A Guide to Interviewing for Educators

So you’ve landed yourself an interview – well done! While you’re one step closer to securing a new job, without the right preparation, the interview may be pretty nerve-racking. When you take the time to prepare, you ensure that you can do your best on the day. Here is some advice about what to expect and a few tips to ensure you nail your interview.

Presentation 

Your interview preparation begins with your presentation. Whether we like it or not, our appearance is the first thing people notice about us, and first impressions are formed within the first 30 seconds. Dress to match the culture and style of the school you’re meeting. An interviewer needs to be able to visualise you in the role they’re looking to fill.

Remember, eye contact, a warm smile, and a strong handshake, project confidence and create a connection – particularly at your initial greeting!

Travel logistics

Plan in advance how you will get to your interview, and have a backup plan in place. Leave yourself plenty of leeway for unexpected delays. There’s nothing worse than hitting unusually heavy traffic, and arriving late and flustered to an interview.

Don’t rely on technology

Prepare an interview folder. Include your travel plan, the position description, contact details for interviewers, and a short list of questions you want to ask. Yes, this will all be on your phone, but if disaster strikes (i.e. your battery goes flat) you will be able to carry on.

Interview

No two interviews are the same, but there are commonalities. Be prepared to discuss your background, experience, qualifications, and the type of work you have previously undertaken.

When interviewing with a school, most of the time will be spent asking behavioural questions. Behavioural interviews are based on the approach that past behaviour and actions, are a ‘real life’ indicator of future behaviour and actions. Your interviewer is looking to understand you better, by how you’ve previously handled situations you have experienced in the workplace.

In order to effectively respond, you will need to provide a specific example of a time you have encountered the situation in question. The STARL approach is a helpful way for you to structure your response, to ensure it is clear, and concise:

Situation – Provide a succinct description of the event
Task – Describe the task/s that were involved
Actions – Explain how you responded to the event 
Result – Outline what resulted from your actions
Learning – Give a summary of what you learnt and anything you would do differently 

Questions

Asking questions is another way of engaging with the interviewer, and demonstrating what you will bring to the role. Questions will probably crop up during the interview – which you can ask as you go along. Ensure you also prepare some questions to ask at the end of the interview.

You could ask questions about the school community, the team you will be working with, the school values and characteristics of staff who do well in the school.

If you are sincerely interested in the role you are been interviewed for…it’s always good to let the interviewer know!

At anzuk, we’re here to support you as you prepare. By making a positive impression at your interview, you’ll be one-step closer to that new career!