Business and organizations use resumes to screen potential candidates, so having a strong resume that presents a positive first impression can help you land an interview. Not only is content important, but the appearance and layout of your resume also make an impact. You resume should appear professional, neat and organized. A crowded, messy, poorly organized resume can be a visual turn-off to those in hiring positions. A resume's format is especially important for educators seeking jobs. Being well-organized in a classroom is an important teaching asset, and a resume can help create the image that you are an organized and efficient person.

Choose a font that has a traditional business look, such as Times New Roman or Arial. The font size should not be too small or too large. Use a 10- or 12-point font. It's also recommended that you use only one font in your resume. However, variations in bolding, italics and size can help emphasize and highlight certain details and make the resume more attractive.

Use uniform margins on all four sides of your resume. The margins should be 1 or 1.25 inches.

Start your resume with your personal information at the top of the page. Your name should be in bold and in a bigger font size than the rest of your resume. Include your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. You can add a line that separates your personal information from the rest of the resume.

Skip two to three spaces after your personal information and create a section titled "Profile." It's a good idea to bold or underline the title of each section. Each section title can also be left justified with the content underneath indented five spaces.

The Profile section summarizes your skills and assets related to teaching. Instead of writing in paragraph form, list each asset or skill with a bullet next to each phrase under the title.

List all your achievements under a new section called "Major Achievements." This should be right after the Profile section, with double-spacing between sections so that there's a clear delineation. Again, use bullets to point out and emphasize each achievement.

Discuss your employment history in the next part of your resume and label it "Professional Experience." Use reverse chronological order, which means you list your most recent job first. Include the job title, dates of employment and job location. Explain your duties and accomplishments for each position you list.

Outline your education and certifications related to teaching in the next section labeled "Education."