Languages and literature instructor skills for your resume and career

Any experience you have working with mono- or bilingual children and adults in any capacity or doing community outreach gives evidence of soft skills that you may have, such as being a personable, affable, outgoing, or empathetic person. It's not enough to say "I am an outgoing person"--show it on paper (or during the interview) by the things you have already done both in your personal (such as volunteering) and professional life. It's good to highlight what you have already done, even if this is your first full-time job. For example, if you have published a paper, worked with a scholar on their research, or presented at a conference, mention that.

Similarly, teaching experience is important. I began teaching during my first semester as a Ph.D. student and designed my own courses throughout my graduate career. That experience proved crucial to my job search-it allowed me to talk concretely about my approaches to different courses, and it enabled me to effectively propose courses that I hadn't yet taught. Teaching itself requires softer and more technical skills: you need to be practiced in public speaking, time management, organization, critical thinking and problem solving, and interpersonal communication; you also need to be proficient in word processing, data entry, document design. The pandemic has only heightened the need for familiarity with learning management systems, video recording programs, teleconferencing, and social media.


Finally, it is increasingly important (and rightfully so) for scholars and teachers to demonstrate how their research and teaching practices line up with broader initiatives to create more just institutions. We have witnessed an efflorescence of youth- and student-led organizing around racial justice (and policing in particular), ongoing settler colonialism, economic inequality, and climate catastrophe. My view is that faculty-thus job candidates-across disciplines need to be able to match student energy on these frontiers whenever possible.

Before the pandemic, I'd recommend traveling abroad so they could see the culture of their interest first hand. However, the current situation is harder to encourage people to go overseas. These days, it is more accessible to virtually "travel," and I'd recommend engaging with the internet to locate diverse cultures and points of view. Another great opportunity is to volunteer with local groups that serve immigrant populations. With this global crisis, there is plenty of evidence of translators and interpreters' need in a worldwide emergency.

English majors, really all humanities majors, are the best hires if you're looking for writing and critical thinking skills. English majors are imaginative, creative, and great readers of culture. This will serve them well. English majors tend to be curious, too, so they do well with one of the most excellent skills we need today--a commitment to lifelong learning.

In English, we look for applicants with a demonstrated commitment to the populations we serve in the community college (not just lip service, but proven commitment). Former community-college students and those with peer tutoring experience are always wonderful. We also look for an interest in ongoing professional development, particularly professional development related to "high challenge, high support" classroom instruction, to anti-racist and culturally responsive pedagogy/andragogy, and to overall advancing a culture of care, guidance, equity, and community.