The Puzzle: Blog

We’ve reached the midpoint of August, and what’s on most teachers’ and administrators’ minds right now isn’t 2017, but the pending start of the new school year. Is 2017 something you should be thinking about? Of course! Whether you know with certainty that you'll be actively looking for new position, or if you are only mildly entertaining the idea of a new opportunity, it’s never too early to put 2017 on your radar.

The hiring seasons of most independent schools don’t normally pick up until after the New Year, so fall is a great time to get yourself prepped and ready to dive headfirst into a job search come January. We’re all familiar with the usual tasks of updating your resume, gathering references and letters of recommendation, and crafting a personal statement. Current candidates with CS&A have the benefit of being able to log into our CandidateConnect system and updating their file so that it’s ready to be sent to hiring schools. Be sure to reach out to your Placement Associate if you have any questions about updating your file.

There are also a few non-traditional ways you can prepare yourself for a job search.

Professional Development
Participating in professional development is a great way to enhance your resume and differentiate yourself from other candidates. Attending educational conferences, taking weekend classes, joining a professional group, or even holding your own faculty inservices in the morning before the school day begins are excellent ways to add some fresh content to your resume. Professional development is wise for anyone in the education industry to be participating in throughout the duration of their career. But for future job seekers, showing that you’ve taken a vested interest in continuing to advance yourself in your field goes a long way.

Reconnect With Your References
Already have a reference list? Great! But it’s always a good idea to stay connected with the people who you could potentially be calling on to provide a reference for you. Make a point to call or email any contacts who you don’t currently work with and might not see regularly, and update them on how your life and career is going. That way, when you do have to enlist their help in your job search, it doesn't seem so out of the blue.

Professionalize Your Online Presence
More and more hiring contacts and human resource departments are turning to social media and other online environments to learn more about their job candidates. Log into all of the social accounts you have and customize the privacy settings. If you choose to keep any accounts public, be sure to remove anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.

Do Some Interview Research
Browse the internet for common interview questions and keep them in a place to refer back to when you're actively job searching. Everyone does this sort of interview prep nowadays, but it’s helpful to do your research now, not when it’s crunch time before an interview, so you have this as a resource when the time comes and you can focus on fine-tuning your answers. Go beyond what's on the internet as well. As yourself, “What would I ask someone who is interviewing for the kind of position I'm interested in?” Additionally, collect a list of education keywords and terms that could be useful when crafting your responses.

Create an Online Portfolio
Start thinking about creating a personal website or online portfolio to showcase some of things you do as a teacher or administrator. Sites like WordPress, Weebly, and Google Sites are very user-friendly and offer a variety of templates and styles to ensure your site is unique and noticeable. Take some time to explore your options and pick a site that you're comfortable with and find compelling. What you choose to include is really up to you, but some suggestions are an About Me page, your resume and teaching philosophy, and even feedback or quotes from parents, peers, and students. Share some of your favorite and most successful classroom lessons or new initiatives that you led. Be sure to keep things brief and easy to consume.

Are there any other non-traditional ways you like to prepare for a job search?

Not a candidate with CS&A but thinking about a job search for 2017? Apply online to be our candidate today. It’s never too early!

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