Strategies for Hiring a Teacher

Strategies for Hiring a Teacher Because teachers can make or break a school, the process used to hire them is critical to a schools overall success. A building principal typically plays some sort of role in the hiring of a new teacher. Some principals are a part of a committee that interviews and decides who to hire, while others interview potential candidates individually. In either case, its important that the necessary steps are taken to hire the right person for the job. Hiring a new teacher is a process and should not be rushed. There are important steps that should be taken when looking for a new teacher. Here are a few of them.   Understand Your Needs Every school has their own needs when it comes to hiring a new teacher and its important that the person or people in charge of hiring understand exactly what those are. Examples of specific needs might include certification, flexibility, personality, experience, curriculum, and, most importantly, the individual philosophy of the school or district. Understanding these needs before you begin the interview process allows those in charge to have a better idea of what you are looking for. This can help create a list of interview questions catered to these needs.   Post an Ad It is important that you get as many candidates as possible. The larger the pool, the more likely it will be that you will have at least one candidate that meets all of your needs. Post ads on your school website, in each of the local newspapers, and in any educational publications in your state. Be as detailed as possible in your advertisements. Be sure to give a contact, a deadline for submission, and a list of qualifications.   Sort Through Resumes Once your deadline has passed, quickly scan each resume for key words, skills, and types of experiences that fit your needs. Try to get as much information about each individual candidate from their resume before you begin the interview process. If you are comfortable with doing so, pre-rank each candidate based on the information in their resume before interviewing. Interview Qualified Candidates Invite your top candidates to come in for interviews. How you conduct these is up to you; some people are comfortable doing a non-scripted interview, while others prefer a specific script to guide the interview process. Try to get a feel for your candidates personality, experience, and what sort of teacher they will be. Do not rush through your interviews. Start with small talk. Take the time to get to know them. Encourage them to ask questions. Be open and honest with each candidate. Ask tough questions if necessary. Take Comprehensive Notes Start taking notes on each candidate as you go through resumes. Add to those notes during the interview itself. Jot down anything that is relevant to the list of needs that you created before beginning the process. Later on, you will add to your notes when you check each candidate’s references. Taking great notes on each candidate is essential for  hiring the right person and its especially important if you have a long list of candidates to interview over the course of several days and even weeks. It may be hard to remember everything about the first few candidates if you do not take comprehensive notes. Narrow the Field After you have completed all the initial interviews, you will need to review all notes and narrow down the list of candidates to your top 3-4. You will want to invite these top candidates back for a second interview. Re-Interview With Assistance In the second interview, consider bringing in another employee such as the  district’s superintendent or even a committee made up of several stakeholders. Instead of giving your co-workers too much background before the interview, its best to allow them to formulate their own opinions about each candidate. This will ensure that each candidate will be evaluated without your personal bias influencing the other interviewers decision. After all the top candidates have been interviewed, you can discuss each candidate with the other persons who interviewed, seeking their input and perspective. Put Them on the Spot If possible, ask the candidates to prepare a short, ten-minute lesson to teach to a group of students. If it is during the summer and students are not available, you can have them give their lesson the group of stakeholders in the second interview round. This will allow you to see a brief snapshot of how they handle themselves in the classroom and perhaps provide you with a better feel for what kind of teacher they are. Call All References Checking references can be another valuable tool in evaluating a candidate. This is especially effective for teachers with experience. Contacting their former principal(s) can provide you with important information that you may not be able to get from an interview.   Rank the Candidates and Make an Offer You should have plenty of information after following all the previous steps to make someone a job offer. Rank each candidate according to which one you believe best fits your school’s needs. Review each resume and all of your notes, taking the other interviewee’s thoughts into consideration as well. Call your first choice and offer them a job. Do not call any other candidates until they accept the job and sign a contract. This way, if your first choice does not accept the offer, you will be able to move to the next candidate on the list. After you have hired a new teacher, be professional and call each candidate, letting them know that the position has been filled.

How an Executive Coach Can Help Boost Your Career

How an Executive Coach Can Help Boost Your Career Eden Abrahams has a life so fascinating, we almost wanted to interview her on that alone. She’s worked internationally as a strategist and corporate communications expert, and moved on from there to become a respected executive coach and the head of Clear Path Executive Coaching. She took some time out of her busy day to speak with us about the challenges a modern executive faces.Why would an executive need coaching?To borrow an acronym used by the U.S. military, we are living in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, which demands a different kind of leader than the old command-and-control model that worked when companies were hierarchical and the operating environment wasn’t in a continuous state of flux. Executives today in just about every sector are grappling with increasingly complex challenges that demand new ways of thinking, problem solving, decision making and relating to others. High-performing leaders aren’t born with these skills. They develop them by cultivating self-awareness; a flexible, adaptive mindset; and a commitment to continued learning and experimentation.Executive coaches can play a valuable role in helping leaders and managers clarify their goals at critical junctures in their career and acquire the right tools and perspective to evolve, advance, and thrive. Partnering with a coach can help executives improve their emotional intelligence capabilities, learn from past mistakes, strengthen their reflective and strategic thinking capabilities, and create time for meaningful non-work pursuits that provide balance and perspective. In many cases, executive coaching engagements also focus on building or improving skills related to effective communicating, executive presence, and time management.What unique challenges do executives face in their careers?Executives face many external challenges as they navigate their careers. Flatter, leaner organizations mean there are fewer opportunities for linear adv ancement, and even relatively senior managers need to be skilled at the art of influencing without authority to operate successfully in these environments. Trends like globalization, rapid technological innovation, and demographic shifts have dramatically altered the employment landscape, resulting in a â€Å"new normal† characterized by job insecurity, a more opportunistic and less loyal workforce, and greater pressure on executives to deliver results in a shorter time frame.Concurrently, the search for meaning at work is a powerful internal driver that is redefining – for many of us, at all stages of our careers – what a fulfilling career looks like. Particularly in wealthy, developed economies, the belief that we should find purpose and self-actualization at work – and not just in our extracurricular activities and relationships – is much more prevalent than it was even a generation ago. Executives who work in organizations that don’t off er significant opportunities for professional development, personal growth or community service should be thinking proactively about how to address that deficit, both for their own benefit and to promote greater employee engagement.On a practical level, the takeaway is that all of us, executives included, would do well to adapt an entrepreneurial mindset when it comes to managing our careers. Because in a VUCA world, thinking of yourself as â€Å"labor for hire† is a far riskier strategy than remaining nimble, dynamic and in perpetual upgrade mode – just like any good start-up does.When transitioning to a new career, what should an executive be aware of?Whether you’re looking to change jobs, employers or careers, making the transition successfully requires having 1) a good understanding of your value proposition, including your transferable skills, 2) a compelling story that highlights your professional journey, noteworthy accomplishments, interesting experience s and personal interests, and 3) a robust, diversified network that will help you learn about interesting opportunities, make serendipitous connections and explore new directions and possibilities that may not yet be on your radar screen. Finally, before you accept an offer, make sure you’ve done adequate due diligence on the company culture and have a clear understanding of your role, your mandate and how your performance will be evaluated.Is it really â€Å"lonely at the top†? What should executives do when they feel overwhelmed?In a 2013 poll conducted by Stanford University, nearly two thirds of the CEOs surveyed said they lacked outside leadership advice – but nearly 100% of them said they wanted it. So yes, it can definitely feel lonely at the top, but it doesn’t have to. When you’re taking risks with limited visibility, making decisions that have enterprise-wide impact and communicating a vision to inspire and motivate your team, it’s critical to have a robust support network. Many senior executives, including CEOs, find value in joining small, facilitated peer discussion groups where they can confidentially talk through critical issues with others who’ve grappled with similar challenges. Having an objective, outside collaborator to serve as a sounding board and confidante – someone who’s invested in your success and isn’t afraid to ask tough questions or offer an alternative perspective – can also be quite helpful. An executive coach can play that role, as can a trusted mentor or advisor.What trends in executive hiring should we be keeping an eye on?Here are two that I find particularly interesting:1. According to a recent survey conducted by HBS professor Boris Groysberg, along with the executive skills that are considered most desirable by companies today – leadership, strategic thinking and execution, technical and technology skills, team- and relationship-building, communication and presentation, change management and integrity – having a â€Å"global outlook† and â€Å"meaningful international experience† are becoming increasingly sought-after attributes for C-suite hires. Another evolving trend is the preference for team-player leaders vs. bossy stars.2. One of the key findings that emerged from a â€Å"source of hire† survey conducted last year by performance-based hiring expert Lou Adler is that interpersonal loyalty is an increasingly important factor in securing a new job. In a recent LinkedIn post, he wrote that â€Å"being referred by someone you know – whether the person contacted you or you contacted them – seems to be becoming the new default for getting another job. While company loyalty might be on the decline, it appears interpersonal loyalty is on the rise.† According to Adler, over half (56%) of all jobs are either filled by internal candidates or by people the hiring manager kno ws personally or has sourced via trusted peers and colleagues. So, more than ever, it pays to keep your contacts current, and close.