At OneTeacher, an organization that works to place teachers and administrators at Title I schools in Arizona, Nina [Glatt] Tinsley (Phoenix ’07) has reviewed more than 100,000 resumés while working as a director of outreach and now the senior director of marketing and development.

We asked Tinsley: What are the most common resumé mistakes that you see?

Lack of Data

I want to see numbers. It could be student achievement data, how you did on teacher evaluations, just something to show that you’re achievement-minded.

Gaps in Job History

One thing that raises questions is gaps in your job history. If you have taken a true leave from the workforce for a good reason, perhaps to raise a child, then put that in your resumé and explain it. You don’t need to be cute about it—manager of the home, domestic goddess—just explain it.

Misrepresenting Longevity

If you list all the jobs at one company separately, it can look at first glance as if you skipped from job to job. Put the company on one line, then list your roles there as subheadings.

Segmenting Your Corps Service

There’s also a mistake that TFA alumni in particular make. They include institute separately as “Teach For America,” then they include their teaching job during the corps without mention of their TFA corps commitment. It makes me wonder, did you quit after institute? You can do it a few different ways, just make it clear that you were a corps member who taught for the duration of the two-year commitment.