Four Interview Tips for New Teachers

Over my many years of working in the profession of education, I have set through countless interviews. This has led to all kinds of interesting candidates both good and bad. As college graduates are finishing up there final semester and looking for jobs, I thought I would share a few helpful hints when heading into the interview.

1.       Invest in Your Career

First impressions can be incredible. Bad ones are hard to overcome. Take the time and money to purchase an outfit specifically for interviews. If you need help picking something out, take someone with you. Then make sure you keep it cleaned and ironed even if you need to take it to the dry cleaners. I can’t tell you how many times interviewees have walked in with inappropriate business attire or attire that looked like they just pulled it out of the bottom of a pile of clothes. I am not saying we have never hired any of these people, but when there are many applicants, it can come down to the little things.  (By the way, leave the water bottle in the car when you go into an interview.)

2.       Be Nice

This starts from the phone call you receive for setting up an interview all the way to the final call about whether you got the job. My secretaries will often give me commentary about potential candidates when they spoke with them on the phone to set up the interview and how the candidate acted when they entered the office and were waiting for the interview. During the interview, speak kindly about everyone including past employees. No one wants to hire a complainer. Finally, you should receive some type of communication from the interview committee as to whether you received the job. Continue the kindness as you communicate with the school even if you do not get the job. Something may not work out with their original candidate or they may have another opening. They will remember that kindness. 

3.       Confident but not Cocky

Confidence comes from humility and preparedness. You gain confidence by by practicing your answers for potential interview questions. Almost every interview for a teaching job will focus on classroom management, instruction, and working with others. As you think about how you will answer those questions, try to answer with specific examples. It is more impressive to hear a candidate say “this is how I handled the situation” as opposed to “this is how I would handle the situation.” The first example shows you have experience. If you are just entering the profession, it may be difficult to share examples of personal experiences so you might reflect on how you have seen someone else handle a similar situation.

Know the school and district in which you are being interviewed. In today’s age, there is no excuse for not knowing the school. With a simple swipe of the finger or click of the mouse, you can find school improvement plans, school mascots, school colors, school data, administrative and teaching staff, etc. When you have a chance, you can reference these things. Don’t make it awkward, but find an appropriate time to use that information when answering a question.

Part of humility is demonstrating you are willing to learn. Share how you are trying to continue to grow professionally. Most interviews end with a question asking you whether you have any questions. Come prepared to ask questions. Some interviewers are even impressed when you are taking notes. It demonstrates you are listening and genuinely seeking answers.

4.       Be Yourself

Remember you are in an interview and seeking a career in the teaching profession, but do not be afraid to talk about your passions and interests. Be brief but talk about what is unique about you and what you believe you can bring to the school/district. Also, do not try to answer the questions the way you think they want to hear. It never ends well.  If you stay focused on students and stick with your educational and instructional philosophies, it will work out.

In the end, trust your training. Have confidence. Have fun. Give God the glory no matter what!

Life Lessons from Job

Life Lessons from Job

Most people know the basics about Job. Even non-Christians will use the phrase “patience of Job”. He went through all kinds of struggles, but in the end, Job never cursed God. He never turned his back on God. Recently as I was reading through Job, I was struck by three other life lessons.

First, we don't always know what we are talking about. Every time I read the book of Job I cannot help but reflect on the advice given by Job’s “friends”. Taken out of context, the words that these men share with Job are actually very wise. They refer to the greatness of God, how God disciplines, and how no one can know the mind of God. All these themes are very true. So what is the problem? The problem is these men are speaking to Job from a perspective in which they have no background knowledge. They are accusing Job falsely because they don’t know the whole story. They are unaware of the conversation that took place between God and satan. They are unaware that the very reason Job is going through these struggles is not because of the sin in his life but because of the righteousness in his life. Out of context, the advice looks good. Within the context, it is terrible.

Job’s friends’ advice reminds me of the danger we often put ourselves in when we judge others and circumstances around us. How often do we not know the whole story or see the big picture? Have you ever found yourself complaining about decisions made by your boss, board, supervisor, those in leadership, minister, elders, or even friends? We don’t always know the circumstances surrounding those decisions. We cannot always see the big picture. Before we speak the next time, maybe we should spend more time in prayer. God just may tell us to remain silent.

Second, God won't always explain everything. I am surprised that in the end God doesn’t even explain to Job why Job went through these great tragedies (Job 38-41). He simply reminds Job who is in control, who created the universe, who has the greater mind, and who is able to see all. God’s response puts everything into perspective. It reminds Job that all he has is from God in the first place. Job did nothing to earn any of it, but God never explains why He gave it and why He took away. Why did He not tell Job? Maybe it was because Job wouldn’t understand. Maybe it was because that wasn’t the focus. Maybe it was because it was no longer important. I don’t know and don’t claim to know. I do know that God loves us, desires a relationship with us, and wants the best for us (Romans 8, I Peter 5:7, John 10:10). What I see is that God may allow me to go through difficulties without ever explaining why, and He doesn’t it owe it to me. He may choose to tell me, or He may choose to remain silent. I just remain faithful like Job.

Third, blessings come after forgiveness. Job’s prosperity was not restored until Job forgave and prayed for his friends (Job 42:7-17). Did you catch that? God didn’t restore Job’s wealth before but after Job prayed for and forgave his friends. I don’t want to take something out of context or use one verse to make a point. However, I truly believe there is a strong correlation between us forgiving others and God restoring us (Matthew 6:14-15; Colossians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 2:10; Matthew 6:12; Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; John 20:23; Matthew 18:21-35).

Job’s story is one of forgiveness and obedience. Job’s friends falsely accused him of an unrighteous life. They attacked him when he was down instead of supporting him. I’m sure that we can all relate to a friend or colleague who falsely accused us of saying or doing something that never happened. These accusations may have caused us to fall out of favor with those around us. We may be praying for the suffering to end or even for God to deal with our enemies. When we read Job’s story, we find that in the end God doesn’t crush these men like most of us would want. He places their forgiveness in Job’s hand. Job could have rejected their pleas for forgiveness (sacrifices). Job could have asked God to destroy these men, but Job was obedient to pray for these friends who had falsely accused him during his darkest days. He sought God’s forgiveness for them. Once Job spoke on their behalf, God forgave the friends and blessed Job. Have we missed out on God’s blessings because of our lack of obedience to forgive others? God is waiting for us to obediently forgive others and then we too may be showered with His blessings. (Defining God's blessings will need to be a whole other blog.)

Our work life can be full of scenarios where it all seems to come down around us. We may feel like Job with one problem after another occurring. We may have “friends” who are unsupportive during these times. Will we respond with faith like Job ultimately did? Will we rely on the promises that God is in charge and He wants the best relationship with us as possible? If we do, we can continue to be obedient to God’s command to forgive those around us. When we are obedient, we may be just experience blessings showered on us by God just like Job.