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English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary resume example

A resume for a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary needs to show the work itself: teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Day to day that means work like this: teach writing or communication classes; evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • English Instructor
  • English Professor
  • Instructor
  • Professor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Creative Writing Professor
  • Humanities Professor
  • Lecturer
  • Literature Professor
  • Adjunct English Instructor
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Adjunct Writing Instructor
  • Children's Literature Professor
  • Classics Teacher
  • College Faculty Member
  • College Professor

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Teach writing or communication classes.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as poetry, novel structure, and translation and adaptation.
  • Assist students who need extra help with their coursework outside of class.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.

33 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Teach writing or communication classes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Apple QuickTime
  • Apple Safari
  • Blackboard Collaborate
  • Blackboard Learn
  • Blackboard software
  • Calendar and scheduling software
  • Collaborative editing software
  • Course management system software
  • Desire2Learn LMS software
  • DOC Cop
  • Email software

31 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Audio amplification speakers
  • Carousel slide projectors
  • Compact digital cameras
  • Compact disk CD players
  • Computer data input scanners
  • Computer laser printers
  • Computer projectors
  • Conference telephones
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital calculators
  • Digital camcorders
  • Digital video cameras

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

  • Learning management system LMS

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Reading Comprehension
  2. 02Instructing
  3. 03Writing
  4. 04Speaking
  5. 05Active Listening
  6. 06Learning Strategies
  7. 07Active Learning
  8. 08Critical Thinking
  9. 09Monitoring
  10. 10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • English Language
  • Education and Training
  • Communications and Media
  • History and Archeology
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Computers and Electronics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 58%Doctoral Degree
  • 30%Master's Degree
  • 10%Less than a High School Diploma

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary do?
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Day to day that includes work like teach writing or communication classes and Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
What skills should a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary put on a resume?
O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Writing, Speaking, and Active Listening among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Apple QuickTime, and Apple Safari. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including English Instructor, English Professor, Instructor, and Professor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 58% reported their level of education as "Doctoral Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.