Professor Resume Example & Writing Guide (10 Steps)

professor resume examples
Created by CakeResume

A college professor is often in charge of the following tasks:

  • Keeping track of students’ academic performance.
  • Creating syllabus and guidelines for undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Furthering their research in their academic fields.

College professors must not be confused with lecturers. A lecturer usually has another job and is paid to teach a specific course, whereas professors usually pursue academic careers that lead to tenure.

Whether you are applying as a college professor, an adjunct professor, or an adjunct instructor, a CV or a dazzling professor resume will significantly assist you in your job hunt and possibly make you stand out among other professors.

Resumes often showcase the most important traits of yours, so it’s essential to know what to put on them. A CV, or curriculum vitae, is a detailed summary of your affiliations, research, and accomplishments in a certain sector that is typically used for academic or scientific purposes.

Here, we highlight 10 important steps to crafting a professional resume for professors.

Step 1: The ideal format for a professor resume

The first step is to choose a fitting format for your resume. Here are three of the most common resume formats for professors :

Chronological resume format

The chronological resume format highlights your previous roles in reverse chronological order, meaning the latest ones are on the top and the older ones are at the bottom. 

✅  Pros

  • A list of relevant posts makes you more goal-oriented
  • Very searchable in ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
  • Suitable for any career

❌  Cons

  • It shows possible gaps between different jobs

Functional resume format

This professor resume format stresses your skills rather than your experience. 

✅  Pros

  • Suitable for college professor resume with little to no experience
  • It hides possible gap years
  • It showcases your specialization

❌  Cons

  • It overshadows your experience
  • Not easily detected in ATS

Combinational resume format

The combination resume, as the name suggests, presents a combination of your skills and your previous positions.

✅  Pros

  • It showcases strong competence and relevant experience
  • It is ideal for those who are changing their career paths

❌  Cons

  • Too redundant and possibly lengthy
  • Less visible in ATS

💡 Tips: The chronological resume format is the most suitable format for a professor resume because of its utility and practicality.

Step 2: Start with contact information and basic personal details

Just like writing a CV for a faculty position, make sure you include the most important contact information and personal information on your professor resume.

The must-included information on a resume for professors includes:

  • Your full name
  • E-mail address
  • Phone number

Other optional details to include on a college professor resume are:

  • Address
  • Linkedin URL
  • Personal website

⚠ Here are things you should avoid on a professor resume:

  • Date of birth
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religion or belief
  • Marital status and dependency
  • Expected/current salary

Step 3: Create an intriguing resume title for a professor

The importance of a resume title in catching the attention of recruiters cannot be overstated. A good title for a professor's resume should be a clear indication of who you are and what you've accomplished. 

Here are 3 tips for writing a resume title in a professor resume:

  1. Use positive words:

A resume title is something that the recruiters will see at first sight, thus it’s important to give them your first impression by using positive words.

  1. Highlight your strengths:

Include the most eye-catching achievement you’ve previously had.

  1. Put the title on the top of your professor resume:

The title should be placed at an easy-to-spot place

Examples of a good resume title in a professor resume:

  • An outstanding professor in history with 10 years of excellence
  • An insightful professor with 30 years of research in neuroscience
  • Professor in linguistics, fluent in 5 languages

Step 4: Craft a professional resume summary for professors

A resume summary is a description of yourself, your relevant experience, and your skills. The text itself should not be longer than 3 sentences. 

On the contrary, a resume objective is a short statement that explains the objectives of your career path. For those who are writing a resume for professor jobs as freshers, it is suggested to opt for “career objective” instead of “resume summary”.

3 essential things are recommended to include in a summary statement for a professor resume:

  1. Your hard skills (technical skills)
  2. Your soft skills (common/core skills)
  3. Your achievements/experience

Examples of resume summaries for a professor:

  • Professor of history with more than 10 years of experience in teaching and researching. Has a deep understanding of the historical methodology and can instruct in 3 languages.
  • A professor and researcher specializing in linguistics with more than 5 years of experience. Have verifiable achievement in the research of cognitive function and language acquisition. 
  • Professor of cognitive neuroscience, with excellent research and teaching skills. Have cooperated with XYZ Corporation and demonstrated my expertise.

Step 5: Include skills relevant to the job

The skill section is an indispensable part of a college professor resume and a professor CV because it showcases what you are good at. 

As for the many different skill-listing formats, here are some of the most important ones:

  • Bullet list
    A list of skills in bullet points
  • Expanded bullet lists
    A list of skills in bullet points with headings/categories
  • Integrated with work experience
    Integrate your skills in the experience section
  • Categorized skills section
    Put your skills in the corresponding category (ie. personal skills and professional skills)

For reference, here are some skills you can include in your college professor resume:

Hard skills for a professor resume:

  • Foreign languages
  • Holding to PhDs
  • Using resources correctly and appropriately
  • Public speaking
  • Academic writing
  • Fast reading
  • Proofreading
  • Lesson planning
  • Research ability
  • Giving instruction

Soft skills for a professor resume:

  • Strong verbal communication
  • Critical thinking
  • Patience
  • Problem-solving
  • Academic integrity
  • Organization
  • Flexibility
  • Adaptability
  •  Management
  • Ability to take criticism

Other relevant skills for a professor resume:

  • Time management
  • Adept in Java
  • Positivity
  • Computer programming
  • Compassion
  • Typing speed
  • Empathy
  • Copywriting
  • Creativity
  • SEO

Step 6: Highlight your best experience and accomplishments

Recruiters use your work experience to determine whether you are qualified for the post Hence, highlighting your experience will significantly boost your professor resume.

With that in mind, here are 5 key elements to include in the experience section on a resume for professors:

  • The location of the organizations where you previously worked
  • State of the organizations
  • The title of your positions
  • The period of your positions
  • Your duties in the previous positions

💡 For the “work experience & accomplishments” section, please do:

  1. Tailor to the job: Make the experience more fitting for the position.
  2. Add quantifiable results: Use numbers instead of words.
  3. Use action verbs: Strong verbs and adjectives.

Examples of the “experience & accomplishments” for a professor resume:

University of Westfield, New Jersey
Professor of History (August 2013 - March 2021)

  • Taught in-depth medieval European history for graduate students.
  • Instructed, reviewed, and revised students’ dissertations and assignments.
  • Held presentations in 15 countries through the University Bilateral Program (UBP).

The University of California, Santa Cruz, California
Professor of Linguistics (July 2011 - March 2018)

  • Organized lectures; reviewed and revised syllabus.
  • Published 3 publications in collaboration with La Palma University of Science.

Step 7: List educational qualifications

When adding education to a professor's resume or a professor CV, keep in mind that only the higher education institution that provided the degree should be listed. 

These 5 crucial things to include in the education section on your professor resume:

  1. Your degree 
  2. Your majors
  3. The year of graduation
  4. The schools you have attended
  5. "Honors & Awards" you have earned

Depending on how many years of experience you have, you want to place your education qualifications either on the top or at the bottom of your professor resume.

📍 For freshers: place your education qualifications after the objective/summary on your professor resume.

📍 For the experienced: consider placing at the bottom of your professor resume, after the work experience section.

As for high school, ongoing, and incomplete education on a professor resume, here’s how to tackle them:

High school education on a college professor resume

Rancho Cucamonga High School (CA, U.S.)
2014 - 2017

  • GPA: 3.7/4.3
  • Honors & Awards: 
    • High School Spelling Bee - Second Place
  • Extracurricular activities: 
    • Volunteered in Myanmar
    • Taught math at a local math club

📝 High school education can be omitted if you possess a degree of higher education.

Education in progress on a professor resume

B.A. in Pedagogy (in progress), The University of Westfield

📝 If the study is still ongoing, add the phrase “in progress” right after your study. 

Incomplete education on a professor resume

B.A. in Hungarian Studies, The University of Budapest
2016 - 2019, completed 180 ECTS

📝 If you somehow didn’t finish your education, don’t worry. Put the date when you attended the school and add all credits that you had collected for the finishing touch.

Step 8: Add an extra section to highlight personal strengths

On the “extra” section of your professor resume, include these 5 important elements:

  • Hobbies and interests
    Your pastimes can complement your work. For instance: learning a foreign language or writing a blog.
  • Volunteer work
    If you have volunteer work that benefited others such as volunteer teaching.
  • Certifications and awards
    If you or your work has received recognition from others. For example, earning the International Linguapax Award. 
  • Projects
    If you have projects alongside your career, such as the revitalization of minority languages or writing a book.
  • References
    References are professionals with whom you’ve previously collaborated. You ought to include their names, positions, contact information, and your relationship with them. 

Example of a reference section on a resume:

Mr. Bob Kowalski

Title: Professor in Linguistics
Company: UC Santa Cruz, California
Email Address: [email protected]
Phone Number: 03847567284

🌟 These 5 traits will potentially make you stand out among other candidates. Make sure they are all relevant to the position you are applying for. 

Step 9: Craft a convincing professor cover letter

cover letter restates your motivation and prospects for the job, it should be no more than one page. Key information to include on a cover letter for professors includes:

  • Contact details: Your full name, phone number, and short address.
  • Introduction: Be polite and greet the recruiter, then state your enthusiasm for the position.
  • Motivation (Intention to apply): State the reasons for your application and your prospects.
  • Qualification: Add relevant qualifications that would boost your professor cover letter
  • Closing: Thank the recruiter for taking his or her time to read your cover letter.

Step 10: College professor resume with no experience [extra tips!]

If your experience is insufficient, here is some advice on what to write on a college professor resume with no experience:

  • Choose the right resume format
    As mentioned before, the functional resume format is suitable for professors with little to no experience, thus it is the optimal one to go for in this situation.
  • Adopt a career objective
    A resume objective for professors can make you and your resume both impact-oriented and goal-oriented.
  • Highlight your education
    Education is something that leverages you. If you have very little experience, your education might well just cover that.
  • Include your publication
    If you have publications, make sure to highlight them as well. The more, the merrier. 
  • Write a sincere professor cover letter
    A sincere professor cover letter shows your ambition and motivation for your application. It is a must if you have little experience.

CakeResume provides the best professor resume templates & examples for talents to demonstrate qualifications. Let us help you land the dream as a professor with a strong resume (free download)!

Professor Resume Sample (in Text)

Paul Anderson

Professor of Climatology

E-mail: [email protected]
Location: London, UK
Phone number: +41 345667899
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/anderson

Professional Summary

Professor of climatology with more than 10 years of experience in teaching graduate students and researching. Has a deep understanding of the arctic and the subarctic climate in the changing world and can instruct in 3 languages.

Work Experience

UC Santa Cruz, California
Professor of Hydrology and Climatology

2015 - 2020

  • Supervisor at the school of atmospheric and oceanic science, in charge of consultation, proofreading, and thesis review
  • Led a group of 50 students at the National Meteorological Institute Berkeley
  • Designed syllabi for undergraduate students

UC Bishop, New York
Assistant professor of Climatology

2012 - 2015

  • Conducted research in climatology
  • Responsible for teaching a supervising students

Education

BSc in Earth Science - University of Alberta (Alberta, Canada)
07. 2005 to 06. 2008

  • GPA: 4

MSc in Climatology - University of Alberta (Alberta, Canada)
10. 2008 to 05. 2010

  • GPA 3.8

Ph.D. in Climatology - University of Alberta (Alberta, Canada)
05. 2011 to 06. 2013

Skills

  • Public Speaking
  • Fluent in 3 languages
  • Academic writing in 3 languages
  • In-depth knowledge of historical methodology
  • Strong leadership and discipline that ensure more effective learning
  • Strong research skills, published up to 10 publications
  • Excellent critical thinking ability
  • Able to organize strong and flexible syllabus

--- Originally written by Yu-Jen Shih ---

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