Are you looking to interview a candidate for a teaching position? Interviews are anxiety-inducing, sometimes just as much for the interviewer. You can take steps as an interviewer to make it less stressful for yourself and the person you are interviewing. Here are some tips to help you the next time that you interview a teacher candidate.
Prepare
Preparation is one of the most effective ways to reduce stress as an interviewer. Look over your candidate's resume and any other interviewing materials. It is helpful to have questions ready to ask and, more importantly, an idea of what you are looking for.
Popular questions:
What is your method of evaluating students?
Describe your motivation for becoming a teacher.
How do you help a problem student?
What is your teaching philosophy?
Have a clear idea of what you want in a teacher
It is essential to understand who you want to hire clearly. Make sure to communicate with whoever is necessary to get this understanding. It is challenging to look for something when you do not know what you are looking for. An idea of what you want in a teacher candidate and what you do not wish will help guide your decision-making process. This also gives you an excellent foundation to begin the interview.
Practice
If this is your first time interviewing a teacher candidate, it might help to practice first. Find a colleague or friend to pretend to be the teacher candidate. Interview them as if they were the person you will end up interviewing. Whether it is your first time and you do not know what to expect, or if it has been a while and you need a refresher, practice will help you feel more comfortable as an interviewer.
Location
Where you conduct an interview is essential for everyone involved. A quiet place is best for an interview where there will be no distractions. If the interview is in person, make sure to have the location reserved ahead of time and give the correct location and time to everyone involved in the interview. If the interview is conducted online, make sure to schedule the interview ahead of time through the preferred software. Zoom and Microsoft office offer video chat for free or at a reasonable price. For a video interview, ensure your background is clean and free of distractions.
Be friendly
If you like a candidate, you want to make sure that they like you as well so that they will accept your job offer. As an interviewer, you are representing your school district. If you come off rude or unfriendly, this can deter candidates from accepting job offers from you. While you are interviewing them to see if they are a good fit for your school district, they are paying attention to see if you are a good employer. Good teaching candidates are in high demand, so they might also be interviewing at other school districts. You want to make sure to represent your district well so that they feel comfortable working for you.
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