Principal Resume Examples
Land your desired job with help from our Principal resume examples! We’ve got high-quality samples, plus tips for organizing and writing each resume section.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Principal resume
summary examples
Did you know a recruiter spends an average of seven seconds scanning your resume?
You’ll have to grab their attention quickly when your resume lands in their hands, and the best way to do that is with a resume summary.
This resume introduction consists of two to three sentences summarizing the skills, qualifications and experiences that best show you’re perfect for the job.
Experienced applicants should opt for the professional summary. However, if you’re an inexperienced candidate applying for an entry-level position, you will benefit more from an objective statement.
You can list your most job-relevant skills with a resume objective and explain how they’ll help you achieve your professional goals.
Check out the following examples to determine which approach is right for you.
Good example:
“ Proven leader with 15+ years of experience driving operational excellence and delivering innovative solutions. Proven track record of successfully leading teams to exceed targets and improve customer satisfaction. Expert in developing efficient processes and procedures to ensure optimal water efficiency and cost savings.”
Why this example passes:
- Feature candidate’s success statistic to grab attention. Numbers add detail about how big the results you deliver are, e.g., test scores, passing rate and more.
- Shows career length, 11 years.
- Mentions employer-desired skills: student motivation and interactive lessons.
Bad example:
“ Experienced Principal with a passion for education. Possess excellent communication and organizational skills. Dedicated to helping students reach their full potential.”
Why this example fails:
- Doesn’t include any numbers that quantify principal’s performance
- Uses vague descriptions and skills.
- Doesn’t include years of teaching experience.
The fastest way to write your
professional summary
Showcase your selling points as a Principal with an attention-grabbing professional summary generated by our Resume Builder! It’s an automated tool that will suggest best-use phrases and content-rich sentences you can customize.
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Enter the details about the job title you held. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts.
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Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
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All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!
Our Resume Builder is an ideal solution to all your resume-writing needs, but did you know that LiveCareer also offers professional resume-writing services? Take advantage of all the tools we have at your disposal and land your dream Principal job!
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Principal resume work
experience examples
One of the most fundamental sections of your resume is the work experience. Including skills and accomplishments in your work experience section relevant to your Principal role is critical to writing a resume. Compare these work experience examples to understand what information to include to make a job-winning resume.
Good example:
Rolling Meadows Middle School I Rolling Meadows, IL I 8/2018-current
- Successfully implemented a school-wide system of data-driven instruction, resulting in a 10% increase in student achievement
- Established a culture of collaboration and professional development, leading to a 15% increase in teacher retention
- Developed and implemented a student mentorship program, resulting in a 25% decrease in student disciplinary incidents
- Established a system of community outreach and volunteerism, resulting in a 20% increase in community engagement with the school.
Why this example passes:
- Numbers and statistics add detail and quantify the results this principal delivers: 4% improvement and a class size of 20-25.
- Good use of strong words and active language.
- References specialized value cahier provides with “individualized lesson plans.”
Bad example:
Emily Dickinson Elementary I Redmond, WA I 4/2022-present
- Oversaw the daily operations of the school
- Managed staff and student interactions
- Dealt with parent inquiries
- Developed school policies and procedures.
Why this example fails:
- Lacks numbers or statistics.
- Describes general tasks, not teaching achievements or career highlights.
- Uses active verbs, but doesn’t focus on results.
Principal resume skills examples
Here are 18 sample skills for principal:
- School Administration
- Faculty Collaboration
- Fundraising
- Standardized Testing
- Group and individual instruction
- Elementary Education
- Curriculum Development
- Administrative Management
- Secondary Education
- Middle school education
- Lesson Planning
- Classroom Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Team Building
- Team Collaboration
- Staff Management
- Budget Administration
- Financial Leadership
You should sprinkle skills and abilities throughout your resume. Include them in your professional summary, work experience blurbs and a dedicated skills section.
Examples of additional resume sections
Your Principal resume must include five main sections: contact information, professional summary, work experience, skills and education. However, you can continue customizing your resume with additional sections for any other qualifications you possess.
Here are some examples of optional principal resume sections that you could add to provide greater detail:
- References
- Languages
- Additional skills
- Certifications
- Accomplishments
- Interests
- Professional skills
- Soft skills
Only include extra sections if they provide real value to your resume. Your resume should be brief and concise rather than long and redundant.
Examples of resume formats
A resume format refers to how a resume’s parts are organized. There are three resume formats: chronological, functional or combination.
The main difference among them is whether or not they give more visual weight to your work history or to your skills section. The format you should select for your resume is based on your years of work experience as a principal.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional formats
- Focus on skills.
- Best for first-time principal who lack work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination formats
- Balance skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career principal.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological formats
- Put the most focus on work history.
- Best for principal with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a principal resume template. Templates are preformatted layouts created by design professionals to ensure your resume looks amazing!
Don’t forget your principal cover letter
A cover letter works hand-in-hand with your resume to make a stronger case for why you deserve the job.
Principal must prove their attention to detail to hiring managers. Your cover letter is a better place to show your enthusiasm and personality than your resume alone.
A cover letter gives you an entire page to explain a little about yourself and what motivates you to want to be a Principal.
Writing a cover letter is much easier with our Cover Letter Generator! It features personalized phrases and text that you can select, add and edit in your cover letter.
You can find additional inspiration for your cover letter’s message with our cover letter examples and find a professional design in our cover letter templates library.
To understand how to write your document from scratch, check out our guide on How to Write a Cover Letter.
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