Career Corner

In my neck of the woods, Northeastern Ohio, there is a consortium of twelve colleges and universities, some public, some private, that works collaboratively to sponsor a huge teacher education fair; The Northeast Ohio Teacher Education Day (NOTED). Every year, hundreds of students and alumnae from the participating schools show up at the crack of dawn (in April, that is around 6:00 a.m.) rain, shine or even snow, dressed in their suits and armed with folders full of resumes and. . . . .carefully crafted portfolios.

Portfolios of the educational journey toward licensure and employment in the teaching field serve as a critical part of the process. They help the student to reflect upon the learnings that have occurred as well as the direction s/he is considering for a future career. The portfolio also helps the student to articulate exactly what he or she has done to prepare for the teaching profession and to determine areas of strength, weakness or need for continuous improvement.

That said, is it absolutely necessary to lug these often cumbersome binders to job fairs where the goal is for the candidate to be invited to the district for the full interview process? The answer, according to representatives of the Ohio Association of School Personnel Administrators is a resounding "NO."

Those who are responsible for hiring the best teachers are not going to spend the limited time they have with you at a job fair looking at that portfolio. They want to review your resume, determine whether your philosophy of teaching matches that of the district and to see if there is a general fit. Once you are invited to the district, if you want to bring your portfolio as a resource, referring to specific sections that support your answers to questions you may be asked, that is fine. However, the recruiters are not expecting you to dump the portfolio on their desk and expect them to review the entire thing. Even if your portfolio is on a CD, you run the risk of a recruiter at a job fair not having the technology available to review it.

The bottom line is this; you want to use your portfolio as a resource to support your interview process and enhance and strengthen your candidacy. To do otherwise can prove costly to you in terms of conducting a successful job search.

---Gerri Sullivan
Director, Office of Counseling and Career Services
Ursuline College

Posted by AAEE at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Occasionally, I get a résumé from an education candidate who believes that incorporating some cute graphics will demonstrate their ability to use technology to create inventive classroom projects. My advice is not to use your résumé for that purpose.

One excellent example was the elementary education candidate a couple of years ago who had inserted a border at the top and bottom of the résumé which resembled alphabet blocks. The candidate emailed the résumé to me, and when I printed it on my office printer, the border at the bottom of the résumé printed out on a different page. Somewhere in the translation process, as sometimes happens, the page broke at an awkward place.

I showed this example to an administrator and asked her opinion. She mentioned that she received résumés like this in her district and always advised against such things.

So do I. Stay away from graphics. Your résumé should be a summary of your education, your experiences, and your skills. It should not be a showcase of your creativity and inventiveness, unless, of course, you are in a creative field. As we have discussed in this forum before, educational institutions tend to be conservative, as do the hiring officials. For that reason, you want your résumé to be a businesslike, professional, somewhat conservative document.

Your creativity may come into play more in putting together a portfolio. We will talk about that more in this venue later. For now, keep the résumé simple, easy to scan, black print on white or off-white paper, and email it to yourself to see what may happen in that process.

Happy writing!

--Kent McAnally,
Director of Career Services,
Washburn University, on behalf of AAEE

Posted by AAEE at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When writing a resume and cover letter or putting together a portfolio, students tell us they often receive conflicting advice - from the career offices, from their faculty advisors, from their cooperating teacher, from their friends (some who have jobs, others who don't) and finally, from the people who actually do the hiring! Talk about too much information!

As a result of this information overload, it is easy to see why students would be confused as to which advice would be best to follow. When students ask me who they should listen to, I tell them they should take bits and pieces of most of the advice they get, and make it fit into what they are trying to accomplish, which is obtaining that first professional teaching job.

Having said that, the advice that is most worth heeding is that of the hiring personnel at the districts to which you have applied. In many cases, your career office has had the most contact with them, through job fairs and professional organization memberships, as do many of your faculty advisors (though, not everyone). The teacher who is supervising your student teaching experience can also be a good resource, particularly if he/she is fairly new to the teaching profession. If you are student teaching in the building where you are hoping to work, be sure to develop a professional network. It can open many doors to you.

Finally, while your family and friends may mean well, unless they are teaching professionals, they do not always have the best information for you in terms of what school personnel directors seek in a new hire. You can certainly listen to their opinions, but be sure and be discerning in terms of what you use in your job search.

When in doubt, take a trip to your career office on campus, The professionals there are ready to help you and can often connect you with resources of which you may have been unaware.

The bottom line is this - it is your job search and your resume, both of which are different for everyone. You need to market your skills, talents and abilities as an educator in ways that will assist the school and district in meeting its academic goals.

Good luck!

---Gerri Sullivan
Director, Office of Counseling and Career Services
Ursuline College

Posted by AAEE at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It is imperative that every job seeker budget for the search. Money is the most obvious commodity, but the job search budget includes time as well as money. Finding the time while student teaching or working may be a challenge, but you can do it if you plan ahead.

All of the activities involved in a job search require time. Résumé writing and modification require time, not just for the writing itself, but to get opinions of others about the documents. Be sure to set aside some time to meet with your university’s career services office for an evaluation of your résumé and some advice on letters and job search activities. The more sets of eyes reviewing your materials, the better.

One of the most time-consuming activities in the education job search is preparing applications. Many, if not most, districts now have applications online, which can reduce or increase the time necessary for completion, depending on your situation. If you are completing mostly online applications, be sure to print or save each so that you have a record of where you have applied and when, as well as how you answered any questions that may be unique to each application. Having at least one saved application can also save time, as most applications will have similarities – a complete experience history, a breakdown of your college hours, questions about your licensure, and so forth. Once you have created a record of your answers to these questions, it is much easier to copy or cut and paste your responses to the next one. Be sure to proofread the online application before clicking "Send," just as you would a paper application before mailing.

Time for interviews can be considerable – much more than just the interview time itself. Travel is involved for almost all interviews. Even for interview days on college campuses, you must budget time to travel to the site and park. As most of us who work on campuses know, the parking process can be frustrating at best, so allow plenty of time for finding a parking place and getting to the interview site from your vehicle. A few years ago, I was in Los Angeles for an interview and was caught in the heavy morning business traffic. Fortunately, I had allowed plenty of time to travel from my hotel to the interview site. You will want to plan similarly.

Time for shopping is also important if you do not already have interview attire in the closet. For some, this will be a recreational activity, but for others of us it is a chore. In either case, allow plenty of time for seeking the type of suit you want and for comparing prices in several locations. As I said in a previous post, it is not necessary to pay $600 for a suit, but you will have to shop to find good quality attire for a good price. Ask other professionals in your area about where they find bargains.

Conducting a job search is a job, and finding and budgeting the time for it is essential. I will comment on the financial budget for a job search in a future post. Happy budgeting!

--Kent McAnally,
Director of Career Services,
Washburn University on behalf of AAEE

Posted by AAEE at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some years ago, I was told that the first thing employment recruiters do in an interview is look at your shoes. As a male, I knew that my black wingtips should be freshly polished to make the best impression. It was not necessary that shoes be new, but they should look new.

Maybe it's a cliche, but the way you accessorize and groom for an interview is important. Remember that schools in general, and school recruiters in particular, are somewhat conservative. The teachers they are recruiting are to be role models for the students in the district. I said last time that you don't want to be remembered for the big red flower in your hair (or on your dress or suit). You also don't want to be remembered as the candidate who wore sneakers to an interview, or the one who wore the chartreuse suit, etc., etc., ad infinitum. It's just like most of us were told as children: comb your hair, get your hair out of your eyes (haircut?), wash your face (and the rest of your body), clean your clothes, iron your wrinkles, polish your shoes, match belt and shoes, keep jewelry at a minimum, and so forth. No secrets.

Touchy items today are tattoos and piercings. I read recently that as many as 30% of new job candidates have tattoos. Personally, I am not opposed to tattoos nor piercings, but they do make an impression on recruiters - not usually a positive one. Keep the tattoos covered up - it's pretty simple. If you choose not to, your chances of being hired diminish significantly in most districts.

The rules for piercings are similar. Women, one pair of earrings in the lobe is acceptable. Eyebrow and lip jewelry are not. Men, piercings are not considered mainstream for education interviews (nor on the job in many districts), so remove the jewelry. A few years ago, I asked an elementary human resources administrator from a large suburban school district about the little studs that some of the women were wearing in their noses. The administrator wrinkled her face and shook her head. In short, only a single pair of earrings in the earlobes is best for women; piercing jewelry for men is not generally acceptable for the interview. After hiring, talk with peers and administrators about additions you'd like to make before doing so.

Interview appearance is important if you are serious about getting the job. Remember that it can make the difference between getting to the next step (or getting the job) and not being considered any further, especially if you are in one of those fields where there is not a shortage.

--Kent McAnally,
Director of Career Services,
Washburn University

Posted by AAEE at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)