Today, Ali and JoDee are talking with Kelsie Marks, a former preschool teacher and school counselor who now works as the Director of Resume Services at Educated Exit. Together, they’ll discuss the biggest mistakes teachers make in the resume process, LinkedIn best practices, and the 3 types of people you should be connecting with on LinkedIn.
Connect with Kelsie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsie-marks-65601b95/
Website: https://educatedexit.com/
Connect with Ali and JoDee:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachershift
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachershift
Teacher Shift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-shift
Ali’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisimon/
JoDee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodeescissors/
Website
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/
Episode Transcriptions
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/blog
Today, Ali and JoDee are talking with Kelsie Marks, a former preschool teacher and school counselor who now works as the Director of Resume Services at Educated Exit. Together, they’ll discuss the biggest mistakes teachers make in the resume process, LinkedIn best practices, and the 3 types of people you should be connecting with on LinkedIn.
Connect with Kelsie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsie-marks-65601b95/
Website: https://educatedexit.com/
Connect with Ali and JoDee:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachershift
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachershift
Teacher Shift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-shift
Ali’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisimon/
JoDee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodeescissors/
Website
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/
Episode Transcriptions
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/blog
Ali 0:05
Teachers are natural innovators, entertainers and problem solvers. They dream of growing old into the profession, teaching their kids kids. But sometimes career goals shift or change, and that makes opportunities outside of the classroom seem intangible questioning who am I, if I'm not a teacher? I'm your host, Alexandra Simon.
JoDee 0:31
And I'm your co host, JoDee Scissors.
Ali 0:34
This is The Great Teacher Resignation.
Today, our guest is Kelsie Marks. Kelsie is a former preschool teacher and school counselor. Her passion for helping people has driven Kelsie to support educators looking to advance their careers outside the classroom. As the director of resume services at Educatedexit.com, Kelsie strives to empower educators to understand the value of their transferable skills. Welcome to the show today, Kelsie.
Kelsie 1:09
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Ali 1:12
We are really excited to have you on the show, too. Let's start off by asking when did you know you were ready to leave the classroom and begin helping teachers advance their careers?
Kelsie 1:22
Oh, wow, that is a loaded question from the get go. For me, it was very slow over time. I spent two and a half years as a preschool teacher. I spent, you know, two and a half years as a school counselor. Five years in education in total. And really, for me, when I had first left the classroom, I went into ed tech. And I've talked about this a little on my LinkedIn profile, as well as previous podcasts, where I kind of just made the jump. I made the jump...very traditional jump from education to edtech. And it really wasn't for me. I really struggled in my position. I loved the company that I worked for. I loved the team I was on. But ultimately, like I didn't do enough soul searching as to who I was without education in my life. And that's one of the biggest things that I see teachers struggling with now is their whole identity is wrapped up in being a teacher, being a school counselor being a principal, being an educator in general. And I know for me, after I made the transition, I really struggled with imposter syndrome. I really struggled to figure out who I was. And I was presented with an opportunity to leave my edtech position and move with my husband across the country to Dallas, Texas. And I really took 18 months to figure out who I was. Who is Kelsie, besides an educator? Because I had been working with students or kids in general, in some capacities since I was 18. And at that point, I was 29 years old. So a long time. And I just really needed to kind of explore who I was what my values were, and really figure out what makes me happy at the end of the day, and how I can use my skills that I've gained from my time in education to really help others, whatever that looked like.
JoDee 3:28
I think a lot of teachers feel that same sense of wanting to continue to help others. But I also feel like a lot of times they're at this place where they just want to get out and they don't take the time to explore who they are, discover their identity. And what Ali and I call here, on the podcast, is the teacher brain and all those transferable skills, and what makes you unique, and what you can bring to another company. So we haven't heard that story yet where someone transitions and they find it's not the right fit. And then they move along. And I think that that's a very authentic journey that you just shared with us is that you did make the jump, you figure it out.
Kelsie 4:16
Yeah, I'm not ashamed of my journey at all. And I actually see myself in so many educators. Because like I said, I've been working with students or kids in some capacities since I was 18. Like I didn't explore other career options. I didn't know what my other options were. And so when I came to that place in life, where I was able to really say like, I want to do something else. I didn't know how much I could actually do.
Ali 4:44
We find that a lot of teachers question what skills they can bring outside of the classroom. But I think all three of us would agree that the teacher brain skills transfer to so many fields. So I kind of want to jump into your role now as a director of resume services. Can you tell us what the common mistakes you see on resumes for teachers transitioning outside of the classroom? And how they could better apply their teacher brain skills to a resume?
Kelsie 5:13
Sure. So at Educated Exit, we write resumes with a sales and marketing focus. So I focus on one page resumes, specifically tailored to the idea of selling your transferable skills to the next buyer. Which essentially means how can a teacher sell their transferable skills to an employer and ultimately answer the question, what's in it for the employer once they hire me. Because we know that teachers, educators in general, have vast knowledge in so many transferable skill areas that they can affect so much change in other organizations. They just need to understand how to articulate that on a resume. And how to essentially communicate that in the corporate jargon and not the teacher jargon. And I would say the some of the biggest mistakes that I see teachers make are using that teacher jargon, right? So your RTI, your IEP, PBIS. People outside the education sphere, don't know what those acronyms mean. So it's important that we kind of, I don't want to say dumb it down, but we translate that for those people. Because that's important in selling your transferable skill set, right? You. you need to be able to articulate what you do. And I would say the next biggest mistake that I see is teachers putting too much on a resume. At Educated Exit, we define a resume as a one page marketing document. That marketing document is there to elicit feelings, elicit curiosity, and lead you to an interview. You don't need to tell your life story on it. So one of the things that I see teachers doing often is wanting to put all these awards on their resume. And awards are great. They are huge accomplishments that you should be proud of. But things like campus kindness awards, or best dressed teacher awards, those type of things don't belong on your resume. I'm very proud of you that you earned those things. But ultimately, you need to be answering the question, what's in it for the employer when they hire me?
JoDee 7:35
Those are really excellent tips and a lot of the questions that we get because we are trained with certain jargon. And it's not just when we begin the profession. But when you were being educated through a system, you are also taught that same jargon. And when you write a teacher resume, you're expected to know that jargon. And so I think that that's kind of a tip in which we kind of have to unpack what we know about how we write resumes and rethink it in relation to whatever job we might be applying to. And I like that you're very specific. You kind of have like a specific area that you focus on. And I'm curious when you are working on resumes, like sales, what tips do you give to a teacher? What should they consider when exploring those jobs before they even start the resume process?
Kelsie 8:29
Anytime a teacher comes to me and says, I'm interested in x area: sales, instructional design customer success. I always ask them have you read job postings in that area? Because what you're going to find is once you've read 5, 10 job postings as a introductory sales rep or entry level customer success manager, whatever type of position you're going for, they're gonna start to use the same language over and over again, right? So really honing in on one specific job, in one specific industry is very important. Because one of the things that I see teachers do is the spray and pray method, where they are applying to 10 different types of positions in 10 different industries, and they're not getting any interviews, and then they're getting frustrated. So when you hone in on one specific type of position in one specific type of industry, and you're regularly reading job postings for those types of positions. You're going to see the same keywords come up over and over again. Those are the keywords that you should be using in your resume. And I always tell people, print the job postings and highlight what you think are the key words. That's how I learned to do keyword research when I was trying to essentially build resumes from the ground up. And that's how I teach a lot of other people. Print, highlight, come back, reread it.
Ali 9:58
And Kelsey, you highlighted some things that you talk about on LinkedIn, which is how I discovered you. I think you give really great advice. And it's the spray and pray. But also teachers sometimes just have this idea that they have to go into something like edtech or something education related. And so I think your advice about reading job postings is really great because it can help you discover what other roles are out there that you might be interested in, and that you might be a good fit for. And really help figure out where you belong. Like that everybody who's a teacher should go into edtech. That would not have been a good space for me. Like I can tell you based on my personality that wouldn't be great place for me. I'm a project manager. And so program manager, project manager, those are the types of job descriptions that I would look for if I was going to revamp my resume. It details the job, and it has those keywords for the resume. So I think it's a great way to also explore like, what other options are out there too for you as an educator. One thing comes to mind that teachers sometimes feel concerned about how they can put on their resume and transfer that to the outside world is teaching experience. How does that set you up to be a great candidate for other roles? And how can we demonstrate that on our resume?
Kelsie 11:18
Sure, so teaching is not just the act of teaching. I think we can all agree with that. Right? Like teaching is leadership. Teaching is guiding. Teaching is mentorship. Teaching is so many other things than just standing up there in front of the whiteboard teaching, right? So in terms of demonstrating that on a resume, it's really going to come down to what type of job you're applying for. But ultimately, what those resume keywords are, because even once you're reading through those job postings, you want to tie in those keywords to your resume. Right? So let's say a sales resume talks about organizational leadership. What does a teacher do all day? She provides organizing...he or she I should say provides organizational leadership. One of the things that I often put on resumes, when the job posting asks for organizational leadership skills, are sentences like, organizational leader capable of communicating cross departmentally, or capable of communicating cross culturally. That's essentially what a teacher is doing on a school campus every day. But a lot of times they don't think to word it in that verbiage.
JoDee 12:33
That is a craft for language. All the tips that you're giving right now are so teacher brain. Just like how explicit you are, how you're, you're breaking everything down for everyone. I really liked that about your approach. If I was seeking resume help, it would make me feel more comfortable because you have that educator lens. And you're approaching people from an educator perspective, when it comes to supporting them and helping them grow their resume building skills. Something that I wanted to talk about today, too, is that, you know, Ali and I were recently out South By and we met a lot of teachers. And a lot of teachers did not have any way to share with us how to get in touch with them. They didn't have those like basic networking skills or tools to share how to collaborate with them, or share their work with us. You know, we meet professionals all across the conference that have business cards. They have the little app that you can scan their LinkedIn QR code. They didn't have those little things. What do you say about the relationship between having your resume, but also having basic tools like LinkedIn, or business cards, or some way to reach them, and land a job with those little bits of things along the way?
Kelsie 13:54
Sure. So I think as educators, we go through like our education training programs and our ed career fairs, and we never need those things, right? So when it comes time to have those things, and you see others around you having those things, those resources, you can kind of feel like overwhelmed, or left out, or unsure of what you should be doing. But what I can say is this is that every teacher should have LinkedIn, whether you plan to leave the classroom or not. LinkedIn is a fabulous resource for networking, for job searching. Even if you're not looking to leave the classroom, there are some amazing LinkedIn contributors out there who share amazing information about the education system, policies on education. Those types of things that honestly if you're just looking to learn are great. And I think that a lot of times the transitioning teacher community has this idea that once you get on LinkedIn, you're automatically starting the transitioning teacher process, and you're automatically doing this and that. And you don't have to. LinkedIn is whatever you want to make it. I don't suggest turning it into like a Facebook type of app. But you know, you can come, you can learn. There's LinkedIn learning courses that you can take. You can read up on what's happening in the transitioning teacher community. You can read up on what's happening in education policy, that type of thing. And, again, it's just a great platform to open your horizons.
JoDee 15:35
I think when I first started using LinkedIn, I had a very novice understanding of LinkedIn. And I remember going on, I got like a 30 day free trial for the premium, which was great. And I highly recommend that to anyone to decide if they want to, like pursue the Premium Package. And I was on there, like updating my profile. I had created one way back in the day in grad school, never touched it. And I didn't realize that it was updating my network of the changes. So one of my really good friends, who is not a teacher, was like, Hey, what's going on? Are you thinking about leaving teaching? And I didn't realize the updates I was giving were like making announcements to people.
Kelsie 16:26
Yeah, you do have to be a little careful.
JoDee 16:29
Well, and now it's like, it gives you an option to let your network know or not, you know. And so what kind of tips do you have for those like very novice, they're not sure how to use LinkedIn. They're not even sure of the appropriate behaviors to use on LinkedIn. What do you like to see when you see new people engaging on, on the platform?
Kelsie 16:54
I think you brought up some very interesting experiences that many transitioning teachers see when they first log on. LinkedIn is a professional network for professional activity. So some of the biggest mistakes that I see teachers make are treating it like Facebook, where they're posting pictures of them at church services, or their coffee orders, or pictures of their children. And that's really not what LinkedIn is for. LinkedIn is for professional networking purposes. I would highly, highly recommend you stay away from those things. Mainly, because if you are transitioning teacher trying to leave the classroom, employers do see your activity. And you just don't want to be giving away any type of information that would cause bias in the hiring process. Other mistakes that I see transitioning teachers make are immediately logging on and immediately buying the LinkedIn Premium. LinkedIn Premium is awesome, I have the highest level of LinkedIn Premium, and it works great for me and my purpose on the platform. But if you're transitioning teacher, and you're just starting out, likely you don't need LinkedIn Premium. What you want to do is come on the platform, I would say three to five times a week, and start observing. Observe the way people interact. Observe the type of comments people are making. Start following LinkedIn influencers in the transitioning teacher space. I tell every transitioning teacher that comes through my inbox, I'm happy to be your first connection, if you don't know where to start. And that's the honest to God truth. Because when I was going through the process of LinkedIn, it was like a foreign language, like you said. You're overwhelmed. Everybody seems to have a wonderful professional opinion, and you have no idea where you fit in. But you know, you have to use this platform at some point, right? So I always tell people, like I said, I'm happy to be your safe landing space. Happy to be your first connection.
JoDee 18:57
I liked that you pointed out that you will be that first connection. Because when I first got on to LinkedIn, I felt intimidated by my network status, the titles that they have: executive director, vice president, all of these things. Ali and I talk about this all the time on the show, like I was never vice president teacher. I was teacher, which I think is a very high status. But on that platform, I didn't feel like the status was as much as everybody else. And so finding that educator network, finding those people that value hiring teachers, or those transitioning teachers that can support you, I think is really important and essential to that transition.
Kelsie 19:40
Yeah. And honestly, that is something that we at Educated Exit have really tried to bring to the forefront. We have a combined 45 years of experience. We are the only three person team in the industry doing this. And we were teachers. We were school counselors. We get it done. It's hard. Like I suffered with impostor syndrome. I had an identity crisis. I understand what you're going through. I know it's hard. If you need a safe landing space, we are here for that.
Ali 20:11
I think one of the most intimidating things for me on LinkedIn was like actually connecting with people. So there's the option to follow versus connect. And I'm wondering if you have a recommendation on when it's better to do one or the other?
Kelsie 20:25
In terms of following or connecting, it's going to depend on kind of what your, I don't want to say mission or purpose is, but ultimately, you want to network with people who can help you leave the profession. So I tell people to follow and connect with three types of people. And that is people who hold the position in which you want to hold. So that's your customer success managers, sales reps, instructional designers, that type of thing. People who can help you get there. So that's people like myself, people like our CEO, Chris. Anyone in the transitioning teacher space that is providing help and resources. And my third is other transitioning teachers, because you will need their moral support. However, I don't suggest this is the largest part of your network, because you can kind of get wrapped up in the motivational merry go round, as I like to call it. But those three people are really the people you should be following and connecting with.
JoDee 21:32
I think all of us here play several of those things that you just talked about. And that we can all be those safe spaces. If someone just needs to get their feet wet, we can be those people.
Ali 21:44
And I think for me, I just really starting to explore LinkedIn more, trying to post more. Like JoDee did a great job posting recently on LinkedIn about our experience at South By. But I, for example, need to post more about that. And so I really think just trying to put yourself out there in a professional manner is important. Do it when it happens, when it's relevant. Like I need to do that very soon. But I think that you get a little bit nervous. It's not Facebook, right? It's not Instagram. So if you're used to those platforms, this may seem a little bit intimidating to you. But put yourself out there in a professional manner. Give it a try. And tag people to. Like if you went to a conference and you, you met someone from another organization, and that was your favorite session, like that's a great way to really I think elevate your profile to.
JoDee 21:46
I want to add something that distinguishes LinkedIn between the other social platforms, is that the end goal is that you'll be forming a group of people that will help elevate your career. And that the end goal means you might be with those people in person. Whereas social media is this kind of virtual world. Yes, on Facebook, there are these communities where people meet up. But eventually on LinkedIn, you're going to be face to face with people. And however you're representing yourself, you will have to represent yourself in person eventually. And I think that's kind of like a big thing to separate from the other social platforms.
Kelsie 23:21
Yes, you bring up something that I have spoken about at length, I should say, on LinkedIn. And that is, you are building a professional brand. And that professional brand is going to eventually show up to an interview. Right? You do not want to put forth rude commentary. You do not want to put forth commentary that is politically charged, that's going to make people get incredibly heated in the comments sections. Biblical commentary. Anything along the lines of rudeness, religion, politics, you know? You really want to stay away from those things. Because like I said, you're going to show up to an interview at some point, right? And that person who you are interviewing with is likely going to check your LinkedIn profile. So I always say keep it polite and professional.
Ali 24:15
Spot on Kelsie. And we look up all of our guests on LinkedIn before they come on the show, if I'm being transparent here. We want to see what you have on LinkedIn. Who you're connected to. How we can make our episodes more engaging. Maybe we know someone in common. And the same goes for employers, they are going to look for you. I've been on employment committees, or hiring committees rather, and we search people's social media profiles. So make sure you're putting your best foot forward. You're keeping it professional. You're, you're keeping it clean, concise. What are your main topics that you're looking forward to sharing with the LinkedIn community that are professional and work on those. It has been such a pleasure having you on the show, and getting to hear more about your experience working with resumes on LinkedIn. For our listeners today, know that you can connect with Kelsie on LinkedIn under Kelsie Marks. And also connect with JoDee and I on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for being on the show today.
Kelsie 25:11
Have a good one you guys
Ali 25:12
if you liked The Great Teacher Resignation, give us a five star rating and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and Audible. Today's episode was written and recorded by me Alexandra Simon, and my co host JoDee Scissors. Executive produced by Teacher Brain. Produced and edited by Emily Porter. Original Music: eEmoji by Tubebackr. Special thanks to our sponsor, Paper Planes Ed.