The Job Interview
Know Yourself
First impressions do make a lasting influence. It is very important that you carry yourself with confidence. The best way to do this is to know who you are, and what your goals are. Reflect on these issues before ever going onto your first interview. Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts. Review them and then finalize them. You will be surprised at how a simple question in an interview can put your mind into a downward spiral. Be prepared and confident. Some things to know about your self are: your philosophy of education, personal interests, goals for the future, beliefs about discipline, behavior expectations, and most of all, why you want to be a teacher. These are just a few. Write them down and then do a mock interview with a friend.
Experience
Be prepared to discuss in detail your educational background and work experiences. Have a good, clean, refined and updated resume with you to hand to the person doing the interview. Do this even if you have a resume on file with the system in which you are applying.
Make sure you know what your resume says. Be precise and direct.
Know your Audience
Check out the district before applying with them. It is not good to interview, be offered a job and then turn the job down. Make sure it is a system that you would want to work for before interviewing. A good way to find out information about most systems is on the Internet. Also post questions on forums. Newspaper articles are another great source. Check out the local papers.
Lead the Interview
Have a list of questions that you would like to be answered. Make it a short list, be specific and try to read the interviewers body language to determine if he or she would be open to your questions. From experience as an interviewer and interviewee, I can tell you that most don’t mind.
The Interview
Always be honest and upfront and be yourself. Take a second before answering the questions and really think about what was asked. Follow the interviewers lead. If he or she makes a comment about an area that you are interested in and it is a strong point for you, capitalize on it and turn your discussion in that direction. Be careful not to just flounder around. Once again, be direct and to the point, don’t ramble. If you were asked for any additional comments or questions, then would be a good time to ask some of your questions. The important thing to remember is that you need to feel the interview and the direction it is going. If it is going great, don’t blow it by asking fifty questions of your own.
I have accumulated a list of interview questions over the years and they can be found HERE. Some questions are from interviews I have conducted, others are from interviews in which I was being interviewed, and some have been found on the Internet, but the majority of these questions were submitted by Alabama school administrators. These questions can be modified many different ways. Become familiar with them and rehearse your answers before the interview. It will help to take the edge and nervousness off. Remember, in some cases you will only have one shot at getting that dream job. Do your homework and be prepared. You can bet that someone else is doing his or hers.
Follow-Up
After one week, get back in touch with the person who conducted your interview. A card is a nice way to say thanks. It also allows you one more opportunity to sell yourself. Be sure to know who hires in the system. All systems are different. In some systems, the principal interviews and hires. In others, a personnel director does it all and you get to meet the principal on your first day of work. Know whom to contact as a follow-up.