Educator Job Searches https://bit.ly/3ppgnXPDavid Conrad,
Ed.D.
[email protected]
Friday, November 4, 2021
Apply interview strategies to secure employment in education.
The education profession is a good life (Higgins, 2011). This
historical time presents many challenges and exciting
opportunities, and rehearsing for interviews will increase your
confidence and your employment choices!
How To Use This Presentation
1. Don’t feel overwhelmed! Find one or two ideas you can “takeaway”
from the presentation.
2. When reviewing this presentation later, “pause” at any time to
internalize the skills and content.
3. Download the handout to access all the slides and a set of ten
practice questions with scoring guides.
4. The skills for interviewing are learnable. Practice alone or
with a group of peers.
5. Contact
[email protected] for additional support.
similarity to the position • References/letters • Extracurricular
potential • Community participation • Community service • Writing
quality in submission • GPA and academic performance • Perceived
college reputation
Level #2: Personal Characteristics (interview/performance)
• Personal appearance • Confidence and poise • Communication skills
• Knowledge • Lesson/teaching sample • Growing use of video
screening
(Bolz, 2009; Figlio, 2002; Guarino et al., 2006; Little &
Miller, 2007; Mason & Schroeder, 2010; Mertz, 2010; Rose et
al., 2014; Stronge & Hindman, 2006, 2009)
The Interview Invitation
• Email is the best method of contact with administrators. • Return
all phone calls and emails promptly! • If contacted but you already
have a job, thank the principal and
let them know you have accepted another offer. • When invited, you
may ask what the interview format will be.
Interview Formats • Online • Impromptu • Telephone • Group •
Committee • Proficiency • Structured
(Stronge & Hindman, 2006)
• First impressions influence principals (Mason & Schroeder,
2010).
• 50% of private industry employers reported they can decide within
five minutes if a candidate will be a good fit in the organization
(BottomLine Personal, 2019).
• Arrive early!
• Make safe apparel and personal appearance choices: dress
professionally in conservative business attire (Mason &
Schroeder, 2010)
• In private industry, 70% of job candidates who were hired wore
mostly black, while only 33% of rejected candidates wore mostly
black (BottomLine Personal, February 2019)
Graphic: https://www.stetson.edu/administration/care
er/media/DressforSuccess2016_PROOF.pdf
• Sample Pre-Screening Format: Receive the question, prep for one
minute, then four minutes (maximum) to speak/record, with four to
six questions total
• “Our district also bought RIVS program…it video records the
candidates answering the initial questions so (the principal) and
the committee can watch together or alone with a link.”
• “Candidates receive a link that has questions recorded by our own
staff members and the candidate then records their answers to our
questions. We narrow the candidate pool based on these video
responses.”
Trend: Compact Interviews
• “Speed Dating”: Schools will select 8-10 candidates for brief
speed interviews (10-15 minutes).
• Job Fair: Candidates circulate from table to table to meet with
multiple interviewers on the same day (just a few questions at each
table).
• Both are used in online and F2F modes.
Trend: Structured Online Interview
• Online interview with questions from a single interviewer or a
committee/panel.
• Principal: “I'd be thinking about how I present on camera. I'd
double check my microphone, room lighting, and position of my
computer. I think it's a great opportunity to showcase your tech
knowledge. Bonus points to the candidate who can share the screen
and show something.
• Principal: “...treat the online face interview the same as a
regular in person interview: dress up, be ready with questions,
have a portfolio to share if requested, plus know how to navigate
the online platform. I would tell candidates to ask what the online
interview expectations are so they can get familiar with the
software. At home, make sure tech is working correctly, set up a
well-lit space so you can clearly be seen, make sure you can be
heard, and be uninterrupted.”
• Principal: “Treat the interview space similarly to a live
interview - avoid busy places, dress appropriately, and prepare any
materials for electronic sharing/submission. Also, practice on
video - it is different in many ways and going through it as
practice will help them be comfortable.”
• Unclutter your background and silence your phone. • Consider
childcare and pet sitters.
Trend: Structured Online (continued)
Trend: Presenting a Lesson
the topic • State the learning outcome • Engaged, active
learning
lesson/activity • Post-assessment (exit slip,
Questions for Planning • How much time? Practice your
timing!!! • If online, can you share your
screen? How will you share external hyperlinks?
• Who are the “students”? How many? Will they have technology
access?
Response Strategies: Skills You Can Practice!
Plan to Sell the Typical Questions
• Tell us about yourself.... • Why are you interested in working at
XYZ school? • What is your philosophy of classroom
management/restorative
justice/discipline? • How will/do you differentiate your lessons? •
How will/do you accommodate for special needs learners? • How
will/do you increase achievement on SAT/IAR? • How will/do you
assess students/measure student growth? • How will/do you plan
instruction? (Hint: Start with learning standards!)
Gather with peers and practice!
Prepare the “Hot Topics”
Types of Interview Questions
Informational & Situational Questions: Three-Part Response
Model
1. Explain your philosophy • “I believe…” • “I feel…” • “The
research suggests…”
2. Describe what it looks like now • During student teaching
3. Describe how it will look in the future • In the position you
are interviewing for
(Lubelfeld, 2016)
Student-Centered and Collaborative Responses • Focus on students
and student learning.
• What are students doing? • How does student voice influence your
practices?
• “We” or “us” demonstrates teamwork and collaboration. • Use the
pronoun “I” sparingly (if at all).
• Q: How do you use assessment data? • Less effective: “After I
grade the papers, I look at the questions and
decide what lessons I need to teach next.” • More effective: “The
assessment data and exit slips drive the daily
planning decisions about our students’ learning needs.”
Sample: How would you address the SEL standards? 1. Explain your
philosophy: I believe schools must develop the whole
child. Time spent on supporting the social-emotional development of
children will improve their readiness to learn and accelerate their
academic growth.
2. Describe what it looks like now: During my student teaching at
Bayside High School, we held peace circles on the first day of
every week. Our students needed time to refocus after the weekend.
We used circles to build and rebuild a community of trust in our
classrooms.
3. Describe how it will look in the future: As a fifth-grade
teacher, I would integrate restorative practices into my classroom,
giving voice to my students. I would use your school’s PBIS
initiative to create “cool tools” to help my students
practice…
Three-Part Response Practice
• How do you deal with disruptive students? • How will you use
restorative justice? • How do you differentiate your lessons? • How
do you integrate technology? • How will you plan for instruction? •
How do build connections with students?
1. Explain your philosophy
3. Describe how it will look in the new position
Experience-Based Questions: PAR
P: Problem—Briefly describe the problem.
A: Action—What were the steps you took? What was your role? Frame
your action in the context of collaboration and teamwork.
R: Result—Describe the positive outcome. What did you learn from
this experience?
PAR Response Practice
• Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult student behavior
challenge and how you addressed it.
• Share an example of how you work with colleagues in a team
situation?
• How have you handled irate parents? • How have you modified your
instruction to
meet the needs of struggling learners?
P: Problem—Describe the problem or situation.
A: Action—What were the steps you took? What was your role? Frame
your action in the context of collaboration and teamwork.
R: Result—Describe the positive outcome. What did you learn from
this experience?
Sample Interview Questions with Scoring Guides
Sources of Sample Questions
• Teacher Quality Index by Stronge & Hindman (2006) • Knock 'em
Dead Job Interview: How to Turn Job Interviews Into
Job Offers by Yate (2011) •
https://www.snc.edu/careers/docs/education/interviewing.pdf •
Search online
Closing the Deal: Follow-Ups and Offers
Plan End-of-Interview Questions
• Ask open-ended, higher-order questions: • Less effective: Do you
have a mentoring program? • More Effective: What kinds of supports
do you provide early-career teachers?
• Ask about the culture: • Tell me about your students? • Why do
you (the principal) work here?
• Bring out your value-added skills: • Extra
licensure/endorsements, extracurricular skills • Less effective
question: Do you allow teachers to coach? • Effective questions:
During college, I competed on the cross-country team and
played competitive chess. What kinds of extracurricular roles could
I help with?
Salary
• Research the local norms for discussing salaries and benefits. •
Many first-year salaries in K-12 public education in Illinois
are
non-negotiable due to collective bargaining or statewide salary
schedules.
• Always appropriate to discuss salary and benefits when the
position is offered.
• Investigate sign-on bonuses, retention stipends, loan
forgiveness, and other early-career incentives.
Wrap-Up
• Thank the interviewers for the opportunity. • Appropriate to ask
about the timeline and when you would be
notified about the next steps in the process. • Follow-up with a
thank you note (email or postal mail).
Conclusion
• St. Norbert College Career Center •
https://www.snc.edu/careers/docs/education/interviewing.pdf
Welcome to the Profession!
• Build confidence by practicing. The skills are learnable. • Be
proud of your story—and your positive influence on students!
For More Information:
Learning Objective
The Interview Process
Prepare the “Hot Topics”
Types of Interview Questions
Student-Centered and Collaborative Responses
Three-Part Response Practice
Experience-Based Questions: PAR
PAR Response Practice
Sources of Sample Questions
Slide Number 28
Slide Number 29
Slide Number 30
Slide Number 31
Slide Number 33
Slide Number 34
Slide Number 35
Slide Number 36
Plan End-of-Interview Questions