When it comes to landing a position with your desired school or organization, the importance of the interview is firmly established. The good news is that you can follow a few simple steps to ensure you are prepared to present yourself to your prospective employer in the best possible light during an interview. In this chapter, we will focus on (1) ways to discover what a school or district wants and needs and (2) ways to network with those who have the power to push your résumé from the circular file to the interview pile.
Do Your Research
School administrators go into the interview session with a picture in mind of the kind of candidate they want to hire based on the needs of their building. Perhaps they are looking for someone with experience teaching in the primary grades or providing reading interventions.
Maybe they want someone with a reading or mathematics license endorsement. They may be looking for a school social worker with a background in the mental health field or extensive experience teaching self-regulation strategies.
Sometimes these desired new-hire qualities are known only to the interview committee and impossible for the candidate to determine. In most cases, however, a candidate willing to do a little detective work can go into the interview with a pretty good idea of what the interview team wants.
As an example, early in my career, I was a substitute teacher seeking a permanent position in my local public school district. Each time I substituted in one of the districtâs schools, I spent time familiarizing myself with the curriculum. When a fourth-grade position opened in one of the buildings where I had previously worked, I went to the staff members I knew and asked questions about the initiatives that were of particular focus in the building. I also inquired about the principal and what she valued in a teacher. At the time, âNo Child Left Behindâ legislation was new and statewide testing was becoming a big reality. Through the relationships I had developed in the building, I became aware that the committee was focused on finding someone who was familiar with the stateâs new academic standards. I also found out that the principal was concerned with student behavior and wanted someone with strong classroom-management skills.
Prior to the interview, I located a copy of the state academic standards and brushed up on them. I also spent time rehearsing my philosophy regarding student discipline and classroom management. Finally, I worked on coming up with examples of times when I had put my disciplinary philosophy to successful use with students.
When I was called in for the interview, I nervously walked into the room, shook the interview committee membersâ hands, and sat right down in the principalâs chair. I could have died when she calmly and flatly noted that I was in her seat and would need to move. When the questions started, however, I found that I had already thought through many of the topics they were asking me to speak about. As a result, I had many examples and ideas on the tip of my tongue. When the smoke cleared, I had my first public school teaching job.
The point of this story is that this interview experience taught me a valuable lesson: a little preparation can go a long way and may even overcome other shortcomings like accidentally sitting in the bossâs chair!
In the digital age, there is an ever-growing number of places to go for fresh, relevant information about schools and school districts. A quick search of online local newspaper archives will tell you the hot topics facing the district, recent awards won, and even curricular focuses. Most state departments of education have online tools that not only provide recent data on school performance and demographics, but in many cases provide grades indicating strengths and areas for improvement within schools.
While youâre deciding to which districts or organizations you would like to apply, it is a good idea to search the organizationâs website for information about the process for becoming a continuing contract or tenured employee. Many school districts will also post the master agreements, including salary schedules, for each of their bargaining groups to the districtâs website.
Most schools and principals are now connected to social media, making tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook sites easy places to learn more about the professional passions and expertise of those who might be conducting your interview. A little time spent browsing these online resources can unlock key information and even help you avoid potential interviewing landmines.
As you research, keep a notebook or file to record your findings. This can be a great place to include questions that come up as you research. There is typically a time at the end of the interview for you to ask a couple of questions. Writing a few good questions that come up during your research can save you a step later.
Every school has professional development topics that are of particular focus. For some schools, it is using technology to create flipped classrooms. It might be the implementation of guided reading strategies or differentiated instructional strategies. With a little networking and research, a candidate can easily learn a schoolâs focus and spend time researching the topic prior to the interview. However, be careful here! Buzzwords and catch phrases can get you in trouble if you are not prepared to prove you have experience with them.
As an administrator, I have experienced this foible in interviews. For example, in recent years, the practice of differentiating instruction to meet the varying needs of learners has been a big topic in schools. âDifferentiationâ has become a buzzword that has echoed up and down the halls of almost every school in the nation. This being the case, during interviews, I often hear candidates share how differentiation is a big part of their teaching. They say such things as, âI like to use differentiation in my classroom.â When asked, however, for examples of how they do this, many candidates struggle. Catch phrases will do you no good if you canât provide concrete examples of how you have carried out the concepts in your professional practice. For any buzzword you plan to throw out during the interview session, be prepared to provide an example of how you have used the strategy or concept in a productive way with students.
If you are applying for your first job in education, you may be thinking, âBut I have no professional experience!â Relax! You have spent months completing student teaching, practicum and/or intern- ship experiences. These are professional experiences. And when examples are needed, you can draw upon them during the interview.
Network, Network, Network
If you want a job bad enough, you will spend time researching the schools and districts to which you are applying. Every school has needs, wants, and fiscal responsibilities that determine the types of employees for which they are looking. Keep your ear to the rail.
Network to learn the buzzwords in your field. Use social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms, to follow people who are on the cutting edge of your educational specialty. Attend conferences and, if possible, become a member of professional organizations within the field of education. Often these organizations have intern- or student-level memberships that can provide you access to relevant trainings, conferences, and networking opportunities at a fraction of the price that full members pay.
The bottom line is that whom you know can be as important as what you know.
The bottom line is that whom you know can be as important as what you know. Take time to network, because I promise you, your prospective employer is.
Think about it. For the average teaching position, there may be from fifty to more than a hundred candidates. When the candidate pool is large, districts do not have time to waste interviewing teaching, counselling, social work, or other candidates who look good on paper but donât really measure up in real life. For this reason, principals and district administrators are constantly networking with each other. As a public school administrator, I canât count how many times I have been asked, âWhen you interviewed last week, did you have any candidates who looked really strong?â When supervisors have a temporary employee who has served their school or organization well, they let others within the district know. Sometimes they will even share this information with others they trust who work outside of their district. Likewise, when someone creates drama, struggles with punctuality, or causes stress within the organization, this news makes its way around as well.
The point I am making here is that you need to make the most of every opportunity. Whether in an internship, a temporary teaching position, or even a chance encounter with a principal, teacher, or curriculum director at the grocery store, leverage every opportunity to leave a good impression and make a name for yourself with those who might later be viewing your application.
InterviewingâAlways!
Once I had a friend who was being considered for a position operating a store for a major fast food chain. She was asked if she would like to help a local restaurant branch that was sponsoring a fun run event. Sensing an opportunity to network, she eagerly accepted. At the event, she handed out water and food and had many conversations with a number of restaurant operators from the region. She even had a conversation with one of the corporate bigwigs who was in town to support the event. At the end of the day, while cleaning up, one of the local restaurant operators asked her how it went. She smiled and said that it had been fun. He then said, âYou know you were being interviewed, right?â My friend paused, a little confused. He went on to say that this particular restaurant giant uses every possible interaction to size up their candidates. Gulp!
Professional circles within the field of education are no different.
It doesnât matter whether you are talking to the secretary in the main office or a teacher you ran into at your childâs soccer game. When you are in the presence of people who work in the field of education, you are always being interviewed.
The key message here is that you are always being interviewed. It doesnât matter whether you are talking to the secretary in the main office or a teacher you ran into at your childâs soccer game. When you are in the presence of people who work in the field of education, you are always being interviewed.
Networking While You âTest-Driveâ
If you are fortunate enough to finish your degree and be hired directly out of a college or preparatory program, good for you! For many educators, however, there will be a period of time spent substitute teaching or filling in for a long-term absence. This isnât a bad thing! Teaching as a substitute allows you to test-drive many different class- rooms, classroom management plans, and curriculums. It also gives you a daily opportunity to network with teachers and principals in a variety of different buildings. Get these people to know and appreciate your work and you will be getting calls to interview when a position comes open.
I have heard teaching candidates say things like, âYou donât want to become too valuable as a substitute, because schools will want to keep you available as a sub, so will not hire you.â Nothing could be further from the truth. When permanent teaching and other positions become available within a school, principals want the most qualified and effective person possible in the position. Substitute teaching allows principals to test-drive your skills in a temporary capacity. Think about it. Principals know that if you are this good as a substitute in their school, if they donât hire you full-time, some other school is surely going to snatch you up. If you prove you are too good to miss, you will be called when it is time to interviewâno matter how valuable you are on the substitute list.
Seizing Golden Opportunities
I once knew a substitute teacher who experienced this firsthand. One day, after spending the afternoon teaching in a fifth grade classroom, he dismissed his students and found that he had about twenty minutes of duty time left and nothing to do. Rather than leave early or read a book, as many other substitutes often did, he decided to walk down to the media center and ask the media teacher if he could help her with anything. At first she stared at him as though he were nuts, but eventu- ally, she said, âI always have books to shelve. You could help with that.â
So he spent about half an hour shelving books and talking to the teacher before gathering his things and heading home. During that time, he found out they were both originally from the same place. They bantered a little about favorite places they visited growing up ⊠small talk. Months later, he was hired to work full-time in that building as a fourth-grade teacher. The secretary later confided in him that he did more good for himself that day than he realized. Apparently, the principal had had an ongoing frustration that substitute teachers almost always left as soon as their students were dismissed. No one had ever asked to help with menial tasks, such as shelving books. Without realizing it, he had made himself stand out in the crowd. That is half the battle.
The same goes for student teaching and practicum experiences required by your university or teacher preparatory program. Rather than viewing these requirements as a hoop you have to jump through, seize them as a golden opportunity to network and meet influential people within a school district. I canât count how many times I have seen positive experiences within a candidateâs student teaching, practicum, or internship experience that led to numerous free references to administrators about an up-and-coming educator who is âtoo good to miss.â
Scrub Your Social Media
If you are chosen for an interview, you have survived the first and biggest cut. Districts receive tens, hundreds, even thousands of applications. Receiving an invitation to interview means that you have survived the initial screening process. This is good news. Take a moment to appreciate and enjoy it!
Then take some time to scrub your social media. Prospective employers are no longer ignorant to the many forms of social media their candidates engage in on a daily basis. Increasingly, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other forms of social media also serve as tools that employers use to screen candidates.
Usually media screening does not take place until you are a finalist or have been suggested for hire. When you have reached this place in the interview process, though, school and district administrators may look at your online persona to determine what it says about you and whether you are a fit with their cultur...
