INTERVIEW THEMES

    Every principal or hiring authority wants to know several things about any teacher candidate.  As a result, most teacher interviews revolve around eight basic themes.  Your success in an interview will be based in large measure on how you fulfill each (and all) of these eight themes.  The following two themes head our list:

1.  A Passion for Teaching

            When I interviewed elementary and secondary principals and asked them to identify the single-most important characteristic in a quality teacher candidate, guess what they all told me?  You guessed it – “A Passion for Teaching!”
            Do you have a passion for teaching?  How do you demonstrate that passion?  What activities, projects, or assignments have you engaged in that demonstrate your passion for teaching?  What have you done that shows you are willing to go the extra mile for students?  What have you done that demonstrates your sincere commitment to teaching?  Where have you gone above and beyond?  Did you do something in student teaching beyond the ordinary?  Did you do something during your pre-service years that went above and beyond your college’s requirements for teacher certification?  What truly excites you about teaching?  What “floats your boat”?

 

2.  Skills and Experience

            One of the first things you need to do in any interview is to establish your ability to do the job.  In a nutshell – Can you teach and can you teach effectively?  In most interviews these will be the initial set of questions you’ll be asked.  Many of these questions will be factual in nature and will provide you with an opportunity to highlight your skills and talents and how they will be used in a classroom setting.  This is when you must offer specific information rather than generalities.  It is also the time to be completely objective about yourself – with confidence and assurance.
           How do you put together a lesson plan?  What do you do when a lesson isn’t working?  Describe one of your best lessons?  What will you bring to the teaching profession?  Why should we hire you?  Why do you want to be a teacher?  What did you learn in student teaching?  Please don’t make the mistake of assuming that these are easy questions – they are not!  They are often asked near the beginning of the interview because they help “set up” the rest of the interview.  Positive answers to these questions help ensure the success of the entire interview.