Last Saturday, I was
invited to conduct a workshop at OISE on Preparing for a Teaching Job Interview to a group of participants compromised of students currently studying education and some qualified teachers from overseas. I promised that I would put my power
point notes on my blog for the participants. Here they are:
A successful career involves a number of ingredients such
as hard working, working smart, setting goals
for 1 yr, 2 yr, 5 to ten years ( if you are planning to build a career) so you can track the progress whether you are achieving your goals or not. Setting achievable short term goals helps you
to move along and eventually enable you to reach your long term goals. You will also need a
plan of actions to achieve your goals.
Nowadays, some of the
important qualities companies are looking for in their potential employees are:
•
Communication
skills -Very important!
•
Good
command of written/ oral skills
• Speak
with confidence
Equally as important, when
fresh graduates are looking for their first professional job upon
graduation, they will also need:
•
Mentors
and support network
•
Relevant experiences
•
References
•
Understanding
of work cultures and values
In my career as a school administrator and recently as a Human
Resources Manager, I have discovered that many young people do not have much
work experience upon graduation. Many have spent their university summer months
either traveling back to their home country or studying summer school; few
actually got summer employment relevant to their field of studies.
Experience is important!!
Please try you best to accumulate relevant job experience by:
•
Volunteering
• Researching government programs that help young people to summer jobs
•
Personal Network
• Part time work
•
Co-op program
Steps for Finding a Job - Know Where the Jobs Are
Where
are the jobs?
•Trends by region
•Declining enrolment varies
significantly from one region of the province to another.
• Between 2002–03 and 2007–08:
• Toronto
- declined by 9%
• Other parts of the GTA experienced growth
•Northern Ontario experienced the largest rate of
decline
•over 12 per cent since 2002–03
•Declining enrolment - a reality
for many school boards in northern Ontario for several years
•Before it emerged as a
province-wide trend
• Eastern and southwestern Ontario each
experienced declines of over 7 per cent.
2012
to 2020
•Toronto’s school-aged population
•Projected to decline only
minimally
Northern Ontario •Projected to have largest rate of decline of over 12 %
GTA ( Greater Toronto Are) region - Durham, Halton, Peel, York
• projected continue growth
• higher rate than previously about 8 %
Learn about the school board and the school that invites you for an interview
•Research the board •Know the mission statement/
special program•Learn about•School •School’s focus •Community •Prepare for the interview •Knowledge is power!
Be Prepared with the following:
•
Covering Letter
•
Resume
Interview
After you sent out
numerous application letters and resume, finally you got an interview!
Congratulations, if you've got an interview, some experts says:
You have 50% chance of getting the job!
Therefore do
everything in your power to prepare yourself for the interview as if you are
preparing for your most important final exam.
Interview Blunders - 3 biggest mistakes people do during interviews:
•
Dress
inappropriately
• Not able to answer questions properly
•
Talk badly about previous job or boss
Dress
appropriately
• Jeans are not for all occasions!
•
Dress
according to position applied
•
At least 2 Days before the interview date:
•
Pick
out your interview outfit
•
Shoes,
socks – ready
•
Make sure you have good grooming
– good hair cut / neat and clean trimmed nails
•
Check
out location of interview and make a test run
Job Interview – Creating a
Positive Impression
•
Don’t be late1!!!
•
Arrive 15 -20 minutes earlier
•
Check hair, teeth, finger nails – cut & clean
•
Use Deodorant, Moisturizer/
lip palm
•
Avoid
bad breath; use mouth wash or breath mints
Interview – Manners are important!
•
Good
manners = consideration
•
Remember
to shake hands, firm hand shake!!!
•
Smile!!
•
Say
good morning, afternoon, thank you, please etc.
•
Sit only when asked
Maintain Eye contact During the interview
•
Listen
to questions carefully
•
Not afraid to ask for clarification
•
Positive attitude
•
Demonstrate
confidence
Look at the interviewers in between their eyes
Job
Interview – Some Frequently Asked Questions
• Please tell us about yourself
• Tell us about your experience and qualifications
• What is your reason for applying for this position?
• Why are you the best person for
this job?
• How would you plan a good lesson that would meet the different levels of students' abilities?
How would you motivate students who are struggling or not interested in your class?
How do you learning about the curriculum in your subject area?
• What are your strategies for Classroom Management?
Equity/ Diversity / Inclusive Teaching
Assessments
Communication with parents?
Do you have any questions? Any questions you would like to ask us?
Interview
- Situational Questions
• How would you deal with difficult students?
•
You are
working on a team and you are having a problem with another teacher? What would
you do to solve this problem?
Where
to find jobs?
•
School /
University
•
Guidance
offices, bulletins around campus
•
Community
/ local newspapers
• Daycare Centres and after school programs ( YMCA's)
•
Parks and
Recreation
•
Canada
Services Centre – local offices and websites
•
Student
Summer Employment Program
Networking is important when you are looking for jobs. You could expand your contacts by volunteering in your:
•
School / Church/ Workplace / Community
•
Talk to everyone you meet
•
Make connections
•
Learn how to do Small talk with your
supervisors/ teachers/ professors
•
Make friends with your colleagues/
secretary
•
Attend workshops / Job fairs
•
Be careful
of internet advertisement and interview
location
After
the interview
•
Make
notes of the interview and especially the questions you did not answer
well. Have a notebook to write them down
so that you could learn from your mistakes to improve your future interviews.
•
Follow up
with:
•
Phone
call, Email or thank you note
Government
Programs that help young people to find their first job by:
•
Mitacs-Enterprise Internship
•
Canada Summer Job
•
Employment Agencies
If you have any
questions, please don`t hesitant to send them to me via the comment box
and I will try my best to answer them.
All the best in you job hunting!
R.T.
Director - TECA
Toronto Education &
Communications Associates
Toronto, Ontario
