Spring is just around the corner and if you are a prospective teacher, you are probably well aware that spring is Educator Career Fair season. If you are planning on including career fairs in your job search, please consider that despite the often noisy, informal feel and the use of the word “fair,” these events are essentially job interviews. If you start from that point, you may already be thinking differently about what to wear and how to present yourself, but here are a number of less obvious steps you may also want to consider: Preparation Obtain a list of ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

A few years ago, at an interview day at a university, a school administrator commented to me that most candidates were dressed appropriately for interviews, but it appeared some visiting from another university had been advised to "dress like a teacher." Fifty years ago, that might have been a compliment, but with more relaxed dress in educational settings in the twenty-first century, interview wear should be dressier than "like a teacher." When candidates ask me what they should wear for a teacher interview, my response is always the same: a suit. As in any career field, you want to make ...

It is tempting to spend all our time during the holidays eating and sleeping (at least it is tempting to me!). For the education job seeker, however, this is a time when you can do some things that might enhance your search. While I have a list of several, I will share only a couple. First, if you are conducting a long-distance search, this might be a time for you to visit your potential new location. It takes a little bit of planning ahead and scheduling on your part, but it can certainly pay off, especially for the candidate who ...

We continue to use the term "teacher shortage" to describe the job market in education. Certainly there are considerable shortages in areas such as mathematics, the sciences, special education, and bilingual education. Supply and demand research from the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) shows these fields with shortages nationwide. What some of you find, however, is that the words "teacher shortage" do not apply equally across all education disciplines. Those of us who regularly visit with education recruiters hear stories about how many elementary, physical education, and social studies candidates they see. Indeed, AAEE research still shows that ...

Near the end of an interview, candidates will have an opportunity to ask questions. You'll want to be sure your questions demonstrate the depth of your knowledge of the employer and the position. Questions should be prepared in advance while researching the employer but also may be generated by information received during the interview. It's best have several questions in mind before you arrive for the interview. Be prepared but flexible. You may also take this opportunity to communicate a job-related qualification or other important item which had not been previously discussed. A few examples of appropriate questions follow: •What ...