Grab the committee’s attention by starting your answers in a thoughtful interesting way. Here is a sampling of a variety of strategies you could use to begin your answers:

1. State the Guiding Principles—I suggest that you develop a set of 10 to15 Guiding Principles (beliefs and values) that you hold that guide your practices. Start your answer by clearly and concisely stating one or two principles that will guide your response.

Example Q: “How…

Usually the second step in the interviewing process is the committee interview. Be prepared to encounter a 30-minute interview in which eight to ten interviewers are seated around the table. It’s important to grasp which stakeholder group each member is representing. Usually participants introduce themselves and will tell you: “Jane Smith, President of the PTA,” for example. If their roles are not evident and they seem friendly, it’s okay to ask, “And what is your…

“I get so nervous when I interview that I freeze.” For many of us, interviewing is an unfamiliar, somewhat intimidating, and uncomfortable experience. It is natural that interviewees feel nervous. There’s a lot at stake. You have invested a great deal of time, effort and money in trying to take the next step in your career. You’re walking into a room all alone to meet a group of strangers who are going to ask you difficult questions and make judgments whether they like you, if you’re a good…

Assume that you are a well-qualified applicant who is applying for a mid-level leadership position and are 1 out of a total of 150 applicants. Assume that there are 10 other candidates who are at least as equally qualified. Therefore, you need to be better prepared than the rest of the field in order to out-compete them. What must you know and do so you stand out from rest of the candidates? Consider the following:

1. Do you know how to strategically organize and design a…

Recently, a suburban school district posted an ad for an assistant principal. The district attracted more than 150 applicants, met with 18 for a pre-screening interview, and then had a hiring committee interview 6 semi-finalists. At about the same time, the Kentucky Derby had 19 horses “Run for the Roses.” Those horses had the benefit of the best trainers in the world to prepare them. Trying to get a leadership job is very much like a horse race.

How much of an investment…

At this time, there are about 50 leave replacement positions available in my area. Should you consider taking a leave replacement position? Like most other complex questions, the answer is, “It depends”. It depends on your set of circumstances. It depends on the conditions related to the leave.

What are your circumstances?

• Are you trying to start a new career as a teacher? If you have been unsuccessfully seeking a position in…

Remember the adage, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. After a 46-year career in public education, 38 as a school and district leader who interviewed thousands of candidates, I believe I can speak with some authority about hiring educators. Be careful about following advice from well-intentioned friends, family and colleagues. Here are a few examples of advice you should not follow, why not, and what you should…

Starting a new job is an opportunity to re-invent yourself. It can be a chance to leave whatever baggage you might have had behind you and get a fresh start. Aside from doing the obvious like making a good first impression by introducing yourself to the various stakeholder groups, coming up to speed on what is going on, and doing a “listening tour”, which all are certainly good things to do, you need to consider the following:

• Be visible and…

The three most important assets during an interview is your ability to project likeability, trust and fit. Likeability, trust and fit trump everything…your knowledge of pedagogy, your qualifications, everything. Unconsciously, interviewers often decide at first sight whether they like you. Still, over the course of the interview, interviewers can change their opinions in either direction. If they really like you, they may even overlook your less-than-satisfactory responses to some of…

Seeking a leadership position is similar to a competitive horse-race. The odds for your success are largely based on: (1) the status of the potential employer, (2) the degree of nepotism at play, and (3) your qualifications and experience. The status of school communities can be stereotyped according to their historic reputation, that is the perceived quality of education, affluence, political stability, students’ college acceptance, achievement scores, etc.…

Are you facing a potentially career ending set of circumstances? (1) Were you denied tenure, or are you facing being denied tenure? (2) Were you or have you been forced to resign? (3) Have you ever been terminated? (4) Are you suspended (re-assigned to stay home)? (5) Have you been demoted or are you facing being demoted? (6) Are you facing serious charges that may result in termination or loss of license? (7) Do you have a bad reputation and are you being…

Can you be over-prepared for an interview? The answer is NO. Being carefully and thoroughly prepared is an important key to successfully giving an outstanding interview. Being well prepared includes: (1) building self-confidence; (2) demonstrating to the interviewers that you’ve done your homework; (3) and providing well-constructed evidence that you have mastered the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they are seeking in a top candidate. What can you do so that you do not come off as…

A cover letter is always required, however cover letters are seldom carefully read and there’s a good chance that it might never be read. Yet, you might as well develop the best one that you can.

General Guidelines:

1. Keep the letter to one page.
2. Carefully proofread for any mechanical errors—spelling, punctuation, grammar, word choice, capitalization, complete sentences. Have a colleague who has excellent writing skills…

How is my resume screened? What is the screener really looking for? How does the screening process work? If I apply for a job and don’t hear back should I call? Although each district customizes their process, the variations are usually minor. So, how does it really work?

When you apply for a position, be prepared to wait. Don’t be a pest and call the personnel office to inquire about your status. They are…

As an experienced career coach, I have found that at least 20% of my clients are over the age of 45. There is no telling how many so called “older workers” are so discouraged about their age that they reject even considering applying for a leadership job. My older clients ask: “I am an older candidate and feel that my age is working against me, how I compete against these 30-something year-olds?”…

Project Your Gravitas: Win the Job by Larry Aronstein

In interview situations, I’ve coached many school leaders and teachers about the importance of presenting oneself in a confident manner. Some refer to this as gravitas. Gravitas is the ability to project self-confidence, influence, credibility, and command respect. When you speak, others listen. Do not confuse gravitas with…

Getting a Teaching Job: When All Else Fails by Larry Aronstein

         “I’ve done everything I can think of; now it’s the summer, and I still don’t have a job. What should I do now?” Well, this calls for extraordinary measures. Basketball coaches motivate their players as the game draws to an end and the score is still close by telling them, “Leave everything you’ve got on the court.” This means exhaust all possibilities. Most school leaders are on vacation during July and…

1. What do you anticipate being the most difficult types of problems that you will face in our district?
2. What process will you use to build an effective leadership team?
3. What strategies would you use when responding to a crisis?
4. What steps do you go through in developing a District Budget?
5. Assume that there is a serious need to improve buildings and grounds, how would you go about Capital Improvement Planning?
6. What is your…

Candidates for leadership positions are often asked: “What do you look for in an excellent teacher?” My response to this question is the ability to teach for student understanding. The learning of knowledge and skill are at the core of education. We want students to deeply understanding the important concepts in all the subject areas. Understanding does not mean that a student can memorize and recite minute facts and demonstrate routine skills with very…

Being Interviewed by a Board of Education

Over the last several years boards of education have become more actively involved in interviewing and selecting candidates for leadership positions. State law dictates that only the Board can make personnel appointments. Of course, board members are elected officials and as such they have their own…