Week 8 Discussion - Interviewing For Your First Admin Job

Interview

Sunday, February 23, 2020, 12:35 PM

 

   This video gave great advice for the resume and interview process.  Having already served on my school’s admin team, I have assisted with dozens of interviews and I can tell you that I have seen every one of the “mistakes” the panel mentioned.  I have seen candidates arrive in dirty/stained clothes, candidates who were far too relaxed and assumed they had the job just because they showed up for the interview, and worst of all, those that refused to stop talking.  My principal and I interviewed one man for over an hour because he rambled on and on.  He had some good qualities but we could not see him as an effective teacher.

     I think the most important idea the panel presented for me, was not to assume that your interviewer knows you.  This issue was addressed by Cunningham and it most definitely applies to me because I have been in a small district for eighteen years and most of the current principals worked with me in some capacity before they were administrators. It will be important for me balance familiarity with professionalism.  Because some of the administrators I will interview with are friends, they need to see that I can compartmentalize the two facets of our relationship, so that friendship does not overshadow what will be expected of me as a professional.   In addition, I need to be sure to take opportunities during the interview to highlight activities and leadership roles of which the interviewer may be unaware. I cannot assume he/she knows everything I have accomplished just because he/she knows who I am and where I work.