By Dr. Robert W Pollock
In my very early years, just after leaving military service, I took a sales position with a national glassware company. During my two week training course, a recurring theme was to “maintain the sell even after you leave the office.” This meant to leave lasting impressions and sound sales materials that would keep our products on the minds of the buyers.
An interview can be a lot like a sales call and you need to leave an impression on the committee that will last long past your exit from the interview. Of course, when the interview team might be interviewing 6 or 7 candidates that day, making yourself the one the team talks about later is not always easy. Yet, it can be done, and today’s article is going to address the best way to accomplish that goal!
During my first administrative job as an assistant principal, I was part of an interview team for a 9th grade social studies position. There were well over 150 applicants and we had selected 10 very strong resumes to interview. As the process moved forward we came to the last interview with a young man we will call Bill. Before Bill arrived, I remember wondering just which of these candidates I would choose? Almost every one of them had had an excellent interview and would have been an outstanding addition to the staff. Bill’s answers to our questions were also quite good and he was very enthusiastic about working in our school. Yet, he was one of three or four others who were also good. BUT then Bill did something that really impacted me and the other committee members.
After the last question had been asked, Bill reached into his brief case and removed a small binder. He said he had just a few things that he thought would show us the work he did with his students and asked if we would like to see it. He showed us a few pictures of students excitedly working together in class on a great thematic Civil War unit. He showed us a great two-page summary of the project that provided a brief overview his opening plan along with several innovative activities and assessments. Then Bill brought out a few work samples from the student capstone projects. As he showed us the student projects, he made a point of showing us one from a student who had some significant learning disabilities. He said it was the one he was most proud of because the student had come so far to produce this work. The entire portfolio review took less than 4 or 5 minutes, but it showed just what kind of teaching we could expect. That portfolio and the way he narrated it was extraordinarily powerful.
Once Bill had left, the group talked about that portfolio for a good five minutes. Everyone liked it, and everyone liked Bill. We liked him even better when school opened in the fall with him at the head of his own 9th grade class! That’s right; he got the job and that portfolio was the deal-sealer!
The point of this article is tell you that a good, sharp interview portfolio can often be the piece that separates you from the other good applicants. But there is a skill to this and you need to know some of the things that will make that great impression. I am going to highlight a few here.
INTERVIEW PORTFOLIO ADVICE: A few things you might want to include.
· Be sure to put a one page overview of a project or lesson that demonstrates some innovation and a lot of student involvement.
· Include 5 or 6 photos of students at work in your class. BTW, sterile pictures of your room will not do….use students. Also, put a short description next to each picture.
· One or two student evaluations that underscore what they saw as valuable or fun in your class.
· A sample of something you used to maintain home involvement or communication.
This portfolio needs to be carefully prepared and tailored to what this school might see as important. Prepare your portfolio, and then give that committee something to remember!
My name is Robert W. Pollock. I am an educator, with over 34 years experience, a speaker, a consultant, and the author of ‘Teacher Interviews. How to Get Them & How to Get Hired!. I have spoken to 1,000 of prospective teachers on how to interview and get the job. I have consulted with numerous schools around the country. Currently I am a professor of Education at Tusculum College, Knoxville, TN, where I also serve as the president of their alumni board.
Order my book “Teacher Interviews: How to Get Them & How to Get Hired!” at: http://www.Amazon.com
For more information or questions, email me at: Advantapress1@aol.com
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