorithms are based partly on keywords and phrases the search committee finds important, so analyze the job listing and make sure you are using the high-frequency words from that listing.
Why do we mention this now? The skills section is an excellent place to add a few words and phrases that will help you pass through the ATS gatekeeper and let the hiring committee know you have carefully read the job description.
The resume sample below gives you an idea of some of the skills you may choose to include.
- Excellent Communication Skills
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Organizational Skills
- In-depth Knowledge of the History of Journalism
Resume layout and design: First impressions
When you arrive at your first lecture of the semester in your tweed blazer with the elbow patches, you are choosing to create an image of an academic. You also need to choose an image to convey in your college professor layout and design.
Stick with a clean, professional look and simple fonts that are easy to read. To give you more time to focus on the content, try one of our field-tested resume templates. Not only are they professionally designed, but they will eliminate your need to get into the nitty gritty of formatting.
Key takeaways for a college professor resume
- A college professor resume may include specialized sections and you will need to put thought into the order of those sections.
- College enrollment is down and the future market for college professors is unpredictable.
- Explain your teaching and research philosophy in your summary section.
- Don’t waste your precious time. Use the online resume builder to get your job hunt started now!
