I cannot remember a time in my life when I felt so incredibly overwhelmed than when I was interviewing for a teaching job. How could I possibly let the principal know that I was the right person for the job? I stepped away from the classroom for many years to take care of my own family... was that attractive to a potential employer? How do I set myself apart from the hundreds (or thousands in my case) of other candidates that wanted the job just as much as me?
I got LOTS of advice during my job search, and apparently it must have been good because it landed me a teaching position. After I was hired, I asked the principal what helped me to stand out from the crowd. There were a few things: 1. Confidence in my interview (which I still find hard to believe because I was shaking like a leaf inside) 2. After passing the district mandated screening, I went to every school in the district and introduced myself to the principal. 3. She remembered my brochure that I created about myself.
The brochure was really a simple thing, but it set me apart from the other candidates because it presented my information in a way that was quick to read and more attractive than a standard resume. Trust me, I did give my resume as well, but the brochure was more personal and a bit less formal than the resume that I had attached to the brochure.
I'm sure there are a bazillion templates out there for a brochure, but I used one from Pages. Nothing that I wrote is earth shattering, but the format set it apart.
Here is my brochure... I edited out my personal information, but you should be able to get the general picture.
Please feel free to use my idea as a STARTING POINT, but please make your brochure uniquely yours. Be sure to have someone else proofread it for you, too. I don't know how many times I read mine over, but I still missed two errors when I gave it to the principals. UGH!