Assistant Principal Resume—Sample and 25+ Writing Tips

Schools are funny things. As much as they’re standardized, each one is unique. Each reflects its wider community and shines with its own, internal culture. An assistant principal is often the fulcrum between present needs and future goals.

A good fit is vital if you’re going to find fulfillment in your work and make a lasting impact. So make sure your assistant principal resume gives you the freedom to choose.

In this guide:

• An assistant principal resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect assistant principal job descriptions for your resume.
• How to write a resume for assistant principal positions that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing interview after interview.

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Thinking of getting back into teaching? Maybe you’re looking to make a sideways step into a new career? These are just some of our guides:

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• Substitute Teacher Resume—Examples
• Education Resume—Examples
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Assistant Principal Resume Sample

Now here’s how to write an assistant principal resume that gets results:

1. Start With the Right Assistant Principal Resume Format

One of the many hats you wear is that of an administrator. And if school district and government forms suddenly went free-form, your brain might just melt. So think of the people who’ll have to read your resume—

Make your resume format clean, clear, and logical. Here’s how:

Assistant Principal Resume Format

• Use the reverse-chronological resume format to show your most recent successes first.
• Choose a subtle resume font like Arial in 11–12 pt.
• Use one-inch margins for your resumeand leave plenty of white space throughout.
• Stick to a one-page resumeunless you have over 20 years’ experience. And if you do, limit yourself to two pages for your resume if at all possible.
• Use the basic five resume sections: Resume Header (Heading), Profile, Experience, Education, and Skills, and add one or two extra sections.
• Save your resume in PDF, it’ll help you avoid the compability and stability issues that come with using *.docx files.

Finally, be mindful of any requirements set out in the job ad. They might contradict the advice given here, especially when it comes to recommended file formats. In this case, follow the instructions in the job ad and submit your resume in the required format. Why?

Well, your resume might have to go through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), a computer program that scans and analyzes job applications. And some of these systems can't read PDF files. This is why you need to make sure your ATS resume is machine-readable and has the right file format.

2. Write a Compelling Assistant Principal Resume Profile

There are probably more hopefuls for each assistant principal position than you realize. So stand out with a resume profile that grabs recruiters’ attention.

Got experience as a school administrator? Then go with a resume (career) summary.

Use:

1. One adjective (efficient, dedicated, dynamic)
2. Job title (Assistant Principal)
3. Years of experience (5+, 7+)
4. What you hope to achieve (improve student outcomes)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (hired two new teachers without overreaching budget, lifted the school’s ranking by 11 positions in two years)

These assistant principal resume examples show how:

Assistant Principal Resume Examples—Resume Summary

Passionate assistant principal with 3+ years’ experience in school administration and 6+ years’ experience in teaching. Seeking opportunity to apply proven curriculum development and strategic planning skills in helping to improve student outcomes at St Margaret’s Elementary. At Tranton Elementary, reduced teacher turnover by 15% and increased staff PD opportunities by 66%.

Assistant principal with 3 years’ experience seeking opportunity to work at a prestigious school with less of a discipline problem. At Tranton Elementary, overhauled safety policies and procedures and mentored beginning teachers.

The first example is concrete and quantified. It’s also focused on what the candidate can do for the school, not the other way around.

What if you have no experience as an assistant principal? Write a resume (career) objective instead and focus on your teaching and other relevant experience.

Assistant Principal Resume Objective Examples

Passionate teacher with 6+ years’ experience in teaching and a Master’s in Educational Administration. Seeking opportunity to apply proven organizational skills in helping to improve student outcomes at St Margaret’s Elementary. At Ocean Lagoon Elementary, increased standardized test results by 5+ points and raised over $3,500 for the school’s Music and Drama departments.

No experience working as a school administrator, but very experienced as a teacher and quite involved in administrative tasks around the school. Looking to work in a calmer environment with less violence.

Both examples come from the same candidate, but it’s the first one that shows what they have to offer.

Stuck writing your resume profile? Here’s a trick: Write it last—it’ll be as easy as a snow day once you have your job descriptions and skills section done.

3. Create the Perfect Assistant Principal Job Descriptions and Skills Section

Show you can do it by showing you’ve done it before. Make your resume work history into a showcase of past accomplishments, not duties.

How to write a job description for an assistant principal:

1. Re-read the job ad one more time.
2. Note any mentions of assistant principal skills and duties.
3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to bring benefits to your school.
4. Write resume bullet points that describe and quantify those achievements.

These assistant principal resume examples show how:

Assistant Principal Resume Job Descriptions

Assistant Principal

Tranton Elementary School, Virginia Beach, VA

June 2018–present

• Increased professional development opportunities for staff by 66% over two years.
• Overhauled safety policies and procedures, reducing the number of reportable incidents by 25%.
• Spearheaded push for more relevant IT instruction in the curriculum, boosting standardized test scores by over 50 points across grades 4–7.
• Mentored beginning teachers, reducing turnover by 15%.

Assistant Principal

Tranton Elementary School, Virginia Beach, VA

2018–present

• Increased professional development opportunities for staff.
• Overhauled safety policies and procedures.
• Spearheaded push for more relevant IT instruction in the curriculum.
• Mentored beginning teachers.

Subtle change, big impact. Both examples make good use of resume power words, but that’s not enough. Nothing inspires confidence like concrete, quantified accomplishments.

Something else that inspires confidence:

Well-targeted skills to put on a resume. “Targeting” is as much about what you leave out as what you put in. Be selective and be sure to cover everything mentioned in the job ad.

Here are some examples to get the ball rolling:

Skills for an Assistant Principle Resume

Hard Skills

• Strategic planning
• Customer relationship management
• ERP systems
• Professional development
• Lesson planning
• Financial reporting
• Public accounting
• Curriculum development
• Account reconciliation
• Financial statements

Soft Skills

• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Creative problem solving
• Crisis management
• Organization
• Administration
• Time management
• Project management
• Decision making
• Coordination

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4. Make Your Education Section Work as Hard for You as You Worked to Get It

Educational administration is a constantly evolving field. Do your education justice by keeping your resume education section clean and on-point:

List your degrees (with majors), school names, and graduation dates. Then add bullet points that show your suitability for the role. This assistant principal resume example shows how:

Assistant Principal Resume Sample Education Section

Master in Educational Administration

South University, Virginia Beach, VA

Graduated: 2018

• Pursued a passion for public accounting coursework.
• Recipient of merit-based partial scholarship.

B.Ed. in Elementary Education

Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

Graduated: 2015

• Maintained a 3.94 GPA.
• Volunteered in student childcare program in junior and senior years.

Short on educational administrator experience? Include more bullet points on projects, relevant coursework, and accomplishments that show assistant principal skills nonetheless.

5. Boost Your Assistant Principal Resume With Added Sections

What you do isn’t easy—And no one else does it quite like you. So don’t expect the bare minimum resume sections to paint a full portrait of you as an assistant principal.

Add one or two extra sections to fill in missing details:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Personal Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications on a Resume
• Professional References

These two assistant principal resume examples show present vs truant:

Assistant Principal Resume Examples—Additional Sections

Certifications

• Administration and supervision preK-12 (8VAC20-23-620)
• Emergency First Aid, CPR, and AED, American Red Cross

Professional Memberships

• The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

Interests

• Live streaming
• Drifting
• Horseback riding

Professional Memberships

• NAESP
• ASCD

The first one obeys the cardinal rule. Everything you add to your resume has to be directly relevant to the job ad.

One last sprint before the finish line: You’ll need to write cover letter to go with your assistant principal resume. Your only out here is if you’ve been explicitly asked not to include one.

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Key Points

For an assistant principal resume that gets you out of yard duty:

• Use the assistant principal resume sample up top. It’s based on a proven approach.
• Put assistant principal achievementsin your resume profile, work history, and education sections to show you’ve got the right skills.
• Be selective when listing assistant principal skills. This means looking through the job ad to figure out what’s most important for that particular school.
• Write an assistant principal cover letter. Use it to showcase your achievements and billboard your suitability for the role.

Got some lingering questions on how to write an assistant principal resume that gets top marks? Leave us a comment down below and we’ll be glad to get back to you.

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