Sell the Fit – Why Are You the Right Person?

Stay focused. If you are applying to teach chemistry, you want your chemistry knowledge and background to be out front and center.  “Here’s what I can contribute as your chemistry teacher.” You want the district to see you specifically as an aspiring chemistry teacher.

A few exceptions to this suggestion:

1)      Qualified to teach both biology and chemistry? Let people know. When you have a complementary skill set that contributes to your understanding of a desired teaching position, emphasize that fact.

2)      If you are applying in a rural area, let the district know all of your qualifications. Rural districts are often seeking people who can take on multiple roles at the same time.

3)      Foreign language skills? Be sure to share that fact. Many areas have an urgent need for bilingual instructors. I know multiple social studies and other teachers who entered their field through the bilingual door. 

Consider Sending a Letter of Application to Sister Mary

Check out the local private schools. Almost the whole world is operating online, but every so often you might stumble on an exception. I’ll note that private schools tend not to pay well – that salary often proves a deal-killer – but they can nonetheless be fine places to begin your career. The paper-in-an-envelope approach has been known to work, especially when backed up with email and phone calls.

Adapt, adapt, adapt

You should have multiple resume versions. Be prepared to create versions that best match any positions for which you apply. You might have extra references. Who should tell District 42 about you? Frank or Jaime? Who can best address your fit to District 42? If you are lucky enough to be able to make choices, think about which references to use before you put them down.

Consider adding a few extra lines to any required essays, lines that directly link you to specific district desires.

Don’t Be Afraid to Show Your Quirks, Interests and Hobbies

Well, mostly anyway. If you have stocked a year’s supply of canned soup in the basement for fear of the zombie apocalypse, you might save that detail for after you are hired. Or even after you are tenured… But district interviewers like to hear about personal passions and favorite activities. Even if your interviewer is a White Sox fan, your Cubbies fandom identifies you as a baseball fan. You want to make a personal connection. The fact that you love Marvel movies and have a collection of Thor comics will make you stand out, and might help you find a kindred spirit among interviewers. (If your interviewers don’t much like your quirks, whatever they are, maybe you don’t want to work for that district anyway.)

Sports interests should definitely make their way to the table. At the middle school and high school levels, ask about coaching and sponsorship opportunities. Let interviewers know if you can coach or sponsor a club. Even asking if you can help coach volleyball will identify you as someone willing to stay after school for the kids, whether coaching vacancies exist or not.

I’ll run this thread a bit longer and then shift to teaching tips for the new year. (Search “job search” on the blog for more.) Good luck!