Advice for a Recent Grad

It is not an easy time to get a job in education. There are more people than ever vying for a smaller number of positions. Many schools have a specific budget they can use for their new hires, and it isn?t very flexible. The interview process is intimidating for anyone, whether you?re a recent graduate or not. However, in my experience, those people who have the innate ability to teach, and who really work the interview process, all get jobs.

Even though I consider myself to have the innate ability to teach, I couldn?t have just relied on that through the interview process. You have to treat the job search like it is a full time job. You have to push the fear, insecurity, and uncertainty aside and give it your all-even though there is a good chance of failing. Right out of college, I was invited back for a 2nd round interview, in 4 districts. Of those 4 interviews, I was offered 3 teaching positions. That means that I was a top choice at 3, very different, schools. The job I took at Nagel Middle School, in Cincinnati, was only a one-year position because I was filling in for someone on sabbatical. Therefore, I was looking for another position the following year. Back to the job search drawing board. However, this time, I had experience to back up my philosophy and examples of specific lessons and situations in the classroom. That year, I had 2 interviews are 2 different districts. I was offered a second round at both schools, but decided to take the job at Madeira Middle School before I even went to the second round at the other school. My point here is this: I have been in a variety of interviews in a variety of districts over the last 2 years, and both times I walked away with a job that was perfect for me. If I can do it, so can you.

I?m not the best teaching candidate out there. I remember sitting in my cohort classes at Miami University and looking around thinking, ?I?m screwed.? I went to school with some bright, motivated, hard-working, talented future teachers of America. All of a sudden, we had gone from leaning on each other in group work and class, to being the competition. How was I supposed to ask advice from someone when I wanted to have the edge up on them in the interview process? So, I felt like I was on my own.

Through conversations with my mother (a veteran teacher), business-minded friends, Career Services, and overhearing my teacher friends on the phone in the hallway, I learned some valuable tricks of the interviewing trade. By the time I was done with my first year teaching and knew I had to hit the job search trail again, I had a pretty solid system down. It starts like this:

How to get an interview:

1. Stalk the websites

In early February, I add a bookmarks section to my Safari library and add the websites of any school I would consider working in. I make sure I?ve already applied online to all of these schools, then I set a day of the week when I will check the employment page of all these schools. I liked to check on Thursdays-never on a weekend, because no one from human resources is going to be updating their website over the weekend.

2. Email weekly

Once a posting appears on a school?s website, I send a very brief email to the principal of the school that is interviewing, as well as the human resources director. Every district functions differently. At some schools (especially the smaller districts) the principal makes the hiring decisions on his or her own. Other districts have the HR director make the initial decision and cuts. This email should include an attachment with your cover letter, resume, and reference sheet. I end this email with something that says, ?I look forward to hearing from you and setting up an interview.? This lets them know your intention is to meet them and start the process of being hired. I would send this email every week until the posting is taken down, or until they call you.

3. Send a hard copy

As soon as possible, I would send a personalized cover letter, resume, and reference sheet to the principal of the building that has a job posting. Make sure to print it on nice resume paper, and maybe even include a business card. I also print out labels for the return and mailing address on the envelope in order to appear as professional as possible. I would also send one really flattering reference letter. You don?t want to overwhelm them with paperwork or they will just push your packet aside.

4. Work your connections

Send a message to every teacher you know on Facebook telling them you are looking for a job, what your qualifications are, and any experience you have. Also, if you are already in a school district, make connections with any teacher or co-worker you trust and let them know that you are actively looking for a position. Teachers know teachers; and if they respect you, they will help.

5. Practice your philosophy

Download practice teacher interview questions from the Internet. Make sure you get teacher-based questions, because business-minded interviews don?t apply to teaching. Once you have questions to practice from, write down or type up your go-to answers. Practice these answers by talking to yourself in the car or whenever you are alone. Hearing yourself say these words helps you memorize them. It also helps you pre-prepare for the basic interview questions. This way, you don?t waste precious prep time once you actually get an interview. Your philosophy on teaching should be strong and obvious, and shouldn?t change, no matter what district you are talking with. Therefore, practice verbalizing your philosophy before you are even asked to interview.

Once you get an interview? How to get a job:

1. Be prepared.

Preparation leads to confidence. You need to do research on the district. Scan the website to see what issues are being address. Read any letters to parents; those are great eyes into the relationship between the school and the community. If there are statistics or information into their state report card, read it. You don?t have to memorize it; but, this stage is all about familiarizing yourself with the school. Based on these findings, you can formulate questions to ask after your interviewer. You should have already decided on three questions you want to ask before you enter the interview room. Then, you can make a decision on which two to ask, based on the questions and direction the interview went. You should also make sure your suit is pressed, panty hose are clean, and shoes are shined. I have also heard that wearing a watch to an interview is important. Get directions to the school and make sure they are accurate the night before you have the interview. You shouldn?t make any new decisions the morning of your interview; it?s unnecessary stress. Also, turn off your cell phone, or maybe even leave it in the car. All you need in a small, professional bag that holds your portfolio, notebook, and keys. Any excess looks sloppy and distracting. And no one wants to be sloppy or distracting in an interview.

2. Be memorable.

Find a way to differentiate yourself from your outstanding peers. I always took a nice Georgia Tech pen with me to the interview. I stole this pen from my brother, who plays baseball at Tech. In my experience, I interviewed with more men than woman. In many first round interviews, the man interviewing me (and on occasion even a woman) noticed my unique pen and asked about it. This opened up a conversation that wouldn?t have been able to be breeched in a normal interview conversation. However, because Georgia Tech is a respected academic institution, and baseball is appreciated by many Cincinnatians, it never hurt me to add this personal touch. If you can find a unique, and totally positive touch to add to yourself on the day of an interview, it can?t hurt. Another way I tried to distance myself from my peers is by having a business card. I ordered 100 business cards from on online vendor I found after typing ?business cards? into Google. Even though all the information on my business card is available on my resume, it doesn?t hurt to have another reminder of how great you are. Also, if the card were to ever fall out of the pile of resumes sitting on a principal?s desk, he would pick it up and put it back on the top of that pile, making you the first name he sees when referencing the list of candidate. Not too shabby.

3. Be confident.

Even if you don?t know the answer to a question, look your interviewer in the eye, smile, take a deep breath, and start talking about your philosophy of education. Remember when I said it?s important to have a strong philosophy before you enter an interview? This is why. If you are confident in yourself as a teacher and with your philosophy, then you will be able to get through any question by falling back on your philosophy. Your interviewer might not get a clear answer, but it?s better than sitting there stunned by the question. Sometimes, if you?re lucky, your philosophy will remind you of a situation that is related to the question and you?ll surprise yourself with an awesome answer.

4. Ask questions.

As I mentioned before, you need to come into an interview with at least 3 questions to ask the interviewer. The most impressive thing you can do in an interview is ask intelligent questions at the end. This is your last chance to leave an impression on your interviewer-show them you know what you?re doing. Even more important, this is your chance to see if you want to work there. Remember, you are interviewing this school just as much as they are interviewing you. If they answer your questions in way that don?t match your philosophy, there is a chance you won?t find your fit in their building. I write these pre-proposed questions on a notepad that I keep in a nice leather-bound notebook. This way, when it comes time to end the interview, I can reference the questions. I also use this pad to write down notes during the interview-especially if another question comes in my mind throughout the questioning. This is your chance to put your interviewer in the hot seat, don?t be afraid to do this; it?s impressive and shows confidence.

5. Look the part.

Wash your hair. Brush your hair. Wear deodorant-you?re going to sweat. Don?t over-do it with accessories. Wear a suit, a full suit, with panty hose. Lean on the conservative side when it comes to dress. Don?t let your hair hang in your face. In fact, don?t touch your hair from the moment you leave your car. Make sure you?re make up doesn?t scream, ?Pornstar.? Your first impression is the way you look, and even though it?s not the only impression, it holds a lot of importance because they will remember you for it.

6. Be yourself.

Don?t try to hard to impress the school. If you are yourself, they should like you. If you are the best candidate for the job, and you?re being yourself, it?s a win-win situation for everyone. If you?re yourself and the school doesn?t think you?re the best fit, they are doing you a favor. You don?t want to work somewhere that doesn?t appreciate you, your style, your philosophy, and your methods.

7. Be early.

Shoot to be at least 30 minutes early. There is a chance you will get a chance to glimpse your competition as they leave their interview. Also, it gives you a chance to chat it up with the secretaries. You want the secretaries to like you; they are usually pretty tight with the principals.

8. Use your portfolio

Yes, you should have a portfolio. In this portfolio you should have you personal information (resume, etc), example lesson plans (that show different types of lessons), examples of different assessments, evaluations from students, letters of recommendation, and maybe even pictures of your classroom. But don?t waste your time putting together this professional perfection unless you are going to use it. I always kept my portfolio in a three-ring binder so I could remove the part of the portfolio I was referencing and pass it around the table without dragging my whole binder with it. I also make a copied, binded portfolio at UPS and leave it with the school after the interview. When doing this, be sure that it is perfect. No pressure.

9. Write a thank you note.

At the beginning of the interview, be sure to write down the names of everyone in the room. Just a last name is fine, because then you can find their first name and spelling on the school?s website afterwards. Once you know the name and spelling, you need to write a hand-written, specific thank you note. This needs to be done immediately when you get home. In a perfect world, you would get it to the post office so it goes out that same day. This way, it will get back to the school as soon as possible. You might even consider writing a thank you note to the secretary, based on how helpful or patient she was with you.

10. Make eye contact.

Make eye contact with every person you come across. The parent in the parking lot. The student holding the door. The secretary behind the computer that doesn?t even look at you. The teacher checking her mailbox. And obviously, the person asking the questions. Also, remember you are on your interview from the moment you leave your car. There is a good chance the principal?s office is facing the parking lot, and you wouldn?t want him or her to catch you picking your wedgy as you walk up the sidewalk. Be on your best game from the moment you close that car door to the moment it shuts behind you.

All of these suggestions are merely that, suggestions. But I have used these strategies and rules on many occasion and they have brought me success. I currently work in a district that understands me and respects me as a young professional. I feel like my strong interview skills only mirror my strong teaching skills-which is all you can hope for in an interview. Be yourself, and you can?t go wrong.

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/referenceandeducation/2012/07/12/advice-for-a-recent-grad/

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