Essential Elements of the Job Search for Teachers

Know Yourself

Identifying your Skills

Winning Resumes

Cover Letters for Teachers

Interview skills

Additional Resources

Know Yourself

What are your greatest strengths?What are your talents?What do others indicate you are good at?What achievements are you most proud of?What makes you a good teacher?What are you looking for in a teaching position?

What skills do you have that are important in the teaching profession?

Relevant Teaching Skills

Evaluation, problem solving, analysis

Adaptability, flexibility

Creativity

Communication (written/verbal)

Interpersonal, teamwork

Organization, planning

Goal setting, decision making

Classroom management

Relevant Teaching Skills

Identify skills related to teaching field as well as those obtained through various experiences (travel, volunteer, other employment, training):Assertiveness, supervisionTechnicalSelf-managementPublic relations, marketing, promotionNetworkingCounselling, mediation

.

Relevant Teaching Skills

Activity:

Working in pairs, choose 1 teaching related skill that you possess and describe to your partner a time you demonstrated that skill.

Winning Resumes

First and foremost a resume is a marketing tool

Know your audience – the resume should be targeted to the position for which you are applying

What are they looking for?

Winning Resumes

A great resume can land you an interview

A bad resume will not make the paper cut and will kill your chances

How resumes are reviewed: the 30 second scan

What to include?

Mandatory• Contact information• Education• Work experience• Reference sectionOptional• Career objective• Interests• Volunteer• Memberships• Awards/accomplishments

Not Recommended• Sex Marital status• Number of children• Height• Age• Weight• Salary Expectation

Winning Resumes

Class resume critique

Winning Resumes

Appearance:

Error free (spelling and grammar)

Has enough white space

Effective use of bold type and underlining

Consistency (i.e. all dates on right)

Adequate margin space

12 point font

Maximum 2 pages

Winning Resumes

Writing Style:Point formUse headings that relate your experiences to the position (i.e. Teaching Related Experience, Other Experience Working with Children) Use of action verbs: developed, supervised, analyzed, coached, implemented, etc.Brief accomplishment statements:

Action verb + object + result“Organized a fundraiser which met objectives and allowed for the purchase of 5 new computers.”

Winning Resumes

Format

Choose the format that most effectively markets you! Chronological – lists past employment in reverse

chronological order Skills based (functional)- focus on your skills versus

jobs you’ve held Combination – combine elements of both

Winning ResumesChronological Skills Based Combination

Pros -most familiar-easy to read-widely accepted

-great for people with little career related experience

- minimizes gaps in employment

-offers best of both-allows you to be creative in how it’s put together-works well for teachers

Cons -not the best choice if your experience is not career related or if you’ve switched jobs often

-difficult to organize-employers may think you are hiding something

-more time consuming to organize

- can be difficult to read if not organized carefully

Cover Letters for Teachers

Guidelines:

Addressed to appropriate individual (never use Dear Sir or Madam)

Error-free

Perfect grammar

Use of confident language (avoid “I think” or “I feel”)

Cover Letters for Teachers

Include:

What you can teach

What else you can offer a school

Special interest in the school

Desire to teach

Personal strengths

Cover Letters for Teachers

Format - sample

Interview Skills

Goals of an Interview:Employers – to gather information about you, assess your qualifications, and impress you

You – present relevant information positively, assess whether the job is a good fit for you

First Impressions

Arrive early

Be courteous to all you meet

Dress appropriately - wear what is industry standard, but go up a notch

Be confident, but not arrogant

Take your time and think before speaking

Types of Interviews

Screening Interview – often conducted by larger companies as a first interview; interviewer is often from HR department

One to One Interview – often conducted by direct supervisor who may not be trained in interview techniques

Panel Interview – more than one interviewer; meant to reduce individual bias in the selection process

Sequential Interview – more than one interview with a company

Trait vs. Behavioural

Interviews can be conducted using a trait approach or a behavioural approach

Trait – looks only at your stated qualifications without looking for evidence

Behavioural – looks for evidence of skills you have demonstrated in the past in order to predict your future job performance

Focus on Behavioural Interviews

Interviewer will ask for specific examples from your past experience in order to determine if you can provide evidence of certain skillsPast behaviour is a powerful predictor of future performanceThe more recent the behaviour the better its predictive powerResearch probable skill areas that the employer will be interested in

Trait vs. Behavioural

Trait

I am reliable

I am good with people

I am a good leader

Behavioural I have only missed one day of work in 10 yearsLast week I settled a dispute between two co-workersI was elected president of the student’s union

Answering Behavioural Questions

Structure your response by telling a story based on the following acronym:

STARS:

S - situationT - taskA - actionR - resultS - summary

Example Using STARS

What did you do in your last job to contribute to a team environment?

S – In my last job I was on a team where one member did not do his part and this was causing us to fall behind schedule.

T/A – I decided to take this member aside to talk about the situation and how important his contribution to the project was.

R – The result of this talk was evident by our next meeting. He had done his share and we were able to complete the project on time.

S – I am certain that the way I approached this member had a positive effect on his efforts. This example demonstrated my excellent interpersonal skills and proves that I would be a valuable member to any team.

Tell Stories Based On….

Work experiences

Volunteer experiences

Participation in school or community activities

study, work, travel

Internships

School projects

Interview Practice

Choose one question from handout that you would like to practice.

Working with a partner, each take a turn being the inteviewer/interviewee to practice responding using STARS acronym.

Questions to Ask the Interviewer

Working with a partner, come up with 2 questions you could ask an interviewer at the end of a job interview.

After the Interview

Evaluate your performance – take notes on questions you answered well and those you had difficulty with

Always send a thank-you letter to each person who interviewed you

If you do not hear anything within a week (or the timeframe they give you), phone them to follow-up and restate your interest in the position

Additional Resources

Career Planning Services – Ev 218:

Have your resume critiqued

See a career counsellor

View job postings at: www.msvu.ca/careerplanning

Participate in a mock interview

Mark your Calendar: B.Ed. National International Job Search – Jan 29 2011

Additional Resources

Books available:

Inside Secrets of Finding a Teaching Job (2nd ed.), 2003

Numerous books on resumes, cover letters and interviews