by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

An Interview That Works

"Teacher quality is the single most important school factor in student success.”--Aspen Institute's Commission on No Child Left Behind

The key to a successful school is a high-quality teaching staff.  We have previously discussed the use of a comprehensive and sophisticated evaluation process to eliminate weak educators and improve strong ones. The next two steps are designed to secure the highest potential hires.  First, there needs to be a determination of which candidates should be offered interviews. Once the best applicants have been ascertained the critical next step is the actual interview.

Getting the Right People Involved 

The interviewing and hiring process should be a collaborative effort with the major decision making given to the two individuals most directly involved in the development of these teachers—the department chair and the supervising assistant principal. The chair is particularly crucial.  No one understands the precise needs of a department better than the chair.  Like any good team, there needs to be “positive chemistry” within a department.   Only someone who clearly understands these subtleties can best determine which candidates would mesh most effectively.  My goal in hiring was to create a group of individuals who collectively would gain from the strengths of their colleagues and offset the weaknesses of others.  I always wanted a blend of extensive successful experience and new ideas, conservative approaches and experimenters, and overall a group poised at varying positions on their career paths.  One cannot underestimate the importance of this aspect in building a successful department.  And no one can articulate it as well as the chair. 

Another reason for the significant role of the chair is a reflection of my experiences when I was not a part of the process. All too often, I would meet the new members of my team on the first day of school.  Such timing is hardly conducive to building the crucial relationship necessary between a teacher and chair.  Conversely, a leadership position in the hiring process sends a clear message to all new staff members that the chair has the influence required to help them with any future concerns.  The importance of establishing this “mid-level” management has been previously discussed.  (Two Roles Diverge Part1, Part 2, Part 3).

Everyone Should Have Questions

The best method to accurately determine the potential of prospective teachers involves a multi-layered approach to assess their philosophy, personality, background, and communication skills.  A static question and answer session around a conference table is an approach unlikely to reveal true insights into the future success or failure of the individual.  An alternative approach utilizing several different techniques is likely to conclude with significantly superior results.

The interview process should be a ‘two-way” communication.  While the school representatives are assessing the candidate through a series of questions, they should also carefully explain the makeup of the student body, an overview of the current department personnel and the nature of administrative support and expectations. In addition, the interviewee should be strongly encouraged to ask questions about the educational environment within the building.  Many good teachers and successful schools are not a perfect fit.  On several occasions, teachers in my school who were underperforming found great success after transferring.  This disparity of achievement is not a reflection on either the teacher or the school but rather on the paring of the two.  I also had several teachers who, to shorten their commute, moved to another location and later lamented that they were not nearly as happy or productive at their new location.  A few transferred back.  Making a determination on this variable before finalizing employment is beneficial to everyone involved.  And an open and honest conversation about the topic is the surest way to make that occur.

Questions That Ask a Great Deal

The inquiries posed to prospective teachers should elicit as much introspection as possible.  A successful interview would reveal a candidate’s beliefs on such topics as the reasons 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:

• What is your favorite topic in your curriculum?  How would you share that enthusiasm with your students?
• Next October when I visit your class, what facet of that lesson will impress me the most?
• During that same visit what will be the most notable aspect of the classroom environment?
• For which teaching issues would you be most likely to solicit input from the department chair?

When the Questioning Stops

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 at 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?
• Give them a tour of the school.  Remember this is a two-way interview.  Get them a genuine feel of the educational environment.  After the interview one teacher asked me at 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. 
• 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. 

One Last Thought

Your new hires can be a great resource for future interviews.  I always asked them why they chose to accept our offer and how our process compared to others.  These conversations revealed some amazing stories, which I will share in a forthcoming post, and gave me excellent insights into the continual improvement of our hiring procedures.