Building the Best Educational Staff: The Interview

Building the Best Educational Staff:The Interview
by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

Developing an Effective Interview Process

Academic success has been directly linked to the quality of a school’s teaching and administrative staffs. Prescriptions are continually being proposed to improve educational personnel. These plans have included merit pay, improved evaluations, and easier termination policies among others. But this goal is too complex to be accomplished with singular solutions. What is required is a multi-faceted program that will address a variety of shortcomings in the current hiring system. Previously, I have compiled eight fundamental areas that need to be reassessed in order for districts to be able to hire, improve and retain the most talented educators.

This is the third in a series of articles that will detail the steps needed to implement those improvements. This post will focus on the interviewing process.

Rule 1: The interview begins with the resume

One of the most important components to the interview process begins before any face-to-face meetings occur. Choosing the best interview candidates from among dozens of resumes can be difficult. No single piece of paper can tell the complete story of an applicant’s strengths or weaknesses. But there are some items that deserve extra attention.

What is the candidate’s academic background and teaching experience?

Only applicants with a strong academic background in the subject area should be given serious consideration. While a major in the field would be preferable, the minimum requirement would be a significant number of successfully completed courses in the curriculum. In many states the requirements for certification are unrealistically low. For that reason there should be a thorough examination of the candidate’s GPA particularly in the subject area. If this information is not contained on the resume, a transcript should be requested. This extra step can reveal a great deal about a prospective teacher. For example, one individual who applied for a Chemistry position at my former school had a reasonably good overall GPA. However, a detailed look at the candidate’s transcript revealed that every course in Chemistry was “C” or lower including a few that had to be repeated. This information is not trivial.

Previous employment, summer jobs, and areas of interest should also be carefully examined. Matching an educator to a school is a subtle process. Different student bodies require different strengths. Evaluate prior experiences in terms of preparing the candidate for the school’s particular needs. After determining the top choices the interviewing process should begin.

Rule 2: Have the right people doing the interview

Teacher interviews should be conducted by the two individuals most directly involved in the development of new staff—the department chair and the supervising assistant principal. If one of the two does not attend an interview no hiring should take place until both have had an opportunity to talk with the candidate. Offering a position should require a 2-0 “vote”.

The inclusion of the chair is particularly important. No one understands the exact needs of a department as well as a person who works with this group every day. In addition having a teacher in the process gives the applicant an opportunity to ask specific questions concerning working at that particular school. While an AP has first-hand knowledge of the learning environment, it is not the equivalent to that of a full-time teacher. Moreover, if the department chairs have a voice in the hiring, they will also have ownership and accountability. It is now incumbent on them to make this hire work. And finally having both the AP and department chair conducting the interviews makes the process more consistent, allows them to develop a coordinated working relationship and gives this somewhat subjective decision making process more objectivity.

Rule 3: Everyone should be asking questions

An effective interview is one that allows information to flow in two directions. As the interviewers assess the qualifications of a candidate through a series of questions, the applicant should be seeking information about the makeup of the student body, an overview of the department personnel and educational philosophy and administrative support and expectations. This understanding of the educational environment within the building is critical. Hiring the right teacher is not always about hiring the most talented one. Good teachers and successful schools are not automatically a perfect fit. I have known many underperforming teachers who have found great success after transferring to a new location. People often underestimate the importance of personal chemistry in teaching success.

Rule 4: Ask questions that result in meaningful answers

The inquiries posed during an interview should elicit introspection of one’s beliefs about education. The goal should be to determine the applicant’s beliefs regarding why some students fail to achieve, how to reach different learning styles within a classroom, the most productive student/teacher relationship, and classroom management approaches. Some of my personal favorites include:

•Within your curriculum what is your favorite topic? How would you share that enthusiasm with your students?
•Next October when I visit your class, what facet of the lesson I observe will be the most impressive?
•During that visit what will be the most notable aspect of the classroom environment?
•What teaching issues would most likely require you to ask for advice from your colleagues?
A series of such questions should be created that will give true insights into the philosophies and beliefs of the candidate and also express the academic direction of the school.

Rule 5: The questions are only the beginning

The give and take of the interview should be only a portion of the process in determining who is offered a position. A comprehensive interview would include the following:

•Writing sample. The most basic skill required of a successful educator is the ability to communicate. This talent must exist both verbally and in writing. Having applicants express their views in words can reveal additional information not necessarily apparent in a question and answer setting. Sample questions could include “What motivates you to be an educator?”, “What was the primary reason you applied to this particular school?” “Think of your favorite teacher. What made this person so special to you?” A written answer to any of these inquiries could give some extremely important insights.
•Teach a lesson. Tell the applicant in advance that they will be asked to teach a fifteen minute portion of a lesson they have done in the past. They should be prepared with handouts, power points, board work, etc. If they are uncomfortable with this request, what does that say about their future in front of a classroom of students?
•Tour the school and visit classrooms. Remember this is a two-way interview. Give them a genuine feel for the educational environment. An interviewer can gather insights about a candidate by observing their reaction to a classroom visit. After one of my interviews a teacher asked me when the students would be dismissed. She then situated herself in the main office and watched the students as they left the building. She later told me that the manner in which they conducted themselves and their interaction with adults convinced her that she wanted to be at this school.
•Make a lunch date. Prior to offering a position, a highly-rated candidate should be invited to have lunch with the department during a school day. This setting provides a wonderful opportunity for interaction with potential future colleagues and often served as the final stage in the entire process.
Rule 6: Aggressively contact references and previous employers

Some of the worst information acquired during the interviewing process is obtained from references. Too many people are loath to give honest appraisals or worse they want to get rid of a problem teacher. Consequently interviewers need to ask pointed questions when contacting these individuals. The importance of their input needs to be clearly stated and emphasis be given to the need for candor. Books could be written about the harm caused by misleading references. Consequently, it is a process that must be undertaken carefully and with caution.

Rule 7: Use your new hires as a resource

Your new hires can help in improving the interviewing process. I always asked them why they chose to accept our offer and how our process compared to others. These conversations revealed some important insights that were used to strengthen our work in the future.