What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Tell me about yourself. These were very common questions in an interview, but times are changing, and so are interviews. You need to be ready for behavioral interview questions. In a behavioral interview you will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from your past experiences. The principal or human resources recruiter wants to know, not that you can do something, but that you have done it. He or she, prior to the interview, determines what competencies are required for the position. Then ...

Recently I was surprised to hear two different school districts in major cities advertising for “anyone with a bachelor’s degree” to apply to teach. The advertisements stated that the districts were desperate for teachers and could certify anyone with a bachelor’s degree. One district even said certification could be accomplished in only two Saturdays of preparation. I was shocked! How could someone with two days of preparation be the equivalent of a teacher who trained and studied for many years in college and was then mentored by a master teacher during a semester of student teaching? How could ...

This past May has been unusual for my office. I help place student teachers into the positions where they will student teach for the fall semester. In past years this has been fairly normal and fairly routine. The reason I have called this past month "unusual" is that four of the math majors I placed in student teaching positions for this fall were offered teaching jobs at schools other than where they were assigned to student teach. In other words these students will be teachers with their own classroom, their own discipline system, their own grading system, their own set ...

A student recently emailed my office asking for job placement statistics for the teacher education majors at our university. I am always at a loss to answer such a broad question because many factors go into what I am sure this student hopes is a simple answer. I once overheard a career services director of a major university answer the job placement statistics question by saying, "We have 100% job placement! All of our students eventually find a job somewhere." With that answer in mind I would like to give three main factors in successful job placement. First, is the ...

As a candidate for a teaching position, the search is only one part of getting in front of the classroom. Most people find the chase to be rather tiring, but the real work starts as a person signs a contract and makes a commitment to be in front of kids. Every teaching position in this nation is important. Every teacher is important for what they bring to the classroom. From the time you are hired, you need to know there will be paperwork and preparation. In today's business environment, the school district will have quite a bit of forms and ...

Most candidates focus on several aspects of preparing for the interview—careful preparation of the resume and portfolio, a mock interview, and finding appropriate professional dress. However, there is also work to be done after the interview. Once you leave the site of the interview, the temptation is great to avoid thinking about it, to relax, to focus on the drive home with the promise that you will later sort things out. From my point of view, that’s a mistake. Each interview is a learning experience. Interviewing is not easy for anyone. Any situation that prompts us to think ...

As you progress through the job search process, there may be offers that come from school districts at job fairs, over the phone, or at the end of an interview. School districts feel that once a candidate has agreed and accepted a contractual offer that the candidate will honor their commitment. I know what you are saying, "this was a really short post and why would a personnel director make such a simple comment." Well, the reason for this post is simple, I will agree. Candidates don't always honor their commitment. I would like to say that districts always do ...

Every graduate is eager to secure employment. Although most individuals don't prepare themselves very well. The preparation on the part of the individual will make the interview team much more understanding of what is being said and they can listen for passion and desire. Every interview is meant to be a showcase for a candidate. The truth is that employers are looking for something. I can't predict what that might be, but I know that there are going to be things that will make one individual stand out above the crowd. How can you be that person? First, what do ...

For job seekers in the field of education, the spring of the year is a time filled with great anticipation. School districts around the country are moving in full swing to hire highly qualified staff for the upcoming school year. Having said that, the inevitable question is "what do I have to do to get a job?". One of the fundamental questions in today's electronic world is "what do you know about the school district where you want to apply?" With websites improving daily and in-depth information available on the internet, candidates need to do a thorough job of reviewing ...

We’re beginning to talk with excited clients who have actually been offered jobs. For you, that magic moment may be just around the corner. Will you be ready to make an informed job choice? While it might be tempting to immediately accept the first offer that comes along, careful consideration of each offer produces better results. Our office presents a workshop to prepare candidates to evaluate job offers, consider benefits, and make wise job choices. Here are some topics we cover: • How to Respond Initially Thank the employer for the offer. Ask for time to consideration. This demonstrates that ...