Do you have a teaching interview planned? We have participated in hundreds of new teacher interviews. New teachers talk about their student teaching, their coursework, and how much they love being in a classroom with kids. They answer the questions, and if they are wise, they expand upon their answers with examples.
However, most new teachers forget ONE VERY IMPORTANT SELLING POINT IN AN INTERVIEW. Saying that you love students, or love teaching, is not a bad thing. But the teacher who interviewed before you probably said the same thing. You need to give the interviewers something about you that they will remember.
The interview team needs to know what makes you UNIQUE.
To determine what make you unique, we offer the following categories for self-assessment:
- Awards– What awards have you won? These awards may be academic (think Dean’s List or a specific content award), work related (top counselor at camp, voted most creative day care teacher, etc), or social (any awards for involvement with a community group or organization).
- Endorsements or Certifications– Don’t forget to mention any endorsements or certifications you have earned. Even if you have them listed on your resume, be sure to bring them up in the interview. Having that coaching endorsement, or that middle school endorsement, may be what is the deciding factor between you and another candidate.
- Extra–curricular Activities- Did you participate in choir all four years of college? Were you a leader on the court? Did you perform on the stage? Did you make it to a national championship? Did you sit on the bench for four years and support your teammates with your enthusiasm and positive attitude? You may think your extracurricular activities are not relevant to teaching, but extracurricular involvement shows leadership, resilience, and dedication- all important skills in teaching.
- Experiences– Were you an Eagle Scout? Did you study abroad for semester? Did you take a service trip that impacted your view on the world? Down assume they aren’t relevant. Your participation in these experiences shows a lot about your character and your desire to continually learn.
- Opportunities– Did your teacher education program offer any unique opportunities that you took advantage of? Are there community involvement events that you always take the opportunity to volunteer for? If you have ever jumped at the opportunity to do something, it may be worth mentioning in the interview.
Once you have determined what makes you unique, be sure to write it down so you don’t forget to mention it in the interview. The opportunity to present the unique information about you may come at the beginning of the interview when they ask you to introduce yourself, it may come up during the examples, or you may have to add it at the end if not opportunities presented themselves based on questions asked of you. However, you need to find a way to make sure the interviewers know the unique qualities you will bring to the classroom and the school.
Our free guide entitled How to ACE Your Teaching Interview contains even more advice. Feel free to download it here.
Good luck with your interviews,
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