Finding a Job

Presenter:

Shannon J. Holden

www.newteacherhelp.com

Overview of Today’s Session• Why is this important?• Being ready to pounce• Your Cover Letter• The Resume• Your “Philosophy of Education”• The Interview• This mistake is a “Game Ender”• The Aftermath

Disclaimer• I am just one administrator• I do not presume to know what EVERY

administrator looks for in an applicant• I do know what I like!• These tips were gathered from friends &

colleagues who are in the business of hiring teachers

Why is This Important?• Wouldn’t it be great if YOU were the one in

control of the hiring process?• Wouldn’t it be great if you could choose where

you worked?• Knowing the skills necessary to find a job is

one of the most important skills to have!

Be Ready!• I have missed out on a ton of jobs because I

wasn’t ready to act fast when one became available

• Many school districts make it intentionally difficult to apply for jobs in their district

• My response when jobs became available and I wasn’t ready:– “It is going to take so much work to organize all

of my materials”

Be Ready!• Make packets with these documents

– Resume– Reference letters– College transcripts– Copies of your teaching certificate(s)– Your “Philosophy of Education”– Large envelopes with postage already on them

• All you need to do is make a “personalized” cover letter, put an address on the envelope, and send it away!

What if They Are “Online”?

• All of the documents should be in a folder on your computer in PDF format (except your cover letter)

• After you do your first online application, print out all of the answers you gave so that the NEXT one will be way easier and faster!

• Keep a folder of all of the answers you gave on all of your online applications

Be Ready!• I have made an open DropBox folder which

contains ALL of my application materials• http://bit.ly/shannonholden• I direct potential employers there, and they

can download any piece of information about me that they desire!

Your Cover Letter• Your cover letter should NOT be more than

three paragraphs long (not more than one page)

• Administrators are reading dozens of these, so get to the point!

• Less is more…we don’t have time to read your life story

Cover Letter (Paragraph #1)• “Dear (name of person who is the ‘contact

person’ for the job)”• You could do “To Whom it May Concern”• I am excited to present my application

materials to you for (specific job opening)• Tell where you saw the job opening (optional)• Tell why you are interested in the specific job

or school/district

Cover Letter (Paragraph #2)• Tell them you have really been focused on

learning more about…– Cooperative Learning– Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports– Response to Intervention– Professional Learning Communities– Common Core State Standards

• Tell how you take student failure personally, and you do whatever it takes for students to experience success

Cover Letter (Paragraph #3)• Thank the person for reading your application

materials• Tell him/her that you are looking forward to

meeting them and the interview panel• “Sincerely, • (four lines of space for your signature)• “(Your Name)”

The Resume• Your career objective• Your education• Your experience• Hobbies/outside interests• References

Your Career Objective• Your career objective should match the job

you are interviewing for• “To help students reach their fullest

potential” is a good career objective• “To instill a lifelong love of learning in all

students” is another one

Your Education• List your highest degree/most recent degree

first• It might also be a good idea to make a

section called “Certifications” so that you can show you are certified for the position you are applying for

Your Experience• List your most recent experience first• If you are applying for your first teaching job,

put your student teaching experience first• If there are any “gaps” in your employment

history, be prepared to explain them in the interview

• Include any volunteer work where you have worked with children

Hobbies/Outside Interests• Reading (You better have this one!)• Physical activity (Another good one)• Volunteer work (Obvious)• Sports (They may want you to coach one)

Clean Up Your Facebook!• Wouldn’t it be terrible if you didn’t get an

interview because your Facebook page had pictures of you engaging in bad behavior?

• More and more employers are checking Facebook pages!

• Better to be safe than sorry!

References (In THIS order)• If you are looking for your first job:

– Your student teaching “cooperating teacher”– Principals of schools where you have “subbed”– Your college advisor– Professors in your major

• If you have teaching experience:– Your Principal– Your Asst. Principal(s) or Superintendent– Your Department Chairperson– Other colleagues

Your Philosophy of Education• You need to go beyond “All children can

learn”• “All students have different learning styles”• “It is the teacher’s responsibility to determine

how each student learns, and present lessons to them that match their learning style”

• “Learning is a participatory process, and I will present lessons that engage students”

Your Philosophy• You should be able to articulate your

philosophy in an interview setting, and be able to write it when necessary

The Interview

• When to get there• Dress• Questions they can’t ask you• Do your homework• When you don’t know the answer• Asking the right questions

When to Get There• Don’t show up late!• Don’t show up more than 10 minutes early• Drive to your destination before your big day

in order to know exactly where to go• Give yourself 30 minutes of cushion• Sit in the parking lot and go over possible

answers

Dress• Administrators are always fighting the fight

with teachers about what “professional dress” is

• Show your potential employer that YOU know what professional dress is

• Most of the interviewers are old, so you are going to have to go “Old School” with your outfit (see next slide)

“Old School”• Men

– Suit (or at the very least…a shirt and tie)– Shave!– Shaggy hair?

• Women– No flip flops!– Excessive jewelry– Stay classy

“Old School”

• It would be a good idea to minimize the appearance of any piercing and/or tattoos you may have

• Old people just don’t get it that you are trying to express your individuality

The “Game Ender”

• When you introduce yourself to your interviewer, do this:– Look the interviewer in the eye– Shake their hand with a “firm” grip– Do NOT give a “limp” hand shake

• Almost every administrator I talk to says the same thing about this

Questions They Can’t Ask You• Your age• Your marital status• Your health• Any handicapping conditions you may have

• I like to tell my interviewers this info. when they ask the first question: “Tell us a little bit about yourself.”

Questions They Will Ask You• Tell us what you know about…

– Cooperative Learning– Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports– Response to Intervention– Professional Learning Communities– Common Core State Standards

• How do you motivate unmotivated students?– See the December, 2012 webinar in this

community!

Questions They Will Ask You• “How do you know if a student ‘got it’?”• “What do you do if a student doesn’t ‘get it’

the first time you teach a concept?”• “How can we reduce the dropout rate?”• “What would your classroom look like if you

had an unlimited budget?”

Questions They Will Ask You• “What are 21st Century skills?”• “How will you implement ‘Tech Tools’ in

your classroom?”• “How is the role of the teacher changing?”• “Tell us about the last book you read”

Where to Learn About this Stuff• www.edweb.net/techtools

– Free staff development for teachers– Monthly webinars about free tech for teachers

• www.newteacherhelp.com– What you weren’t taught in college– Classroom management, lesson planning– Dealing with difficult parents– Scoring high on your teaching evaluation

Do Your Homework• Go to the district’s website• Find out important information about the

district:– Demographic information– Accreditation/test scores– What initiatives are being implemented

• Your interviewers will be impressed

When You Don’t Know• It’s O.K. to say “I don’t know” when you don’t

know the answer• That is WAY better than trying to fake it!!• Your interviewers will like your honesty• You can probably only do two of these

Better Than “I Don’t Know”• If you give me

– 48 hours– A computer with Internet access– A pot of coffee

• I can be an expert on any subject you like

Asking the Right Questions• At the end of the interview, you will be asked

if you have any questions for the interviewers• The WORST thing you can do is say

“Nope…no questions”• Also bad is to ask more than five questions

Asking the Right Questions• How far along are you in the implementation

of– Whatever initiative they are implementing

• What is the nature of the specific position you are trying to fill?

• Are you looking for someone to coach a particular sport or sponsor a club?

Asking the Right Questions• Do teachers work together as departments,

or interdisciplinary teams?• What types of interventions are teachers

encouraged to attempt with students who are struggling?

Bad Questions• How many sick days do I get each year?• How many holidays do I get?• Can I bring my pet to work?• Is my salary negotiable?• Am I going to be supported when I have a

conflict with a parent?• What is my classroom budget?

“Theme” of Your Interview• People may not remember what you said,

but they WILL remember how you made them feel

• Your interviewers should feel like you:– Love teaching & students– Are friendly and easy to get along with– Will do whatever it takes to help students

experience success in learning– Are available for “extra” responsibilities

The Aftermath

• Hurry up and wait• Thank you cards• To call or not to call

Hurry Up & Wait• Your interviewers will call you when they

make a decision (probably)• This is probably the worst part of the

interview process• There is a chance you will not receive a

phone call or letter

Thank You Cards

• There are two schools of thought on thank-you cards

• Some like them, some don’t• My personal opinion is that they don’t affect

me one way or the other

One Exception…• One applicant impressed me with her “Thank

You” card• She said “Thanks for taking the time to

interview me” then:• She elaborated on an answer to a question

that she didn’t answer well during the interview

• I thought that was pretty cool…she got the job!

To Call or Not To Call

• It will be tempting to call when you do not hear anything

• Fight the urge to call!• Don’t be the person who calls daily to check

on the “status” of the decision-making process

• You will be seen as “high-maintenance”• You will not get the job