GOING FOR AN INTERVIEW?

My tips for a successful interview:

Be Yourself

Everyone always says this, but it is very good advice - otherwise you could get offered a job that is not right for you. You could then potentially spend the rest of your working life feeling miserable. So be yourself!

Prepare

Do sleep well and eat a healthy and energising breakfast before going to an interview. It may be quite a draining day ahead.

Read the job description and the person specification. Is this you? If it is, imagine you are looking for someone to do this job, what are the questions you would ask? If you were asked these questions at interview, what would you say? Prepare some answers. Why do you want this job? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What has been your biggest achievement so far? Why should we employ you? What have you got to offer in terms of experience, skills and personal qualities? Be clear what these are and SELL yourself. This is what interviews are for! Don't be modest! Someone once gave me some good advice - when you go for a job you should be hungry but not starving ie keen but not desperate! Do your research- read everything in the application pack, check out the school's website, visit the school beforehand. You may not be interested once you have visited, or you may come away inspired and full of ideas and picture yourself working there.

If you are asked to teach a lesson or give a presentation, prepare it well. Keep it simple and effective. Ask for a seating plan of the classroom with names. Write a good lesson plan and take it with you, in case something doesn't go well or you don't finish in time, so at least you can show what you intended. If you are giving a presentation, have a copy of your slides to leave afterwards - do not give it out during the presentation. You need their attention on you not on a paper or the screen - remember the adage that less is more! Time the presentation/lesson beforehand - most people try to achieve too much and it doesn't work. Remember with children you have not met before and not in your own school, organisation always takes longer. However, do have some extension activities to hand just in case you finish too quickly.

What do I Wear?

You need to make sure that you look the part and still feel comfortable and confident. Clean and tidy is more important than an expensive outfit.

Some Typical Interview Questions

If you been observed teaching a lesson/taking an assembly , then you may well be asked to evaluate the lesson/assembly and say what, if anything, you might do differently next time. Other questions might include:

What does an outstanding lesson look like?

Tell us about a behaviour management strategy which worked well for an individual or a group and why it was so successful.

Give an example of when you have improved teaching and learning in your classroom and how you knew you had been successful. Sometimes it is useful to show examples of children's work where you have taught the children and perhaps kept some photos. Most people enjoy seeing children's work and it is often good to relax and talk about the familiar and use the work as prompts to answer the questions. But don't show too much work/photos - just enough to get everyone interested and impressed!

Why should we appoint you? Where do you see yourself in three years time?

What makes you laugh? What do you do to relax?

Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know the answer to a question. It’s better than faking it. If you are not sure, you can ask for the question to be repeated. It gives you time to think. Don't rush to answer questions too quickly - think first and compose something in your head.

Engage

Nerves often play their part in the interview process and everyone has areas that they could improve upon. Do breathe deeply, relax the muscles of your face, and take the time to pause before the interview. Be polite. Make eye contact in the interview. Sit up, look confident and smile! Don't forget that not only are they looking to see if they want you, you have to decide whether you think you can work with them. If you're being interviewed the school is already impressed with what you have to offer, and after sifting through countless applications they'll be rooting for you to do well too.

Do check that your most recent posts on your social media accounts show something positive and professional.

Don't be afraid to withdraw if you think the job is not right for you. You can do this politely at the interview stage.

Thank the interview panel for their time - show good manners! Have a good firm handshake.

Don't be Late!

Arrive in good time so you have time to re-gain your breath and feel calm and collected. If you arrive really early, sit in the car and prepare yourself. As soon as you enter the building the interview will have started. People will be making decisions about you- fairly or unfairly- as soon as they see you. The office staff in school reception area are just the beginning of the interview process as you sign in.... Smile! Be polite and engage with them. If you are asked to teach a lesson, take an assembly or give a presentation then give yourself ample time to set up and allow for IT teething problems to be solved....

Talking too Much or not Enough?

Learning to strike a balance between talking too much and talking too little can be a challenge, particularly if you are feeling anxious. Teachers are re known for being good talkers! Taking part in practice interviews can really help to ensure that you give the right amount of information and don't end up talking yourself out of the job...

Waffling is a common interview weakness and is often the result of nerves. It's important to sell your skills and experience without rambling. Once the interviewer asks a question, pause for a couple of seconds, take a breath and gather your thoughts before responding. If you're talking too much or too fast, you also run the risk of talking over or interrupting the interviewer.

Not giving enough information and forgetting important points can be just as detrimental as waffling. Practise answers to common interview questions beforehand and make sure you have a number of examples from your teaching experience to draw upon.

Interview panels understand that nerves play a part in the process, so if your mind goes completely blank then politely ask for a couple of seconds to gather your thoughts. You could also ask if it's ok to come back to the question at the end, once you’ve had some time to think. Asking for a question to be repeated is a good strategy to help you think clearly what they are asking and the points you want to include.

Criticising Colleagues

Complaining about colleagues, highlighting the negative aspects of your previous or current job or moaning about your headteacher, is not a good strategy. This gives employers the wrong impression of you and makes them question what you'd say about them in similar circumstances.....

No matter the reason for you leaving your previous or current post , always be diplomatic. Otherwise potential employers may think of you as disloyal or complaining. Instead of highlighting the mistakes of others, emphasise the positive steps you took to overcome them! This shows how proactive you can be.

Your Questions

As the interview draws to a close, the panel might ask if you have any questions you would like to ask them. It’s never a good idea to say no - it always sounds so flat! This is your opportunity to get answers to your queries about the job and the school. Asking a couple of relevant questions shows your genuine interest in the post. You could ask about the school improvement plan, training opportunities, progress since the last Ofsted report. However do not ask a question if the answer has already been covered during the interview.

Try to prepare two or three questions; that way you’ve always got a backup. Remember to ask when you can expect to know whether you been offered the job and how.

Finally - good luck but actually you will make your own luck with the preparation that you do!

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