This is not an employment "How to" Manual. You can get a hundred of them at Barnes and Noble and a ton of useful information online. Looking at some sites the other day containing job search "tips," I noticed that one began with the admonition to "Take a Shower". We made the a priori judgment here that you already know that, as well as some other basics ideas like "Be on Time", and "Smile", etc. So let's move on. Well, perhaps we should not move on quite yet because you guys out there who are aspiring teachers have no idea what a tie is, so you better get someone to show you how to tie one at least- a "Half Windsor" knot will do just fine. And you ladies who never wear spiked heels might not want to break them out for the first time for the interview because you will be walking in to the room in a very awkward manner. Please give some thought, and talk to some people you trust in advance of the interview about proper attire and hairstyle. Life as we know it is not fair and many people get jobs because of how they look as opposed to what they know. For example, law issues on the news were once discussed by people who looked like the "wise old owl" with a tweed coat who probably smoked a pipe- the great Arthur Miller for example, or someone who looks like the actor Wilford Brimley. Now, all law issues being discussed by a lawyer on the news require a "Lawyer-Babe" with flowing blonde hair, makeup and award-winning good looks right out of Central Casting. Look at yourself in the mirror. Read some magazines devoted to contemporary dress and styling, and talk to someone who knows about this stuff. Since decisions about whether someone is the person for the job are now being formed in the first ten seconds, it is important that you realize that your knowledge and expertise cannot be determined that quickly, so the employer must be focusing on something else. So, practice that smile, and dress appropriately. How about your weight- would it be useful to shed 10 pounds? Start playing the Rocky theme and get running! This is a Battle that you are preparing for, not a walk in the park!
We'll start this treatise by telling you some things you will never read in the books- like the school district's calendar, for example. First, if you are called for an interview before the middle of April, it is a screening interview and the human resources person is merely lining up good candidates for more interviews later. This is because the budgeting process is not completed yet and in the beginning of April, people are still debating proposed expenditures- including staff additions. The building principal does not go to job fairs, nor does he or she do this level of screening interviews because he or she has a building to run, and nobody is picking his staff for him. You won't see him till May at least. If you are called for an interview, that's nice, but there will be another interview coming- maybe- that's why you are reading this!
Here is a typical scenario. The Human Resource person asks the principal to come over so the interviews can be done. This isn't in any books either, but the Principal is not thrilled to be doing this in May because he or she has many things on his mind at this time of year like graduation, awards programs and banquets, proms, field trips, the protracted process of closing school, scheduling, board budget meetings, etc. This means that he or she has no time or interest in reading that you "worked at the bank", "were a lifeguard at the pool" or a "counselor at the summer camp". They also are not interested in your regular or electronic portfolio- even though the interviewers, out of respect for their colleagues that teach in college, will smile and say, "Sure, just leave it on the table right there for us, etc." Also, no one will be reading all of the thank you notes you write to all of the interviewers, and no one will be calling the people you listed as references- unless you are one of the final two candidates.
Also, the earlier the interview in the Spring, the more likely it will be that they will ask you to teach a sample lesson or meet with several different groups, do a writing sample, and get waltzed around the proverbial dance floor for several hours- Human Resource people love this stuff and they have no stressful deadlines at this time of year like the principal does. If you do not get called at this time, do not get too upset. This is because many of the so-called "good" candidates( judged solely by GPA- get an A in those liberal arts courses you have to take please- they count and they are not rocket science!) who got signed early have often found a higher paying job by the beginning of August. You should know that August is a great time for an interview and many calls are made to prospective teachers at this time of year to come for an interview- sometimes as late as the day before school. If you get a call for an interview at this time of the year, the school district is in a panic and wants to get this taken care of quickly. There will be no sample lessons to teach and no multi-tiered interviews and writing samples. Often the interview will be with one person- the principal generally and maybe the department chairperson, and it is difficult at this point for you to "mess things up!" So never lose hope as August 1 rolls around because things are just getting exciting and the prospective teacher is often in the driver's seat at this point.
Another thing that should cry out to you is that, if, as the research indicates, the decision about whether to hire you was made in the first 10 seconds or so of the interview, then your keen intellect had nothing to do with the decision- except that, if it was demonstrated on paper, it may have helped you get invited to the interview.(GPA ) After that, your brains had nothing to do with a judgment of"Yep" or "Nope" on the part of the employer. What was it then? My old coach used to go into his famous "Straight Line to Success" Speech. To win this game, he would scream, you need this, this, this, and this...it's all in a straight line. The first "This" was coach pointing to his head (Brains), the second "this", he pointed to was his chest (Heart), the third he pointed to his stomach(guts-courage) and the fourth- well you figure it out- it was a guys team! The point was, contrary to what the politicians assert, is that brains alone are not going to do it- you need some heart- passion/personality/attitude/warmth and then some courage mixed in. On my desk at the college is an old movie picture from the Wizard of Oz showing Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion walking down the Yellow Brick Road. I have it there because I believe strongly in the "Wizard of Oz Doctrine"...what is it? Quite simply, an assertion that success in teaching requires the three things Dorothy's companions were seeking from the Wizard- Brains, a Heart, and Courage. You need all three. Just like the Tinman-Lion-Scarecrow, you already have those things- you just might not realize it yet. Go big on the "Heart" aspect- that is what was discerned about you by the employer in the first ten seconds.
So far, we have been dealing with things leading up to the handshake resulting in a qualified "Yep" or "Nope". We reiterate that there are many good sources out there and if you are a serious candidate for employment, you need to do your research. That includes finding out about the place in which you are hoping to work, traveling there in advance to check on times and exact location, and Googling the major players in the school district to see if they have done anything noteworthy that you can casually bring up in your interview. Aside from that, all the advice you have heard about proper dress, punctuality, a warm smile, and eye contact is crucial to your having any chance to be successful. A final bit of advice during this period of time leading up to the initial handshake is to remember to treat everyone you meet- custodians, clerks, secretaries, security people...and this means through your entire career...with kindness and respect. These people often will provide their opinion about a person to the bosses with or without that opinion being sought. Did you ever play "Can You Top This?" Well, this writer has a story about being hired that you can't possibly top...read on about Mary the Custodian.
EXCURSUS... Mary, The Custodian.
In the search process leading up to my first job as a high school principal,(I was only ever a teacher with no administrative experience before this visit) a group of professionals came from the school district that I interviewed at and spent the day visiting the school where I taught, meeting with students and staff to find out more about me. It was a harrowing day trying to simply do my job and pretend nothing was going on! At the end of the day, I was leaving to go home and noticed the group of visitors at the end of the hallway. I ducked around a corner to watch and listen as Mary, one of our custodians- a elderly black woman with a particularly disagreeable personality and feared by the kids, but friendly with me, was loudly lecturing the group about how, "No one gives a damn about the opinion of a black cleaning lady, but you better not lead this man on and play games with him...this man is the only one of these uppity white teachers that takes the time to talk with me, so don't you be leading him on, cause I will FIND you people...etc." I escaped out a back door. At 9PM that evening I was watching TV in my pajamas and there was a knock at the door. I put on a bathrobe and went to the door. It was the Selection Committee who had a 4 hour trip ahead of them. They were going to reconvene tomorrow and talk about the final two candidates. They went out to dinner, and on the strength of the lecture from Mary decided to look up my address, go to my house, and offer me the job! Beat that story, I dare you! Every word of it is true. Don't underestimate the effect you have on people with a simple smile, thank you, or some other kindness- even in ten minutes.
Another thing to be aware of is the clerical staff of the school district or school you are visiting. Many administrators value the opinions of their support staff and will ask their opinion about candidates in the waiting room. If the person behind the desk looks like a kindly, mature person with a nice smile, make sure you treat her( it's never a "He") with great kindness and courtesy. Make some small talk if you can about something that impresses you about this district. Make up a reason to ask for directions to the interstate or some restaurants, etc. for after the interview... e.g. "where's a nice but not too expensive place to eat around here?" Show your human side by acknowledging to this person about your nervousness, etc. Talk to this person just a little bit because, nobody else will, and often, support staff tend to be like Mary in the above story- outspoken and not hesitant to share opinions with anybody whether they want to listen or not. Say more to this person on the way out besides "goodbye."
The next article will feature the top ten most frequently asked questions in teacher interviews (no matter what the "experts" say are the top ten) with answers that will often leave the interviewers speechless that you gave such an answer for one so young and inexperienced. Suffice it to say that the quotation that if you "Fail to prepare, you are preparing for failure" is accurate. You must do a lot even before you get into the interview room to win that interview. We will leave you with one more pre-interview strategy...
In this article it was mentioned that the chances of your references being contacted anytime up to the point where you are not yet a final two candidate are slim. To increase the chance that the prospective employer will see something from a reference before he or she wants to is to include letters from 2-3 individuals, enclosed right in your credential packet with your Cover letter, degree, transcript, and application. Ask people who know you and are in positions of authority in a school district to write you a generic letter addressed only to "The Selection Committee" and dated "Spring, 2011" or "Fall, 2009" for example. Then make multiple copies of Resume- Transcript-Degree- Letters- and any other relevant certificate or news article. The only thing that changes is the Cover Letter and the Application.
Put it all in a big white envelope and mail it to the address advertised. Now your reference will be looked at- at least a little- by people who weren't planning to check references on the day they were looking at applications. For you young people, what was just described is called "Mail" or "snail-mail." It's very old school and it involves communicating with another person WITHOUT the use of technology. Learn about it because it may prove valuable to your search process! OK, that was a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but the key is to stay focused, and don't lose hope- maybe just some weight- and that beard- and oh yea... WEAR A WATCH... and remember that August is a great time to be called for the interview because the district is in a bit of a panic since their "really good candidate" took another job. Leave the cell phone in the car too!
We'll start this treatise by telling you some things you will never read in the books- like the school district's calendar, for example. First, if you are called for an interview before the middle of April, it is a screening interview and the human resources person is merely lining up good candidates for more interviews later. This is because the budgeting process is not completed yet and in the beginning of April, people are still debating proposed expenditures- including staff additions. The building principal does not go to job fairs, nor does he or she do this level of screening interviews because he or she has a building to run, and nobody is picking his staff for him. You won't see him till May at least. If you are called for an interview, that's nice, but there will be another interview coming- maybe- that's why you are reading this!
Here is a typical scenario. The Human Resource person asks the principal to come over so the interviews can be done. This isn't in any books either, but the Principal is not thrilled to be doing this in May because he or she has many things on his mind at this time of year like graduation, awards programs and banquets, proms, field trips, the protracted process of closing school, scheduling, board budget meetings, etc. This means that he or she has no time or interest in reading that you "worked at the bank", "were a lifeguard at the pool" or a "counselor at the summer camp". They also are not interested in your regular or electronic portfolio- even though the interviewers, out of respect for their colleagues that teach in college, will smile and say, "Sure, just leave it on the table right there for us, etc." Also, no one will be reading all of the thank you notes you write to all of the interviewers, and no one will be calling the people you listed as references- unless you are one of the final two candidates.
Also, the earlier the interview in the Spring, the more likely it will be that they will ask you to teach a sample lesson or meet with several different groups, do a writing sample, and get waltzed around the proverbial dance floor for several hours- Human Resource people love this stuff and they have no stressful deadlines at this time of year like the principal does. If you do not get called at this time, do not get too upset. This is because many of the so-called "good" candidates( judged solely by GPA- get an A in those liberal arts courses you have to take please- they count and they are not rocket science!) who got signed early have often found a higher paying job by the beginning of August. You should know that August is a great time for an interview and many calls are made to prospective teachers at this time of year to come for an interview- sometimes as late as the day before school. If you get a call for an interview at this time of the year, the school district is in a panic and wants to get this taken care of quickly. There will be no sample lessons to teach and no multi-tiered interviews and writing samples. Often the interview will be with one person- the principal generally and maybe the department chairperson, and it is difficult at this point for you to "mess things up!" So never lose hope as August 1 rolls around because things are just getting exciting and the prospective teacher is often in the driver's seat at this point.
Another thing that should cry out to you is that, if, as the research indicates, the decision about whether to hire you was made in the first 10 seconds or so of the interview, then your keen intellect had nothing to do with the decision- except that, if it was demonstrated on paper, it may have helped you get invited to the interview.(GPA ) After that, your brains had nothing to do with a judgment of"Yep" or "Nope" on the part of the employer. What was it then? My old coach used to go into his famous "Straight Line to Success" Speech. To win this game, he would scream, you need this, this, this, and this...it's all in a straight line. The first "This" was coach pointing to his head (Brains), the second "this", he pointed to was his chest (Heart), the third he pointed to his stomach(guts-courage) and the fourth- well you figure it out- it was a guys team! The point was, contrary to what the politicians assert, is that brains alone are not going to do it- you need some heart- passion/personality/attitude/warmth and then some courage mixed in. On my desk at the college is an old movie picture from the Wizard of Oz showing Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion walking down the Yellow Brick Road. I have it there because I believe strongly in the "Wizard of Oz Doctrine"...what is it? Quite simply, an assertion that success in teaching requires the three things Dorothy's companions were seeking from the Wizard- Brains, a Heart, and Courage. You need all three. Just like the Tinman-Lion-Scarecrow, you already have those things- you just might not realize it yet. Go big on the "Heart" aspect- that is what was discerned about you by the employer in the first ten seconds.
So far, we have been dealing with things leading up to the handshake resulting in a qualified "Yep" or "Nope". We reiterate that there are many good sources out there and if you are a serious candidate for employment, you need to do your research. That includes finding out about the place in which you are hoping to work, traveling there in advance to check on times and exact location, and Googling the major players in the school district to see if they have done anything noteworthy that you can casually bring up in your interview. Aside from that, all the advice you have heard about proper dress, punctuality, a warm smile, and eye contact is crucial to your having any chance to be successful. A final bit of advice during this period of time leading up to the initial handshake is to remember to treat everyone you meet- custodians, clerks, secretaries, security people...and this means through your entire career...with kindness and respect. These people often will provide their opinion about a person to the bosses with or without that opinion being sought. Did you ever play "Can You Top This?" Well, this writer has a story about being hired that you can't possibly top...read on about Mary the Custodian.
EXCURSUS... Mary, The Custodian.
In the search process leading up to my first job as a high school principal,(I was only ever a teacher with no administrative experience before this visit) a group of professionals came from the school district that I interviewed at and spent the day visiting the school where I taught, meeting with students and staff to find out more about me. It was a harrowing day trying to simply do my job and pretend nothing was going on! At the end of the day, I was leaving to go home and noticed the group of visitors at the end of the hallway. I ducked around a corner to watch and listen as Mary, one of our custodians- a elderly black woman with a particularly disagreeable personality and feared by the kids, but friendly with me, was loudly lecturing the group about how, "No one gives a damn about the opinion of a black cleaning lady, but you better not lead this man on and play games with him...this man is the only one of these uppity white teachers that takes the time to talk with me, so don't you be leading him on, cause I will FIND you people...etc." I escaped out a back door. At 9PM that evening I was watching TV in my pajamas and there was a knock at the door. I put on a bathrobe and went to the door. It was the Selection Committee who had a 4 hour trip ahead of them. They were going to reconvene tomorrow and talk about the final two candidates. They went out to dinner, and on the strength of the lecture from Mary decided to look up my address, go to my house, and offer me the job! Beat that story, I dare you! Every word of it is true. Don't underestimate the effect you have on people with a simple smile, thank you, or some other kindness- even in ten minutes.
Another thing to be aware of is the clerical staff of the school district or school you are visiting. Many administrators value the opinions of their support staff and will ask their opinion about candidates in the waiting room. If the person behind the desk looks like a kindly, mature person with a nice smile, make sure you treat her( it's never a "He") with great kindness and courtesy. Make some small talk if you can about something that impresses you about this district. Make up a reason to ask for directions to the interstate or some restaurants, etc. for after the interview... e.g. "where's a nice but not too expensive place to eat around here?" Show your human side by acknowledging to this person about your nervousness, etc. Talk to this person just a little bit because, nobody else will, and often, support staff tend to be like Mary in the above story- outspoken and not hesitant to share opinions with anybody whether they want to listen or not. Say more to this person on the way out besides "goodbye."
The next article will feature the top ten most frequently asked questions in teacher interviews (no matter what the "experts" say are the top ten) with answers that will often leave the interviewers speechless that you gave such an answer for one so young and inexperienced. Suffice it to say that the quotation that if you "Fail to prepare, you are preparing for failure" is accurate. You must do a lot even before you get into the interview room to win that interview. We will leave you with one more pre-interview strategy...
In this article it was mentioned that the chances of your references being contacted anytime up to the point where you are not yet a final two candidate are slim. To increase the chance that the prospective employer will see something from a reference before he or she wants to is to include letters from 2-3 individuals, enclosed right in your credential packet with your Cover letter, degree, transcript, and application. Ask people who know you and are in positions of authority in a school district to write you a generic letter addressed only to "The Selection Committee" and dated "Spring, 2011" or "Fall, 2009" for example. Then make multiple copies of Resume- Transcript-Degree- Letters- and any other relevant certificate or news article. The only thing that changes is the Cover Letter and the Application.
Put it all in a big white envelope and mail it to the address advertised. Now your reference will be looked at- at least a little- by people who weren't planning to check references on the day they were looking at applications. For you young people, what was just described is called "Mail" or "snail-mail." It's very old school and it involves communicating with another person WITHOUT the use of technology. Learn about it because it may prove valuable to your search process! OK, that was a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but the key is to stay focused, and don't lose hope- maybe just some weight- and that beard- and oh yea... WEAR A WATCH... and remember that August is a great time to be called for the interview because the district is in a bit of a panic since their "really good candidate" took another job. Leave the cell phone in the car too!
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