INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Paraprofessional positions are at a 9% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 1,306,300 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 116,000 to 1,422,300 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Paraprofessional jobs was $28,900 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $19,610, and the highest 10% more than $44,290.
Our conclusion? The Paraprofessional job market is wide open for candidates.
Top paraprofessional sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to Craft the Perfect Paraprofessional Resume Experience Section
Perfecting the experience section: paraprofessional resume checklist.
- Be careful with bullet points: use no more than 4-6 per position;
- Mention only positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- List your experience in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Highlight your results by using numbers – e.g. percentage increase/decrease in an important metric that’s followed by - your hard work;
- Use action words whenever possible… but more on that below.
Need examples? We looked through thousands of Paraprofessional resumes and gathered some examples of what the ideal experience section looks like. Check them out below!
- Worked with 25+ teachers to create and improve school cirriculum
- Ensured that students IEP accommodations were met with excellent standarts
- Provided teaching services to over 1000 special education students
- Establised hundreds of lesson plans and directed instruction for succesful education system
- Instructed from 3- to 6-year-olds on alphabet writing, reading, pronunciation, and basic mathematics
- Significally decreased fall rate by special students with over 40%
- Implemented a new online ciriculam (due to Covid-19) with almost 100% engagement rate
- Worked as a teacher-counselor with LD/EBD students (age 8-21)
- Created and implemented academic and behavioral plans
- Data collection and analysis both individually and as a team
- Earned Teacher of the Month, more than 10+ times — first in my second month, May 2010
- Created instructional activities and lessons and modified them to meet the needs of different students in my classroom
- Participated in training sessions and attended a variety of workshops in different paraprofessional areas
- Monitored and evaluated student performance and communicated with parents accordingly on a regular basis
- Created instructional resources and activities
- Participated in 50+ ongoing workshops and training sessions
- Facilitated a workshop to my fellow team of teachers — decreased teachers onboarding time with 30%
- Observed and evaluated student performance and communicated with parents periodically
- Coached one-to-one student on emotion regulation, achieved positive enagagement rate
- Provided immediate crisis intervention to 100 students
- Facilitated and taught coping skills to students
- Assisted teacher with bi-weekly benchmark assessment of students’ academic level
- Partnered with teacher, teacher assistant, and other paraprofessionals to maintain a safe environment and to endorse the norms and expectations of the school
- Provided care, safety, and educational stimulation to students ranging from 3 – 13 years old
- Created, displayed, and implemented academic-based lessons, activities, and projects for children
- Accurately documented children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and fine-motor development with appropriate assessment software
- Performed support duties with extensive detail and precision for a site hosting 900+ students and 60+ staff members
- First point of contact in a fast-paced environment that required multilingual customer service
- Proficient in procedures regarding student registration, attendance, transfers, SARB coordination, program logistics and office management
- Efficiently educated staff regarding District and site procedures
- Handled confidential information with discretion
- Effectively communicated with parents, staff, and students on a daily basis
- Coordinated daily with administration to direct incoming appointments, emails, or phone calls
- Utilized knowledge of teaching strategies to assist in development of grade level skills amongst students under my care while working closely with the classroom teacher
- Managed student activities and projects while assisting in the cultivation of a positive and safe environment
- Supported my team by helping to create new and inventive ways to implement safer and more effective strategies in teaching and supervision
- Assisted with the clerical and educational needs of the entire 3rd Grade teaching staff and students at an “A” school that ranks in the top 2% of all elementary schools in the state of Florida
- Managed several Reading and Math invention groups for grade levels K-5
- Provided materials for the staff and parents by copying, designing, laminating or creating in the Production Room
- Solely responsible for record keeping of the annual paper counts and all lamination
- Accountable for the supervision of children of all grade levels during recess, lunch and during dismissal
- Discreetly handled sensitive and confidential information as directly connected to cumulative files on a consistent basis
- Managed the front office during office staff meetings or as needed on a consistent basis at a busy school with over 800 students
- Developed and implemented lesson plans with the goal of fostering a love for learning and literature in the R.E.A.L. classroom.
- Assisted students of all ages in the in the selection of materials for instruction and enjoyment in the library.
- Processed materials for circulation and mended and shelved books in the library.
- Provided focused interventions to small groups of students in accordance with curriculum guidelines.
- Developed strong relationships with students of all backgrounds and abilities.
- Collaborated with other staff members and parents to support student learning.
- Maintained accurate, records in Access database as required by law.
- Worked with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce learning skills and objectives
- Assisted staff in devising special strategies for reinforcing learning materials and skills as well as other classroom tasks
- Monitored work, corrected papers, and supervised curriculum-based testing and makeup work
- Performed clerical and instructional duties as assigned by the teacher
- Created instructional activities and lessons and modified them to meet the needs of different students in my classroom
- Participated in training sessions and attended a variety of workshops in different areas
- Monitored and evaluated student performance and communicated with parents accordingly on a regular basis
- Created instructional resources and activities
- Participated in ongoing workshops and training sessions
- Facilitated a workshop to my fellow team of teachers
- Observed and evaluated student performance and communicated with parents periodically
- Managed Required Study Hall, after school hours, to help struggling students to catch up.
- Encouraged students to work and stay up to date on their studies.
- Graded and monitored students taking online classes.
- Tutored French students taking online classes one-on-one and develop curriculum to teach students with extra needs.
- Helped them with pronunciation, coursework, and any difficulties.
- Manage a program called "Homework Club" for struggling students.
- Manage communication between parents, students, and teachers.
- Help manage classroom atmosphere, administer and assess tests, and aid children by providing one-on-one help.
- Customized a blend of humor, empathy and leadership to communicate and build relationships with students experiencing a wide-range of developmental issues.
- Demonstrated the capacity to remain calm, focussed and creative in a delicate learning environment in order to gain trust of students and faculty.
- Executed varied instruction from management to lead daily student activities and coursework with a solutions-oriented approach.
- Assisted students of all ages in the selection of materials for instruction, research and enjoyment in the library.
- Processed materials for circulation, and mended and shelved books in the library.
- Developed and implemented lesson plans with the goal of fostering a love for learning and literature in the R.E.A.L. classroom.
- Provided focused math interventions to small groups of at-risk students in accordance with curriculum guidelines from 2015-2017.
- Assisted the teacher in customizing curriculum strategies.
- Reinforced learning materials and skills based on a empathetic understanding of individual student needs, interests, and abilities.
- Performed administrative, classroom maintenance, and instructional duties including complex calendar management.
- Maintained confidential information about students as per school policy protocol.
PRO TIP
Check the Paraprofessional job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action verbs for your paraprofessional resume
Recommended reads.":
Impressing recruiters with a top paraprofessional resume skills section
Checklist for an impressive Paraprofessional resume skills section:
- List both hard and technical skills that are important for the role;
- Check what the job description says and add some keywords based on that;
- Focus only on relevant skills;
- Try not to list things such as “communication”; rather, highlight your soft skills in other sections of your Paraprofessional resume.
Top skills for your paraprofessional resume
Classroom Management
Conflict Resolution
First Aid
Microsoft Suite
Learning Techniques
Childhood Development
Educational Software
Curriculum Planning & Execution
Social Studies
Students relationship Building
Students Coaching
Teacher support
Dependability
Communcation
Results Oriented
Integrity and Sincerity
Program Development
Communication
Leardership
Empathy
Problem solving
Team work
Listening
Influencing
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended reads:
Paraprofessional resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your paraprofessional resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Paraprofessional resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Crafting a strong summary for your paraprofessional resume
Checklist: The perfect Paraprofessional resume summary section
- Add a couple of keywords from the job description;
- Mention some of your most valuable skills and characteristics;
- Highlight your top achievements (and add numbers!);
- Use no more than 3-5 sentences to guarantee readability and keep - the hiring manager interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
You’re not going to get hired simply because of a good summary or objective. However, your recruiter can bump you up in front of similarly experienced candidates who didn’t demonstrate such passion and drive.
Recommended reads:
An impressive education section: paraprofessional resume
Paraprofessional resume: education section checklist
- Highlight your highest education degree;
- Include the degree subject, year of graduation, and institution name;
- Mention some of the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- List your certifications (incl. the body that’s issued them);
- Entry-level positions: Give preference to courses that are relevant to the position.
Top certifications for your paraprofessional resume
Master the FTCE Reading K-12
Instruction and Practice on the 44 Skills Needed to Pass the FTCE Reading K-12 Exam
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Paraprofessional. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
The right format for your paraprofessional resume
When it comes to formatting your Paraprofessional resume, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These include your level of expertise, your total years of experience, and the position and company you’re applying for, to name a few.
You can choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological format is just that – all your experience listed in a reverse-chronological way. It’s great for experienced professionals who have been in the industry for many years and have no career gaps.
The functional skills-based resume, on the other hand, focuses on skills, education, and personality traits, rather than experience. This makes it great for graduates, people with less experience, or bigger career gaps. The idea is to show you’re the perfect match without putting too much emphasis on your lack of relevant experience.
If none of these sound suitable, go for a hybrid (or combination) resume. It’s a mix of experience, skills, and personality traits. It’s also considered modern and innovative because of its non-traditional structure and sections. Here, you can add details about what your typical day looks like or what your life philosophy is. In short, the hybrid resume format shows who you are, both as a professional and as an individual.
More tips on perfecting your resume style and layout:
- Choose a traditional 12p font;
- Make sure your resume margins are no bigger than an inch;
- Go for a one-page template. If you have broad experience and can’t fit your resume on one page, choose a two-page resume template
- Save your resume as PDF to avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Read this: Ways to make your Paraprofessional resume stand out
Recommended reads.":
PRO TIP
Test your draft Paraprofessional resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
More sections worth adding to your paraprofessional resume
If the industry, company, and position you’re applying for allow for that, you could include other sections in your Paraprofessional resume. By doing this, you’ll show the recruiter that you’re a real human and not a robot.
Here are some ideas:
The right kind of creativity for your paraprofessional resume
Several years ago, everyone preferred keeping a safe distance from creative resumes. Today, adding creativity to your CV is considered cool, innovative, and one of the best ways to stand out.
You can add a creative section that describes your typical day or even go for a colorful creative template. No matter what you choose, make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk looking silly.
What makes a great paraprofessional resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
