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, supervision Technical Self-management Public relations, marketing, promotion Networking Counselling, 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 section Optional 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 form Use 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 Resumes ChronologicalSkills BasedCombination 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 skills Past behaviour is a powerful predictor of future performance The more recent the behaviour the better its predictive power Research 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 years Last week I settled a dispute between two co-workers I 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 - situation T - task A - action R - result S - 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: Participate in a mock interview Mark your Calendar: B.Ed. National International Job Search – Jan

Additional Resources Books available: Inside Secrets of Finding a Teaching Job (2 nd ed.), 2003 Numerous books on resumes, cover letters and interviews