How to Spot Educational Talent

One of my favorite parts of my current job is recruiting and hiring talented people in education. It is one thing that seems to come pretty easy for me and is enjoyable. I like talking with and getting to know people at levels beyond what a boss/employee relationship looks like. I am very much into team building and try to surround myself with extremely competent people who not only help create positive atmospheres for students but who also help me in areas I may not be as strong in. I have found that creating a team type of stance is the best way to help students. Yet, how is this something that is achievable?

In most of our cases these days, even in the public sector, it is very competitive out there. In our area, our school districts are constantly competing against each other for staff. Whether it be teachers or specialists in the related service sector, speech, motor, school psych, we all have holes we are continually needing to fill. It can be challenging and at times frustrating but also rewarding when you are able to have your teams come together.

Firstly, I would recommend being patient. Although there is a certain urgency to filling empty spots, you want to make sure you fill them with the right people. I have chosen to not hire some folks because myself and the team sensed they were not the right fit. Don't get me wrong, we were in a pretty desperate position but I trusted my gut and believe I made the right choice.

When people apply for positions, I of course will look over their applications. Are their cover letters coherent? What do letters of reference look like? Are the private references in line with the written references? Does the person have the credentials they will need for this position?

When all of that is done and I have decided I am interested in interviewing them, I will give them a call. Yes, a few minutes of our time is essential and a strategic process for myself. I can gain a lot of information from someone when talking with them on the phone. How comfortable do they seem to be while talking with me? Are they articulate? Does the conversation seem to be heading in a direction to where I would like to offer an interview?

If the answer is "yes," I will then ask them if they would be interested in an interview. Suggesting we move forward with one, I will then round up an appropriate interview team and share the application with them. Again, I want my folks who surround me to look things over with a fine tooth comb. Might there be something I may have missed? If so, I want my team to be transparent with me about their thoughts. If we are in alignment, we then proceed with an interview.

This is where things get interesting for myself. There are certain factors to take into consideration here. I am not always interested in finding the perfect educational veteran fit. That may sound odd but please hear me out. When we get to the point of an interview, I observe a lot of both verbal as well as non verbal items. I want to see what the comfort level of the interviewee is- although many people get extremely nervous during interviews, yours truly included so I try to give grace here and sift through the nerves. When we get candidates fresh out of school, many have not practiced interviewing much and things might be a bit rough within the room. That being said, don't always fret about that. There have been times the team can see beyond the choppy interview and give someone a chance at a position. So, what is it I am looking for?

First and foremost, please, please, please tell us in all sincerity that you like kids and want to make things work better for them. Yes, I want to make sure you have a proper skill set to complete the job but if you can do all of the necessary jobs within your job but do not say anything about wanting to work with kids, that does not work for me. I also like to watch for a team connection with the other people you maybe working or at least collaborating with. Are you warm and friendly? Do you have good eye contact? Are you confident in your answers? If you are not sure of an answer, how to you deal with that? I would rather someone tell us they are not certain of something than shooting from the hip and making something up on the fly. What questions do you have of us? Please come in with some questions that challenge the system. Be yourself! That should come through the whole time you are interviewing. You MUST show the team who you are. Basically, you are selling a version of you to a team. As a footnote, I am not suggesting you need to be perfect in interviewing either. I have felt confident to hire rookies over the years and trained them on the paper work and lesson planning. We can teach that to someone. We cannot teach people how to love kids.

Finally, I want to point out one of my last ventures after calling for references. I check out people's social media accounts. Yes, I said it. Please make sure what you have in your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. is educationally appropriate. I have been on the fringe of hiring a few people in the past yet when I look at social media accounts, the types of items they chose to display were not in alignment with a school district employee.

In conclusion, if you can take some of these words of advice, I think you have a pretty good chance of landing a position- look me up sometime and I can let you know.