teacher interview preparation Archives

What to Wear to a Teaching Interview: Top 5 Tips

Here’s a question from Emily, a Facebook friend of The EDU Edge and an aspiring teacher, about what to wear to a teaching interview / teaching interview attire:

“What are your top tips for what to wear to a teacher interview? I have been told to wear a business suit, but it is highly unlikely I would ever wear this for teaching so I am torn on what to do”

Emily- Thanks for contacting The EDU Edge. We shared this question with the administrators in The EDU Edge consortium who do the hiring to see what they suggested. They came up with the top five tips below. For additional tips specific to women and men’s clothing, we encourage you to check out chapter 6 of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.

1. Become friends with your clothing– In all likelihood, the clothing you will wear to an interview is not your everyday clothing. For most of us, it is much more formal clothing or even brand new. When you put it on, it is going to feel a little foreign and possibly uncomfortable. The interview experience is itself likely to be foreign and uncomfortable. You don’t need your clothing adding to this equation. Be sure to put your full interview outfit on and wear it around the house for a few hours. Do this a couple times. Consider wearing it as you run some errands etc.. Stay away from the local BBQ joint to keep it in good shape, but get some mileage on it. This may seem a bit crazy, but trust us, while others are stiff and awkward in their interview best, it will feel like just another outfit for you.

2. Dress to interview, not to teach– Ok, so we do know some teachers who wear business attire to teach, but more than likely, even if you are wearing a sharp blouse or tie, you are not going to be in an expensive three piece suit everyday given that teaching is a physically active profession. However, these teaching interviews are a serious and formal endeavor. School districts will invest a ton in you if hired (over $3.5 million in a typical thirty year career) and don’t take this lightly. You need to be sure your clothing matches the moment.

3. Demonstrate your flexibility– Hiring committees know that you will not be wearing ultra slick business attire when you teach. However, the reality for all of these committees is that they want to know that you have the flexibility and good judgment to dress appropriate to the situation. Even when you are on the job, there will be parent nights, moving-up day ceremonies, special presentations at school board meetings etc.- times you will need to represent yourself in a manner of dress that speaks well to the school and school community. During the interview, you need to give them evidence that you have the flexibility and decision making skills to dress at this end of the range if the occasion calls for it.

4. Have a “Plan B”– Be sure you have more than one outfit to wear for interviews. From hems falling out, to coffee spills, to just not feeling the vibe of the outfit that morning, you want a second option. Things can happen right up until game time- so not a bad idea to keep the second outfit with you if you are driving there. It is unlikely you will need it, but the peace of mind will be an advantage. Another plus of having more than one outfit is that if the school you interview with uses multiple rounds to interview, you have a second look ready to go and do not have wear the exact same attire to both interviews or scramble to get one the night before.

5. Ask when in doubt– If you are required to do a teaching demonstration and business attire would not be compatible (such as a PE or visual arts position) it is likely the school will let you know to dress in attire typical to what you would wear on a teaching day. If there is any question in your mind, there is no harm in calling and simply asking one of the administrators helping to organize the process, “I want to be as effective as possible in my teaching demonstration but also want the committee to know that I certainly have the ability to dress appropriate to a formal situation. Can you share your preference for attire on the day of the teaching demonstration?” No harm can be done by this call. In fact, it is likely they will appreciate that you are conscientious of these issues.

Even more details about what to wear to the teaching interview can be found in The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview. This handbook has shaken up the secretive world of teacher interviews. It has become the essential teacher interview handbook used by an increasing number of teacher colleges across the country. Busy teacher candidates will find it a quick read and well worth the modest investment for the insider information provided by school administrators that do the hiring. The more you know what to expect on the day of the interview, the more you will feel in control of the situation!

Good luck to you Emily! Good luck to all of you out there following The EDU Edge. Please be sure to share the information provided by The EDU Edge with another teaching candidate or those at you teaching college. We are on a mission to reduce anxiety when it comes to the teacher interview and make sure no one is a “deer in the headlights!”

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Top 5 Books on Instruction: Secondary Teacher Interview Prep

Last week we responded to an EDU Edge friend regarding our Top 5 Books on Instruction for Elementary Student Teachers / New Teachers. Those postings have been read by hundreds and quickly the Secondary Education folks were wondering about our Secondary recommendations. This blog post is for EDU Edge friend Katie via Twitter (@kates89). Again, we are thrilled that you are asking these types of questions because reading professional literature is crucial to becoming a great teacher and highly correlated to success during your teacher interview.

Here are The EDU Edge’s Top 5 Books on Instruction for candidates preparing for a teacher interview in secondary education:

©2006 Inspiring Active Learning: A Complete Handbook for today’s Teachers by M. Harmin and M. Toth – This book answers new teachers fundamental teaching questions and gives over 250 practical strategies on how to transform your classroom into communities of active and responsible learners.
©2002 Working on the Work by Philip Schlechty – This book shows teachers how to improve the quality of the work that students are asked to do and then shows them how to properly reflect on the work that students produce.
©2001 Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Marzano, Pickering and Pollock– This book promotes teaching strategies that have positive effects on student learning: Identifying similarities and differences, Summarizing and note taking, Reinforcing effort and providing recognition, Homework and Practice, Nonlinguistic representations, Cooperative learning, Setting objectives and providing feedback, Generating and testing hypotheses.
©2001 How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson – This book provides practical examples to begin to differentiate instruction in your classroom. Strategies include curriculum compacting, “sidebar” investigations, entry points, graphic organizers, contracts, and portfolios.
©1997 Kagan Cooperative Learning by Spencer Kagan – This is a must have resource for the new teacher. Use of sound cooperative learning structures not only is good instruction but it IS classroom management.

And don’t forget to read the essential interview handbook for anyone headed into teaching, ©2012 The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview. In this book we tell you exactly what to expect when you go in front of an interview committee. It really will give you the edge over other candidates.

Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives. We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Top 3 Books on Classroom Management for Elementary Teacher Interview Prep

EDU Edge friend (Beth @bmariefoster) asked via Twitter … “What books do you recommend for student teachers / new teachers on classroom management?

Below are The EDU Edge recommended Top 3 Books on Classroom Management for young people (like yourself) doing their student teaching or in their first year or so as an Elementary Education teacher:

©2009 The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong – The EDU Edge believes that Harry’s First Days of School remains an informative and readable primer for new teachers in classroom management.
©2002 Teaching Children to Care – Classroom Management for Ethical & Academic Growth, K-8 by Ruth Sidney Charney – The EDU Edge believes that this is a quality work about classroom management that will show teachers how to turn their vision of respectful, friendly, academically rigorous classrooms into a reality.
©2006 The Daily Five by Boushey and Moser – This is more of a pragmatic text that provides detail on specific instructional and classroom management structures that can be used in the classroom everyday….easy reading and provides the “practice” that comes from the “theory.

And don’t forget to read the essential interview handbook for anyone headed into teaching, ©2012 The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview. In this book we tell you exactly what to expect when you go in front of an interview committee. It really will give you the edge over other candidates.

Good luck to you Beth! And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives. We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

Top 5 Books on Instruction for Elementary Teacher Interview Prep

Question from an EDU Edge friend (Beth @bmariefoster) via Twitter … “What books do you recommend for student teachers / new teachers on instruction?

Beth – Thanks for contacting The EDU Edge. We are thrilled that you are asking these type of questions because reading professional literature is crucial to becoming a great teacher and highly correlated to your success during your interview for full-time teaching positions, which The EDU Edge specializes in. We are a little biased but we think that the next book you should read is The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher’s Interview by Bill Kresse and Mike Vallely. This is the essential interview handbook for any teaching candidate. OK … now after that shameless plug … let’s answer your question.

Below are The EDU Edge recommended Top 5 Books on Instruction for young people (like yourself) doing their student teaching or in their first year or so as an Elementary Education teacher.

©2002 Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller – A wonderful and insightful book that takes the proficient reader research and brings it to life in the elementary classroom.
©2011 The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades PreK-8, Second Edition by Fountas and Pinnell – This is not so much a teaching instruction manual, but rather a detailed description of connecting assessment to instruction using research based classroom practice at all reading levels Pre-K to 8th grade.
©2004 The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They’re All Hard Parts) by Katie Wood Ray – Most teachers find it very informative and helpful in setting up a writing workshop in their classroom. This is typically not taught in pre-service education courses or at least not in any detail.
©2008 Better Answers – Written Performance That Looks Good and Sounds Smart by Ardith Davis Cole – An easy-to-implement, step-by-step protocol for helping students focus upon acquiring the basic literacy skills to meet state standards in the English language arts of writing.
©1997 Kagan Cooperative Learning by Spencer Kagan – This is a must have resource for the new teacher. Use of sound cooperative learning structures not only is good instruction but it IS classroom management.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Teacher Interview Question Trap

Beware The 300 Teacher Interview Question Trap

Here’s a question via email from our new EDU Edge friend Amanda, a senior at the University of Rochester in New York

“I’ve Googled ‘Teacher Interview Questions’ and there are all these sites that have hundreds of questions … Really? I feel very overwhelmed when I think of trying to prepare for hundreds of questions. Help!”

Amanda – we know exactly what you are feeling. Personally, we remember vividly being an undergrad going to our College Career Center and getting a photocopied list of dozens and dozens of questions only to find that, in an actual interview, they didn’t ask any of the questions we had prepared for or “thought” they would ask. In a perfect world, some little elf would hand deliver each of us the list of questions the interview team was going to ask the night before the interview so that we would be prepared …but that is not likely to happen.

Here’s the deal. In The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview (a publication of The EDU Edge) you will find hundreds and hundreds of questions that have been asked in interviews around the country . To be honest Amanda, we’ve never counted them before until you sent us the email, but we have over 300 questions listed ourselves. But, unlike those in your Google search, we know from personal experience that having a list of 300 questions in your hand is basically USELESS because the actual interview team that you encounter during the interview is only going to have time for around 6-10 questions. Even worse, are those Google searches who claim that they know the “Top Questions” asked in teacher interviews. We do not give a great deal of weight to this because while there are certainly trends and questions that are asked more often than others, no one can predict the answers YOU will encounter in YOUR specific interview, for YOUR specific job, in YOUR specific school.

YOU and YOUR interview is what matters most to us … we want to help YOU succeed! Consequently, The EDU Edge has gathered questions asked by interview teams all over the country. After studying literally thousands of questions, we have been able to identify commonalities and patterns that have allowed us to divide them into twelve domains. Each of these domains is addressed by what we have called an “Umbrella’ Question” that we feel covers the domain. We believe and have seen from experience helping aspiring teachers just like you that if you write out, prepare, and practice for these 12 Umbrella Questions, you will be able to use them as a springboard for other answers to similar questions in the domain. We feel very confident that by mastering responses to these twelve umbrella questions, you will have responses ready for any question an interview committee might throw at you.

Please understand … our “Umbrella Questions” are not the “Top Twelve” questions that are asked during teaching interviews. They are the twelve questions that, when practiced, will best prepare you for any question that may be thrown at you during the interview. We not only believe, we know from personal experience helping aspiring teachers just like you, that practicing and preparing for these twelve questions will give you the edge in the interview (see Chapter 8 – Interview Questions: The EDU EDGE ‘Umbrella Approach’).

Good luck to you Amanda! Good luck to all of you following the EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

Teacher Interview Cover Letters

Cover Letter Question from @deyoungb – Brian D – “Besides proper spelling and grammar, what do people who do hiring look for in cover letters?

Brian – Thanks for contacting The EDU edge. Many candidates feel the need to write an extensive narrative with their entire background and educational philosophy in their cover letter. When our administrators who are a part of The EDU Edge consortium screen applications for our schools, often times we’ll see cover letters spanning more than one page. Here’s an Insider TIP: From our experience in hiring teachers, the reality is that cover letters rarely get read in their entirety. Schools and districts usually have thirty to forty application packets to sift through, if not hundreds. When you write an extensive cover letter you are opening yourself up to the possibility of saying the wrong thing, grammatical errors (as you correctly stated), or obscuring the most important information you want to relay.

Our advice is to keep it short, to the point, and to focus your energy on the more important aspects of getting the job i.e. a quality resume, building your instructional knowledge, preparing for interview questions, building contacts and references, designing a strong, robust portfolio, etc (see Chapter 3 of ‘The Insider’s Guide to The Teacher Interview’ – How to Get an Interview).

Having said that, here are some bread and butter basics when writing a cover letter:

Letter should be on high-quality, lighter color, 8 ½” x 11” paper.
Send the original letter with name signed in blue. (This was once frowned upon in correspondence etiquette circles, but in the age of computers and photocopiers has become an acceptable way of showing the letter was individually signed by you)
Use perfect grammar. (As you correctly stated!)
Make sure that there are no typos or misspelled words.
Never use impersonal greetings i.e. To Whom It May concern, Dear Madam, Dear Sir, etc. Call the school and find out the person and the person’s title to whom the letter should be addressed.
Keep the cover letter short; one page, with about three paragraphs, including your opening.
Be sure your letter is specific to the position, district, and building you are applying to.

Among other things that we suggest and discuss in Chapter 4 – Cover Letters and Resumes, we recommend that you express the following in your cover letter:

· Your interest in the position.

· A very brief summary of your education or experiences.

· Why you would be a good fit for the open position.

· How they can get in touch with you at a moment’s notice.

Good luck to you Brian! And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

How Important is GPA in Getting a Teaching Job?

GPA Question from a new EDU Edge friend (Mark) in Alabama … “I am at the end of my junior year and haven’t really applied myself. Is my poor GPA going to hurt me when looking for a teaching position?”

Mark – Thanks for contacting the EDU Edge. We would love to make you feel better by telling you that your GPA will not affect your job search, but one of the reasons we have been successful in coaching teaching candidates is by providing the ‘straightforward insider scoop’. Unfortunately, a low GPA will affect two aspects of your job search: (1) how your resume is constructed and (2) how a school district reviewer reacts to your resume in the initial screening process. Let’s take a look at each.

First, when you build your resume or curriculum vitae, you will have the choice of listing experience or education first. For most people like you (right out of college with little teaching experience) the choice will be to list your educational background. In Chapter 3 of the Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview – Cover Letter and Resume Advice, (a publication of The EDU Edge) the authors recommend that that you should almost always list your GPA if you are right out of school. The reasoning is simple and straightforward, if you do not list it, employers assume it was disastrous. With very few exceptions, the missing GPA is a door closer. This is just the way it is!

Mark, the good news is that even with a poor GPA, sometimes you can show strength in your area of study by listing the GPA specific to your major alongside your overall GPA. You stated that you are in the end of your junior year. Most of the time you are taking a high concentration of electives specific to your major during this time. Soooo hit the books and get that GPA within your major up!

Remember, if you are searching for a position during your senior year, you are going to have to contend with the GPA you have earned to this point. However, senior year provides you with two entire semesters to raise your GPA. It will help you out even if you do not land a teaching job right out of your undergraduate program. It will also improve your chances of getting into the graduate program of your choice. Do not give up the ship! Keep battling for the highest possible GPA right until graduation. It may mean you have to make some sacrifices you were not making previously amidst you friends letting loose during senior year, but this self-discipline will likely help to avoid years of unemployment or jobs you do not like.

The second reason your low GPA will affect you has to do with the initial screening process that occurs when your resume is being viewed by a district employee assigned to rank and rate resumes and application materials. A low GPA will stick in the reviewer’s mind or disqualify you altogether. For this reason we recommend that if you are still in school, please, please do anything you can to keep your GPA up. It may seem like there is no connection between your GPA and the ability to inspire young minds, but employers use this as a telltale sign of your intellectual ability and work ethic. Whether it is fair or not, in education circles, there is an unspoken assumption that in order to lead students, you need to have been a relatively successful student yourself. Do not underestimate the power of the GPA when it comes to applying for teaching positions.

Good luck to you Mark! Get as focused as possible on your classes and program. Get those grades up before your college career is over and you move on to student teaching. And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

Teacher Vitae and Resume Suggestions

Resume Question from @deyoungb – Brian D asks, “As far as resumes go, do you have any recommendations on length, content, etc?”

Brian – Thanks for contacting The EDU edge. Do we have advice on Resumes? We sure do! Chapter 4 – of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview is entitled Cover Letter and Resume Advice. This publication by The EDU Edge is designed to help teacher candidates like you understand the exact mindset of schools before they get in the “interview hot seat,” to explain the teacher interview process and to make sure you maximize each and every interview you are able to secure.

It would be tough to put a whole chapter here in this blog but let’s see if we can help you with your specific question “resume content, length, etc.” First, you have to decide if you are going to produce a Curriculum Vitae or a Traditional Resume. Resumes are characterized by brevity. They are a one to two page summary of your education, skills and work experience. CV’s are longer and more detailed. They are a minimum of two pages and contain detailed explanations of previous academic and professional work. The CV includes educational and academic background about you as well as teaching, research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details.

Our consortium of administrators at The EDU Edge sees thousands of resumes each year. We find that most K-12 educators (especially ones your age – I’m assuming you are soon to be or have just graduated from college) are using a hybrid of a resume and a CV, which includes most of the structure of the CV listed above, but does not go beyond two pages. It includes an increased level of description, but does not read as a narrative such as collegiate level CV’s. This allows potential employers to quickly make their way through the CV while at the same time understanding the nature of the work or accomplishment in each area. We think using this hybrid approach is advisable. Even if you are newer to the field, a two-page document with a high level of detail on your academic, related professional experiences, presentations, awards and affiliations is a good idea.

Additionally, we recommend that you:
· Start your CV with three to four bullet points that provide the highlights of your qualifications to catch the eye of the reviewer.
· Use a chronological approach as opposed to a functional approach.
· Write simple and specific sentences.
· Be specific about your past work and accomplishments.
· Avoid language that generalizes.
· Do not write in the first or third person.
· And finally, do not write in paragraphs. Reviewers have very limited time to scan these documents and they will skip your CV if it is not efficient to read.

Good luck to you Brian! Consider getting The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview. If you like the advice here, there are many more insider tips in this book. And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

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