Principal Resume Example (+ Writing Tips)

What To Highlight in a Principal Resume

Structure of a School Principal Resume

Before creating a resume, a principal candidate needs to choose a resume format that will work best in showcasing their experience and career. An educator of this caliber will most likely choose a chronological resume, which job seekers use with a decade of experience in the same field. A candidate with fewer than 10 years of experience should choose a combination resume, which balances their skills and work history.

Header

All resume templates should have your name, phone number and email address as the header. If the candidate is seeking a local job, they could also add in their city and state. You should include your social media, like LinkedIn or a professional Twitter account. Remember to only include professional social media related to the industry. Never include side business or personal accounts.

Resume summary or objective

The resume summary is your introduction. These are 3-5 sentences where you will state your years of experience, the most senior position you’ve held and your best skills and accomplishments. Be as specific as possible.

Summary for resume example:

Award-winning principal with 15 years of experience in private education. Focus on academic achievement through community involvement. Reduce district budget by 12% in two years with no layoffs. Expertise in merging technology with traditional methods.

Use a resume objective if you’re a candidate with no principal experience. This will still include your position and years of experience in addition to what you seek to accomplish in the principal role.

For example:

Educator with 12 years of experience in special education. Motivated team player with leadership skills. Improved special ed. assessment in 18%. Current doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership.

Skills

When creating your resume, it’s very important to pay close attention to the skills for resume section. The skills section of a school principal resume should have between 6 and 8 skills. It should include both soft skills, like interpersonal communication, teamwork and critical thinking, and hard skills, like computer skills, technical skills and administrative skills.

• Flexibility
• Attention to detail
• Resilience
• Leadership skills
• Management
• Organization
• Strategic thinking
• Time management
• Lesson planning
• Instructional design
• Classroom management
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy
• Communication skills
• Educational software
• Strategic planning
• Community outreach
• Decision making
• Curriculum development
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Spreadsheets
• Assessment

Work history

Your work history will start with the most recent position. Include the position title, school or organization. You must include a description of your position, focusing on your achievements and quantifying what you accomplished. Use bullet points to detail the description. Remember to include at what level, be it elementary, middle school, high school or special education.

Regarding the principal role, include achievements that demonstrate your teaching experience. In addition include achievements that demonstrate your track record, like increase in enrollment, student achievement, test scores, implementation of educational programs.

Education

Principals must have a master’s degree and in some institutions and schools, a doctorate. Your resume should say the name of the institution and the degree obtained. No need to include a graduation date unless you’re still working toward the degree. Our dedicated page on how to put expected graduation date on a resume provides guidance. In that case, include the expected graduation date, for example Doctorate of Education, University of Texas, Expected May 2024.

If you’re continuing your education with professional development, you can include it here or in a separate optional section.

Licenses and certifications

Educators who continue their professional development can stand out from the crowd. Add a licenses and certifications section to include them in your resume.
Here are a few examples:

• First Aid
• CPR
• National Board Certification
• Apple Distinguished Educator
• Reading specialist certification
• Google Certified Trainer
• Microsoft Certified Educator
• Early childhood education
• Special education

If you have a certification in teaching another language, like TEFL, include it in this section.

Languages

For a principal position, particularly in a diverse community, your language skills can make you a desirable candidate who can connect with the community and students. Include any other language you speak and your level of proficiency, such as Basic French, Conversational Spanish, Native Mandarin Speaker. If you have a certification in teaching another language, make sure to include it in the certifications section of your resume.