Reclaim Your Time, Rewrite Your Future: Resume Fixes That Get You Hired

Feeling burned out and overlooked? In this episode, Vanessa shares how to build a Custom GPT that writes your lesson plans and the resume fixes every teacher needs to land interviews outside the classroom. Save hours, cut the stress, and start building your next chapter.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 🛠️ How to create a Custom GPT to generate lesson plans faster
• 📂 What to upload and how to train your GPT (without the tech overwhelm)
• 💡 Why your resume might be getting ignored—and how to fix it
• ✨ The 4 must-do resume tweaks if you’re transitioning careers
• 🗓️ Why the Decide Workshop on Sept 27 could be your clarity breakthrough

Resources & Links:

• Register for the Decide Workshop (Sept 27 @ 2PM CT): https://teachersintransition.com
• Schedule your FREE Discovery Session: https://teachersintransition.com/calendar
• Download the GPT Setup Guide: [Insert link here]
• Listen to past episodes: https://teachersintransition.buzzsprout.com

Keywords & Phrases: burnout, teacher burnout solutions, lesson planning, lesson planning help for teachers, AI for teachers, ChatGPT for lesson plans, how to build a custom GPT, save time with lesson planning, resume, resume tips for teachers, resume tips for career change, resume for teachers leaving education, how to get hired outside of teaching, resume mistakes teachers make, applicant tracking system (ATS) tips, job search, teacher career transition strategies, teacher job search tips, alternative careers for teachers, teacher exit strategy, career change, career change for educators.

✨ Like what you heard?
Help other teachers find this podcast by sharing, rating, and reviewing it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Every star and share helps light the path for someone else.

🔗 Links & Resources:

Register for the Decide Workshop (Sept 27 @ 2PM CT): https://teachersintransition.com

Schedule your FREE Discovery Session: https://teachersintransition.com/calendar

Download the GPT Setup Guide: [Insert link here]

Listen to past episodes: https://teachersintransition.buzzsprout.com

👋Connect with and Follow Vanessa
📧 Email: Vanessa@teachersintransition.com
📞 Text or Leave a Voicemail: 512-640-9099
📅 Book a Free Discovery Session: teachersintransition.com/calendar
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vanessajackson78132
📷 Instagram & Threads: @teachers.in.transition
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565671792885
🌤️ Bluesky: @beyondteaching.bsky.social
    X (Twitter): @EduExitStrategy

The transcript to this podcast is found on the episode’s homepage at Buzzspout

Transcript

Hi, and welcome back.  I always like to start with a friendly, hi, and then I like to talk about who I am and where I come from. but last week was a really, really heavy week. And if you’re feeling shaken, you’re not alone.

The death of podcaster Charlie Kirk has triggered a firestorm online - one that’s deeply unsettling, especially for teachers and public servants. Not just because of how he died, but because of what’s happened since.

Let me start by saying this clearly: No one deserves to be hunted and shot in cold blood like that. Not in theory. Not in life. Never.  

But what’s equally troubling is how quickly that grief has been weaponized. People are being doxxed, threatened, and silenced for expressing shock, sorrow, frustration, or for questioning a legacy is…complicated.

That kind of backlash isn’t about healing. It’s about control. And teachers? Well, teachers know control dynamics all too well.

To make matters worse, this week also brought news of another school shooting. Evergreen High School in Colorado. Another place where students ran, hid, and prayed to survive. Another reminder that for educators, the threat isn’t theoretical - it walks our hallways.  And those teachers and students will be expected to continue to walk those same hallways for the rest of the year as if there was no trauma attached. 
 
 

But for teachers, these events all live in the same nervous system and the effects compound.

We’re told to stay silent in public—and take bullets if necessary. To absorb harm, teach through tragedy, and never show the bruise.

If you’re feeling exhausted, frozen, conflicted - that makes sense. You’re not broken. You’re paying attention.

You don’t owe the internet your outrage or your grief. But you do owe yourself care. You do deserve space to feel, to process, and to speak wisely, not fearfully.

This is a time to protect your peace. To support each other. And to remember: you’ve given enough. It’s okay to guard what’s left.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, conflicted, or just plain numb—yeah. That makes sense. 

I’m gonna spend some real time on this one, because it’s going to save you hours, maybe even your sanity.

We’re going to learn how to build your own GPT and stop writing the same lesson plan 57 times. Now before you panic and think, “I’m not techy, I don’t code, I don’t even know where my Google Drive is half the time,”—breathe. If you’ve used ChatGPT and taught a toddler to tie their shoes, you’re more than qualified. I promise.  I also know there are other AI systems – Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Co-Pilot… I am more Familiar with Chat, so those are the steps that I will follow.  If you use a different AI, the basic recipe is the same – you just may have the boxes in different places to fill in. 

Remember - This is about reclaiming your time from ridiculous, performative, soul-sucking lesson planning requirements.  I am going to proceed from the perspective of lesson plans – those have gotten a lot longer and a lot more detailed than they really need to be.  You might be aware that hundreds of songs have been written using just 4 chords.  Similarly, you can use these same steps and create additional Custom GPTs to streamline your day. 

Because let’s be honest—lesson planning used to be a note in the planner, or an outline or maybe a sketch on the whiteboard. But now? Now it’s become a 17-page document that asks you to:

• Predict student questions (like you’re clairvoyant),
• Provide multiple delivery methods (as if you’re running TEDx: Room 304),
• And explain how you’re differentiating for every child in the room, including the ones who don’t exist yet.

All of which, by the way, is  often flat-out ignored by the people evaluating you. They’re just looking for boxes to check.  If you’re in a district that didn’t receive a good rating, then you have additional obligations (because nothing improves performance like giving teachers less time to do what they need to do, amiright?)

So here’s how you build a GPT that does that heavy lifting for you.

🧩 Step 1: Gather The Ingredients

We’re cooking here. And like any good meal prep, we need the right ingredients first.

What you’ll need:

1. Your State Standards – Here in Texas, we call these the TEKS. In other states, they’re SOLs, CCSS, whatever your flavor. You can either grab all of them for your subject/grade level, or just the ones for upcoming units. Make a doc. Call it “Standards Reference.” This is the GPT’s compass.
2. The Dreaded Lesson Plan Template – You know, the one your district or your school insists on that’s 18 pages long with subsections like “anticipated misconceptions” and “extended learning opportunities.” Save it as a Google Doc. Label it “Lesson Plan Template.” The GPT will use this as your frame.  Bonus points if you have an exemplar version already filled out as a sample.  Keep these as two separate files. ChatGPT is excellent at doing exactly what you tell it to do. Be careful what you tell it to do. It does not infer.
3. Student Avatars – Don’t name names, obviously. #FERPA You can either create Avatars (Student A, Student 2, whatever), or just list accommodations that come up in your teaching. Just a list of accommodations. Hopefully there’s a document somewhere you can just cut and paste from. 
   • “Student A: IEP, needs extra time and visual cues.”
   • “Student B: ELL, reading at a 1st-grade level, high oral comprehension.”
   • “Student C: Gifted, struggles with social cues, needs movement breaks.”
      Drop these into a doc called “Accommodations Overview. 25-26”
4. Any Curriculum Maps or Scope & Sequence – Feed in pacing guides, unit themes, textbook requirements - anything your school expects you to hit. If you’re not using one big file, upload them week-by-week.  If there is a book 
5. Optional Extras – Want it to sound a certain way? Add tone guidance: “Use inclusive, trauma-informed language” or “Sound like an experienced but approachable teacher.” You can even throw in things like child development Bloom’s Taxonomy or UDL principles.  Create a doc where you have just cut and pasted in the information about these extras.  If your district has a ‘flavor of the year’ add that in there. 

Step 2: Start Building – Feed that Beast

Now go to ChatGPT, click on “Explore GPTs,” (it has four little dots next to it) and hit “Create.” It’ll walk you through the process.

This is where the magic happens.

You’re going to give your GPT a mission. For example:

“This GPT is designed to create detailed, differentiated lesson plans for 5th-grade math based on the these state standards. It should follow the uploaded lesson plan template, embed student accommodations, and suggest activities aligned with UDL. The tone should be professional, compassionate, and clear.”

And NAME the GPT.  This is the most fun part.  

I personally suggest Viola Swamp. (If you don’t know who that is, stop what you’re doing and read Miss Nelson is Missing—you’ll thank me The link is in the show. .)

Why Viola? Because she doesn’t play. She gets stuff done. And your GPT should too.

If you want to think of other fictional teachers, you can use Miss Honey from Matilda or Mr. Keating from Dead Poet’s Society.  Or  Mary Poppins because we’re expected to do the impossible. 

Step 3: Train It – Think Like a Teacher, Not a Techie

Every time you use your GPT, it learns a little more. So feed it prompts like:

“Good morning, Viola. This week, I’m teaching perimeter and area. Use the uploaded template. Our standards are 5.4A and 5.4B. (I made those up) My students include Student A, Student B – or even just include the students from my  list of student avatars. Please embed visuals, a hands-on activity, and one small group idea.”

It will think. And then spit out a lesson plan so good you’ll cry.

Need to change subjects? Easy. Just say:

“This is now for 6th-grade science. We’re covering plate tectonics. Update accordingly with the appropriate state standards.”

You’re not starting from scratch each week. You’re building on your own brilliance.

Step 3.5 Always go in and review what ChatGPT has done. 
 

It is still a little notorious for hallucinating things form time to time.  Just give it a little review and see.
 
Step 4: Create a “Prompt Bank” for Reuse

Think of this as a cheat code bank

If you find yourself saying the same things over and over (“Use the lesson plan template,” “Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy,” “Embed ELL accommodations”), don’t keep typing them.

Just make a Google Doc called Prompt Bank.
Store your  starter prompts, accommodation blurbs, even sample activities.

When it’s time to plan, just copy-paste into Viola, and boom - you are off to the races.

✋ But Is It Cheating?

Absolutely not.

This isn’t cutting corners. It’s cutting garbage. Think of it like this:

Star Trek characters used to ask the ship’s computer for data before making big decisions. That didn’t stop them from being leaders because they outsourced repetitive tasks. They used the tools they had so they could focus on what mattered.

This is that.

Lesson planning isn’t sacred. Teaching is.

The system is burning you out. This hack is water in the desert.

I’ve created a little downloadable list to help you create your own custom GPT just follow the link in the show notes and it will take you right to it. 

🎯 Final Thoughts

Remember you can also build GPTs for:

• Resume writing
• Parent communication
• IEP goal language
• Meeting documentation
• Literally anything you have do on repeat

The only limit is your creativity - and let’s be honest, that gets buried fast when you’re spending 6 hours formatting “I Can” statements.

So, reclaim your time. Build your own Viola. And never write the same lesson plan 57 times again.

💼 Segment Three – 

Moving to our segment on career transition and job search, we are going to be talking again about Resumes, ATS, and Why You're Not Getting Calls. specifically, the emotional rollercoaster of resumes and why it sometimes feels like you're screaming into the void.

I want to start by sharing a story. Possibly again. 

When I moved back to Texas from Alaska, I did everything “right.” I hired a professional resume writer. I dropped $300. She made me look amazing - like a Swiss Army knife of music education. I was highly qualified in both band and orchestra, and had glowing evaluations, years of experience, great results. I was a solid candidate.

So I sent that resume everywhere. Big districts. Small towns. Metroplexes. Rural schools. We were flexible - we just needed a job within about four hours of family that could anchor us back in Texas.

I carpet-bombed the state.

And I got... two interviews.

Two.

One of those wasn’t even real—they already knew who they wanted, they just needed someone to pad the candidate list and make it look good.

That was its own gut punch. I knew I was qualified. So why wasn’t I getting calls?

After working in the staffing industry, here’s what I am able to look back, reflect, and understand.

Your resume isn’t about you. It’s about the job.

More specifically:

The job description is the question. Your resume is the answer.

And I wasn’t answering the question they were asking.

But my resume was half orchestra/half band. So when the algorithm reviewed it, it saw “band” as irrelevant noise.

Same thing in reverse. When I applied to band jobs, my orchestra credentials diluted the signal.

The system said: “This person might be great, but they’re not what we asked for.”

And here’s the kicker: my address was still out-of-state. So, on top of the mismatched content, I didn’t look “local.” This is another red flag to the algorithm. I got filtered out before a human even saw my name.

So What Can You Do Differently?

Let’s get tactical:

Of course you Tailor Every Resume

Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, it takes time. But it's non-negotiable if you want interviews.

• Read the job description like it’s a test question.
• Pull out the keywords and phrases they use.
• Use the verb tense they use.
• Mirror them in your bullet points—word for word if you can.

They say, “Looking for experience with onboarding and training?”
 You say, “Designed and facilitated onboarding processes for new teachers, including digital systems and procedural training.”

They say, “Must be comfortable with data analysis and performance tracking?”
 You say, “Analyzed assessment data to identify performance gaps and implemented targeted support plans tracking progress over time.”

next Trim the Extras

Remember Your resume is not a memoir. It’s not a tribute to everything you’ve ever done. It is a tailored answer to their needs.  Answer their question. 

If you're applying for an HR or operations role, don’t just list classroom management strategies. Highlight your experience with education words:

• Committee participation
• Conflict resolution between (not students) stakeholders
• Coaching or mentoring peers
• Building systems for communication and accountability

Focus on the transferable work—not just the educational context. Show them that you weren’t “just a teacher.” You were already doing the job they need - you just did it inside a school.

3. Use the Job Title in Your Resume

Put the actual job title from the posting at the top of your resume, under your name. This helps match it more closely in applicant tracking systems (ATS). It feels a little weird. Do it anyway. It builds an interesting neurolinguistic link

4. Network Like Your Life Depends on It

Because sometimes? It does.

The job I eventually did get when we moved back to Texas? I learned about it through a friend. A friend who knew that a job was coming open.  And then I looked up that district and realized I had gone to college band with someone in central office.  So I reached out. That person told me, “Yes, this job is opening soon, apply now, and send me your resume—I’ll walk it to HR.”

Those two human connections is what got me past the system.  A system that had already locked me out.

They literally had to go in and manually override the system to allow me to schedule the interview.

That’s how broken this is. That’s how much it matters.

If you’ve been applying and hearing nothing, it’s probably not because you’re unqualified. It’s probably because the way we match jobs to humans is deeply flawed.

But now? You’re learning how the game works.

You don’t need a perfect resume. You need a relevant one.

You don’t need to change who you are. You need to change how you’re showing up on paper.

And if you’ve been teaching for years, let me remind you: your resume should read like a solutions manual. Because you are a walking solutions manual.

You solve problems. You manage chaos. You drive learning. You adapt. You lead. Let your resume say that. Loud and clear.

If this episode helped you feel more prepared, more capable, or even just a little less alone share it. Text it to a colleague. Post it in your teacher group chat. Let’s grow this show together.  I am counting on you to help me to continue producing this podcast at no cost to the listener by recommending AND giving it a rating and a review on Apple or Spotify or wherever it is that you like to listen to YOUR podcasts.

Mark your calendar: The next Decide Workshop is happening September 27t h at 2PM Central time. The link to register is in the show notes, or you can just head over to TeachersinTransition.com and you’ll see the link up top.  It’s a $99 workshop, but YOU get to name your price because I know the economy is hard.  It helps to answer the question – should I stay where I am?  Should I shift into a different aspect of education?  Or is it time to start strategizing that exit. 

And if you’re ready for more personal help - resume support, job path strategy, or building your own exit plan - I’d love to help. That’s what I do.
 Schedule a free Discovery Session at teachersintransition.com/calendar.

Until next time:
 Protect your peace.
 Build a future that gives back.
 And remember— if you don’t take care of you first, you can’t take care of anyone else.

Have I ever mentioned that I’m on all the socials?  Here’s where you can find me:
 Email me at Vanessa@teachersintransition.com
Leave a voicemail or text at 512-640-9099
Schedule a free Discovery Session with me: https://teachersintransition.com/calendar
Follow me on Bluesky @beyondteaching.bsky.social
Find me on Threads and Instagram  AND TikTok @teachers.in.transition
And even on X at @EduExitStrategy
Follow on Facebook: just search for Teachers in Transition and look for our blue phoenix.
Or? Join the Teachers in Transition Podcast Club on Facebook
 
If you weren’t able to write all that down that fast, you can scoot over to Buzzspout to the Teachers in Transition page.  You can find the episodes, and all of this is in the show notes.

I can’t wait to connect with YOU and hear YOUR story.