Read on my website / Read time: 4 minutes

Let me say this with love.

Your resume probably sounds way too basic.

Not because you are basic.

Because you are leaving out the good stuff.

A lot of teachers write their resumes like their only job was to teach lessons, grade papers, and support students.

And yes, obviously, you did those things.

But that is not the whole story.

What about the committee you somehow ended up running?

The new teacher you basically onboarded for free?

The spreadsheet you built because the school’s system was a mess?

The parent communication process you created because everyone was confused?

The curriculum resources people kept asking you to share?

The event you planned?

The schedule you fixed?

The team meeting you quietly took over because otherwise nothing was getting done?

That is THE stuff.

That is the "grown-up" work.

That is the proof that you can lead, organize, communicate, solve problems, build systems, manage people, and make things better without someone holding your hand.

So today, we are building your brag bank.

Not because you need to become full of yourself.

Because you need to stop making your career sound so "like everyone else."

The Challenge We're Solving Today

The challenge is this:

You are probably forgetting half the work you have actually done.

Not the official job description stuff.

The extra stuff.

The “somebody had to do it, so I did it” stuff.

The “this was technically not my job, but it made everyone’s life easier” stuff.

The “I did not get paid extra for this, but it absolutely proves I can handle more than a classroom” stuff.

That is the work we need to capture.

Because when you move into a career outside the classroom, hiring managers need more than:

“I taught third grade.”

They need to see that you have done real operational, strategic, collaborative, leadership-level work.

And I know you have.

You just might not have called it that yet.

Why This Matters to You

Here is the problem with being a capable teacher:

A lot of your best work became normal to you.

You handled chaos
fixed problems
supported adults
trained people
organized messy systems
created resources
led initiatives...

Then when it was time to write your resume, you acted like none of that counted because it was not a formal title.

Nope.

We are not doing that.

Corporate candidates talk about special projects, process improvements, stakeholder communication, onboarding, team leadership, documentation, training, operations, and cross-functional collaboration.

Teachers do those things all the time.

They just bury them under “other duties as assigned.”

Your brag bank helps you pull those memories together before you start writing your resume, LinkedIn, networking messages, or interview stories.

Because your memory will betray you.

Your proof will not.

Common Solutions and Why They Might Not Work

Most people jump straight into rewriting their resume.

That is why they get stuck.

They sit down, stare at the screen, and suddenly forget every impressive thing they have ever done.

So they write:

“Collaborated with colleagues.”

Friend. No.

What did you actually do?

Did you create the agenda?

Organize the shared drive?

Build the planning template?

Train the new hire?

Talk the team off the ledge?

Get everyone aligned when the process was a hot mess?

That is the brag.

Another mistake is only focusing on student achievement.

Yes, student impact matters.

But for your career change, I want you to look beyond test scores and classroom outcomes.

I want the extras.

The leadership.

The initiative.

The adult communication.

The systems.

The planning.

The invisible work that made the school function better.

That is where a lot of your transferable experience is hiding.

A Better Approach for You

Before you touch your resume, open a blank document and title it:

My Brag Bank

Then start dropping in proof.

🛑Do not make it pretty.

🛑Do not worry about resume wording yet.

✅Just collect the things you have done that show you are capable of more than the job description.

Here are plug-and-play brags you can steal, tweak, or use as prompts.

Plug-and-Play Brags for Your Brag Bank

If you helped new teachers, student teachers, or long-term subs:

Use these if people came to you because you knew how things worked.

• Helped onboard new team members by sharing school procedures, planning resources, classroom systems, and informal guidance.
• Created templates, checklists, or shared resources to help new staff get up to speed faster.
• Served as a go-to support person for new teachers navigating curriculum, communication expectations, and daily operations.
• Modeled processes, routines, or instructional systems for colleagues who needed additional support.
• Helped long-term substitutes understand team expectations, student needs, planning systems, and school processes.

That is not “being helpful.”

That is onboarding, training, knowledge transfer, and team support.

If you created resources other adults used:

Use these if your materials did not just stay in your classroom.

• Developed shared resources, templates, or planning materials used by colleagues across the team or department.
• Created instructional guides, communication templates, or process documents to make team workflows more consistent.
• Organized shared materials into a clear system so team members could access and use resources more efficiently.
• Built reusable templates that reduced planning time and improved consistency across classrooms.
• Created documentation that helped colleagues follow expectations, deadlines, or school-wide processes.

That is not “I made a cute template.”

That is documentation, process improvement, and operational support.

If you led or participated in a committee:

Use these if you were part of a group that actually had to get things done.

• Coordinated committee tasks, timelines, communication, or deliverables to support a school-wide initiative.
• Helped plan and execute a school event, program, rollout, or improvement effort.
• Collaborated with staff across grade levels, departments, or roles to solve a shared problem.
• Took ownership of follow-up tasks, communication, or organization to keep the committee moving.
• Helped turn broad ideas into clear next steps, resources, timelines, or action items.

That is not “served on a committee.”

That is project coordination and cross-functional collaboration.

If you planned events, programs, clubs, or activities:

Use these if you organized anything with moving parts.

• Planned and coordinated events involving students, families, staff, vendors, volunteers, or community partners.
• Managed logistics, communication, schedules, materials, and follow-up for school programs or events.
• Organized participation, resources, and timelines to ensure events ran smoothly.
• Partnered with multiple stakeholders to coordinate event details and solve problems in real time.
• Created communication materials, sign-ups, schedules, or instructions to support successful event execution.

That is not “helped with family night.”

That is logistics, stakeholder management, and execution.

If you fixed a messy process:

Use these if you saw something was inefficient and made it better.

• Identified a recurring workflow issue and created a simpler process to improve consistency.
• Built a tracking system to organize information, deadlines, follow-ups, or team responsibilities.
• Improved communication flow by creating templates, reminders, shared documents, or clearer expectations.
• Streamlined a repetitive task by creating a reusable system or resource.
• Organized scattered information into a central location so others could find what they needed faster.

That is not “I like being organized.”

That is operations and process improvement.

If you were the unofficial point person:

Use these if people always came to you for help, answers, or problem-solving.

• Served as an informal point person for team questions, resources, procedures, or problem-solving.
• Supported colleagues by clarifying expectations, sharing resources, and helping troubleshoot challenges.
• Became a trusted resource for navigating school systems, team processes, or communication needs.
• Helped colleagues solve day-to-day operational issues and keep work moving.
• Provided informal leadership by helping the team stay organized, aligned, and prepared.

That is not “people asked me stuff.”

That is informal leadership.

If you handled family or community communication:

Use these if you managed adult relationships, not just student updates.

• Managed ongoing communication with families to clarify expectations, resolve concerns, and build trust.
• Created communication templates, newsletters, updates, or systems to keep stakeholders informed.
• Handled sensitive conversations with professionalism, empathy, and clear follow-through.
• Translated complex information into clear, accessible messages for families or community members.
• Coordinated communication between families, staff, administrators, or support teams to resolve issues.

That is not “called parents.”

That is stakeholder communication and relationship management.

If you trained, presented, or shared knowledge with adults:

Use these if you taught adults anything, formally or informally.

• Facilitated team discussions, staff learning, or informal training on tools, systems, curriculum, or processes.
• Created how-to resources or walkthroughs to help colleagues use systems more effectively.
• Presented information to staff, families, or teams in a clear and organized way.
• Supported adult learning by breaking down complex processes into practical steps.
• Shared best practices, resources, or systems that improved team consistency.

That is not “I showed someone how to do something.”

That is training and enablement.

If you worked with admin, specialists, counselors, or outside partners:

Use these if you had to coordinate across roles.

• Collaborated with administrators, specialists, counselors, or support staff to align on plans, communication, and next steps.
• Coordinated across multiple stakeholders to support shared goals and solve complex problems.
• Helped manage follow-up, documentation, and communication between different teams.
• Participated in problem-solving conversations that required discretion, organization, and clear action steps.
• Balanced input from multiple stakeholders while keeping work focused and moving forward.

That is not “I went to meetings.”

That is cross-functional collaboration.

The “Weirdly Proud Of” Section

This might be the most important part of the whole brag bank.

Because some of your best examples will not come from awards, titles, or official leadership roles.

They will come from the moments where you think:

“Honestly? I handled that really well.”

Write those down.

Here are some prompts:

• The time everyone was confused, so you made the document.
• The time a process was a mess, so you created a better one.
• The time a new teacher was struggling, so you helped them survive the first month.
• The time admin trusted you with something sensitive.
• The time your team kept using the thing you made.
• The time you became the person people went to for answers.
• The time you solved a problem before it became a bigger problem.
• The time you kept a project, event, or team moving when nobody else was really leading it.
• The time you communicated something clearly that other people were overcomplicating.
• The time you made life easier for everyone and no one officially recognized it.

That stuff counts.

Honestly, a lot of that stuff is more useful for your career change than another bullet about lesson planning.

Because it shows how you operate.

And companies care a lot about how you operate.

Summary

• Your resume is leaving out some of your strongest experience.
• Do not only focus on student achievement.
• Look for the extra work that shows leadership, initiative, communication, organization, and problem-solving.
• Your brag bank should capture the things you built, fixed, led, organized, documented, improved, and supported.
• The work that felt “normal” to you may be exactly what makes you credible for a new role.

Your Next Steps

Open a blank document and make three sections:

1. Things I built
2. Things I fixed
3. Things I am weirdly proud of

Then brain dump for 20 minutes.

Do not edit.

Do not make it sound fancy.

Do not worry if it belongs on your resume yet.

Just get the thoughts out of your head and onto the page.

Because once you see it all in one place, you are going to realize something:

You were not “just a teacher.”

You were already doing the kind of grown-up work companies hire people to do.

You just need to start talking about it that way.

Quick Question for You

If you're reading this via email, hit reply to this message and tell me this:

What’s one “extra” thing you did this year that would never show up in your job description?

I read every reply. Even if I can't respond to every person, I internalize what you share. 

If you're reading this on my website, click here to start getting these via email so we can chat.

P.s.

Inside my Career Change Accelerator™,  I help you take all of this experience, the extra work nobody gave you enough credit for, and turn it into your career change strategy.

You need to see what you have already done, organize it, and explain it in a way hiring teams actually understand. That's the whole point.

That's all for this week. 

Hope you'll give this a try. 

Seriously. This is my favorite newsletter I've ever written.

Steph Yesil

Find me on LinkedIn, Get My Career Change Kit, 
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