Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary resume example

A resume for a Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary needs to show the work itself: assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers. Day to day that means work like this: teach undergraduate-level courses; evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades. 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.

  • Graduate Assistant
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant
  • GTA
  • Research Assistant
  • RA
  • Teaching Assistant
  • TA
  • Graduate Fellow
  • Graduate Research Assistant
  • Graduate Student
  • Graduate Student Instructor
  • GSI
  • Teaching Fellow
  • College Biology TA
  • College Biology Teaching Assistant
  • Exam Proctor
  • Faculty Research Assistant
  • Graduate Teaching Associate

O*NET records 21 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

  • Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
  • Research Assistant (RA)
  • Teaching Assistant (TA)

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 undergraduate-level courses.
  • Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
  • Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
  • Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites.
  • Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports.
  • Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines.
  • Prepare or proctor examinations.
  • Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction.
  • Meet with supervisors to discuss students' grades or to complete required grade-related paperwork.
  • Schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet with students.
  • Order or obtain materials needed for classes.
  • Copy and distribute classroom materials.

20 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 undergraduate-level courses, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites, 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 Photoshop
  • Blackboard Learn
  • Calendar and scheduling software
  • Collaborative editing software
  • Course management system software
  • Desire2Learn LMS software
  • DOC Cop
  • Email software
  • Google Docs
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • Image scanning software
  • iParadigms Turnitin
  • Learning management system LMS
  • Microsoft Excel

22 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.

  • 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 video cameras
  • Digital video disk DVD players
  • Handheld microphones

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.

  • prepare tests

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. 02Active Listening
  3. 03Instructing
  4. 04Speaking
  5. 05Learning Strategies
  6. 06Writing
  7. 07Complex Problem Solving
  8. 08Coordination
  9. 09Critical Thinking
  10. 10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

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

  • English Language
  • Education and Training
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Mathematics

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.

  • 57%Bachelor's Degree
  • 37%Master's Degree
  • 4%Doctoral Degree

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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary do?
Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers. Day to day that includes work like teach undergraduate-level courses and Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
What skills should a Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary put on a resume?
O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Instructing, Speaking, and Learning Strategies 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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Photoshop, Blackboard Learn, Calendar and scheduling software, Collaborative editing software, and Course management system software. 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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary work?
O*NET records 21 titles for this occupation, including Graduate Assistant, Graduate Teaching Assistant, GTA, and Research Assistant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 57% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Teaching Assistants, 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.