School Bus Driver Resume Sample
Cedric Rodriguez
Address: 203 E Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL
Phone: 813-229-8500
Email: [email protected]
Current job: Tour Bus Driver at Hyde Park Travel
Objective
Experienced School Bus Driver with 4 years of driving children safely and without incident is interested in joining your fleet of Bus Drivers at Road Valley Transportation Services. I have a valid commercial Bus Driver’s license with a clean record. In addition to being a safety-conscious driver, I have a peaceful, pleasant disposition and genuinely enjoy meeting new people.
Skills
- Valid Commercial Driver’s License.
- Knowledgeable of GSP systems.
- Familiar with directional apps.
- Positive attitude.
- Friendly personality.
- Professional approach to the job.
- Maintains clean appearance and good hygiene.
Experience
School Bus Driver; 2015 to Present
Tisdale High School; Stevensville, VA
Responsibilities:
- Greet students and other passengers.
- Assist with the loading and unloading of luggage and other items.
- Ensure the working condition of the bus on a daily basis.
- Perform routine check-up and maintenance procedures on the bus before departure.
- Run troubleshooting mechanical works when needed.
- Maintain peace and order inside the bus.
- Prepare daily reports as required by Tisdale High School.
- Perform a weekly audit on all supplies needed by the buses.
- Prepare requisition list on all needed supplies for submission to Purchasing.
- Ensure the safety and protection of all the passengers.
Delivery Truck Driver; 2014 to 2015
Wilson Food Supplies; Stevensville, VA
Responsibilities
- Perform a routine maintenance check-up on the delivery truck.
- Ensure its cleanliness and that proper hygiene and sanitation procedures are maintained on a daily basis.
- Assist in the loading and unloading of all food items and raw materials.
- Conduct minor mechanical repairs if necessary.
- Manage the inventory of supplies needed by the truck.
Education
High School
Hamilton Public High School
Stevensville, VA
2006 to 2010
How To Write A Good School Bus Driver Resume
A good School Bus Driver resume is one that highlights the skills and abilities that assure the potential employer of the safety of passengers as well as the professional handling of the vehicle.
Other than a commercial driver’s license, there aren’t many certifications that are required for you to become a School Bus Driver. With many applicants probably showing similar qualifications as you, the strategy would be to make your resume “speak” to the recruiter.
Write an Engaging Objective Statement
As a School Bus Driver, you’re not just tasked with transporting passengers to their destination. You represent the company and are likewise tasked to provide excellent customer service. Companies want to hire people with the right attitude for the job.
Because the resume is your first point-of-contact with the employer, give the company a glimpse into your personality through the Objective Statement.
The Objective Statement is the section of the resume that allows you to “speak” to the recruiter. We’ve described this section as the “voice” of your resume. Write it as if you’re meeting the recruiter in a face-to-face interview:
- Lead-off with the main qualifications needed for the job. For this, review the job ad.
- State your intent – why did you apply for this job?
- Share at least 3 personality traits that make you the ideal candidate for the position.
- Write in a conversational tone – in your “own voice”.
Here’s an example:
“Experienced School Bus Driver with 4 years of work experience safely transporting passengers around the metro area is interested in becoming the new Bus Driver for Ridgemore High School. I have a valid Commercial Driver’s License that carries endorsements for Passenger and Bus driving. I enjoy my job because I generally have a positive attitude, love interacting with people, and take pride in keeping them safe every day.”
Now, if you were the recruiter, wouldn’t you hire the candidate who wrote that Objective Statement?
If You Have the Experience, Choose the Reverse-Chronological Format
For bus owners, experience counts a lot. If you have at least 2 years of work experience as a School Bus Driver, use the reverse-chronological format for your resume.
The reverse-chronological format presents the information in your work experience section starting from your current or most recent employment. You pick out 5 to 8 key duties and responsibilities that you managed in your career.
The structure of the reverse-chronological format is as follows:
- Contact Information
- Objective Statement
- Strengths
- Work Experience
- Education
- Certifications
“What if I don’t have enough work experience – or none at all – what resume format should I choose?”
We’ll answer that question in the section “Entry-Level School Bus Driver Resume”.
Write Your Resume Like a Professional
As a School Bus Driver, you’re a professional driver. Thus, you’re expected to present yourself as a professional. The recruiter can gauge your approach to the job based on the resume.
Here are 5 tips on how to make a professional resume:
- Have a professional email. In the Contact Information section, include a professional email – one that simply uses your name. For example, [email protected]. Don’t use the other one that reads [email protected].
- No spelling or grammar errors. It doesn’t matter what your education attainment is; errors in spelling and grammar are unacceptable in any profession.
- Use a professional font style such as Arial, Cambria, Calibri, or Helvetica.
- Keep it organized; use bullet points to summarize your key qualifications.
- Keep your resume relevant; don’t include information that has nothing to do with the position of a School Bus Driver.
School Bus Driver Skills List
What School Bus Driver skills list are recruiters expecting to find on your resume?
The real test is when you’re finally behind the wheel. But to get behind the wheel, you have to convince the recruiter to trust you with their bus. How do you do that?
- Education – A high school diploma or a GED score will suffice in most cases. The important thing is to have the ability to read, understand, and take instructions properly.
- Certifications/Licenses – Driving a bus is different from driving a car. Handling a vehicle that’s much bigger requires a different skillset and this why School Bus Drivers have to go through a 1 to 3 months training program before they are allowed to handle a bus.That’s why it’s very important to inform the recruiter in your resume that you have acquired a Commercial Driver’s license. This is proof that you have undergone the necessary training to become a School Bus Driver.
- Good Understanding of the Rules of the Road – The Rules of the Road don’t only cover road signs, traffic lights, and shifting lanes. It also includes road courtesy for other drivers and especially, pedestrians.
- Basic Troubleshooting Skills – A bus company has its team of mechanics on stand-by. But it pays to have basic troubleshooting skills in case the bus stalls on the road. Likewise, you must be familiar with the basic checklist on proper bus maintenance.
- Customer Service – Every passenger wants to feel welcome when they ride the bus. Greeting passengers warmly is an important customer service skill.It’s also worthwhile to study the city or the state you’re driving in – know the popular destinations and other systems of transportation. Questions on places and modes of travel are common with passengers.
School Bus Driver Duties And Responsibilities For The Work Experience Section
School Bus Driver duties and responsibilities can be similar from one employment to the other. For an effective work experience section on your School Bus Driver resume, the challenge is to make each employment experience different.
Find Qualities That Make One Job Unique From Another
Cover as many aspects of the job as possible. Touch on all areas of responsibilities but try to be as unique and distinctive as possible.
Go back to our sample resume for a School Bus Driver and review the work experience section. We’ve created another one below also for a School School Bus Driver:
- Inspect the bus every morning before the start of the workday and check for potential mechanical problems.
- Perform basic maintenance tasks such as re-filling the water, checking the brake fluid and oil levels, tire pressure, and the overall cleanliness of the bus.
- Give each student a warm greeting every time.
- Assist the student in loading and unloading bags and packages when needed.
- Strictly impose the guidelines of riding on the bus; reprimand those who are unruly, prepare the necessary reports for disciplinary purposes.
Use the Right Verbs
Not all verbs work the same way. Some define the job better than others. For a School Bus Driver, the best verbs to use in your work experience section are as follows:
- Greet
- Welcome
- Assist
- Drive
- Transport
- Report
- Implement
- Impose
- Follow
- Assure
- Fix
- Repair
- Troubleshoot
- Maintain
- Clean
- Sanitize
- Coordinate
- Prepare
Keep the Job Descriptions Short
A recruiter doesn’t want to read a resume that feels like he’s traveling down a long, winding road. Keep it simple by writing short but concise job descriptions.
- Write in a conversational manner.
- Use simple words and phrases.
- Only include the relevant duties and responsibilities.
- 20-40 words per sentence is acceptable.
- 3-4 sentences per paragraph is acceptable.
Entry Level School Bus Driver Resume
You can still get the open position even if you have an entry-level School Bus Driver resume. Although experience IS important, the prospective employer may be looking for other qualities as well.
Here are 3 tips on how to make your entry-level School Bus Driver resume stand out.
Use the Functional Format IF…
If you’re looking for your first job and you don’t have much experience or any at all, use the functional format for your resume.
The functional format shines the spotlight on the skills and abilities that could entice the recruiter to give you your break as a School Bus Driver. Skills and abilities include certifications, licenses, and other transferable qualifications discussed in the section “School Bus Driver Skills List”.
The structure of the functional format is as follows:
- Contact Information
- Objective Statement
- Strengths
- Certifications
- Education
- Work Experience
Use the Combination Format IF…
If you’re transitioning careers, this means you have work experience. The combination format combines elements of the reverse-chronological and the functional.
Since you have work experience, you should present your duties and responsibilities in the reverse-chronological order. Be careful when identifying your duties and responsibilities. Start out with the ones that are relevant to the position of a School Bus Driver.
The structure of your resume will be the same as the functional format which means you can showcase the skills and abilities that qualify you as a School Bus Driver.
Share Your Story
Unlike an experienced School Bus Driver who uses the Objective Statement to give the recruiter an idea of his personality, for someone without experience, use the section to share your story.
Tell the recruiter why you want to become a School Bus Driver. Here’s an example:
“I recently acquired my Commercial School Bus Driver’s license and I hope your company would consider my application to join your team of School Bus Drivers. The job is a good fit for me because I enjoy driving, going to different locations, and meeting different people every day. I look at the job of a School Bus Driver as a new adventure every day.”
Be patient in your job search. Even with a good School Bus Driver resume, results may take time. Stay persistent and keep going. Eventually, you’ll reach your destination.
