The Puzzle: Blog

You’re a teacher or administrator looking for a job in an independent school. How great would it be to have the opportunity to connect with multiple schools in an efficient, cost-effective way—all on the same day?

If this sounds appealing, you might consider attending one of our teacher recruitment conferences this winter. If you’re hoping conference attendance will help you land a job, it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you show up. Here are five misconceptions about the CS&A hiring conferences.

1. The CS&A conferences are networking events.

Yes and no. While good opportunities for networking often arise at CS&A conferences, the events themselves are of a different nature. The conference rooms are constantly abuzz, but not with snippets of casual conversation and the swapping of business cards and contact information.

The conferences are strictly scheduled interviewing events: schools receive the files of all candidates registered to attend the conference in advance, and they indicate whom they’d like to meet prior to the event. Interviews last exactly 30 minutes before schools and candidates move onto the next. While there will likely be time to talk with some hiring contacts not on your original interview list, this is first and foremost an interviewing—not networking—event.

FORUM/Diversity is the sort-of exception to this rule, as the concurrent professional development symposium allows both schools and candidates to connect over topics of equity and inclusion in our schools.

(2017 update: Our Women's Institute is also an exception. This professional development only event does not feature a recruitment component. Instead, this day is dedicated to career and personal development for women and their allies working in education.)

2. Once I’m registered, I’m automatically signed up to attend.

Nope! Registration does not assume automatic attendance. You shouldn’t book a flight or a hotel room until you’ve had a discussion with your Placement Associate. Each conference is different, and some might be better suited to your particular job search than others. Your Placement Associate knows how to help you—and can save you time and money by advising you against attending a conference that might not benefit you.

3. The more conferences I attend, the better—right?

Not necessarily. While our FORUM/Boston and FORUM@NAIS are both national events, the other conferences tend to be a bit more local in scope. If you’ve limited your search to the mid-Atlantic, for example, it probably won’t make sense for you to attend our FORUM/Los Angeles. Consider attending one or two targeted conferences and/or the Boston conference or FORUM/NAIS. Your Placement Associate can help you with these decisions.

4. Conference Interviews aren’t “real” interviews—it’s okay if I’m more informal.

Conference interviews are incredibly important, very “real” interviews. They’re often the first opportunity you’ll have to meet a school’s hiring contacts face-to-face. The impression you make at the conference will directly affect your job search: if you’re professional and put-together, you might garner an invitation to interview again on the school’s campus. If it seems like you’re not taking the interview seriously, the school contact might not take your candidacy seriously either.

So treat the conference interview—all 30 minutes of it—as you would a full-day on-campus interview. Wear appropriate attire: a coat and tie for men, and dress pants or a skirt for women. Be professional and speak clearly, maintain eye contact, and be polite. Do the prep work you would for any interview, and make sure you know a bit about the specific school with which you’re interviewing. Ask appropriate questions and leave the interview with clear next steps.

5. I’ll likely leave the conference with a job offer!

That would be great! And sometimes job offers do stem directly from conference interviews. More often, though, the conference provides an initial meeting, a kind of “screening” that leads to a school’s invitation to interview on-campus, where you’ll meet more prospective colleagues, tour the school, and teach a lesson. Make getting to campus your goal—and hopefully the job offers will flood in once you’re there.

Many of our client schools eagerly attend our conferences and perennially hire candidates they’ve met at these events. As conference season nears, check back frequently for tips and tricks for navigating these unique events. We’re here to help!

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