The Puzzle: Blog

As we move into the core independent school hiring season (roughly April through June), it's important to stay focused and on track in your job search. While this time of year can be busy for educators, it's just as busy for hiring managers and schools as they are working to fill their openings before summer vacation begins, or sooner. Now that many schools are back from spring break, it's crunch time, and schools are potentially moving at a quicker pace in their hiring timeline than you might be used to.

To stay ahead of the curve and ensure you're fully ready for when a job comes knocking, what can you do as a candidate?

Keep Your Profile Updated and Complete

One of the biggest hangups we see happens when a school wants to move forward with pursuing a candidate but comes to discover that letters of recommendation and/or a reference list are missing from that candidate's profile.

Regardless of your experience, schools want to see at least three letters of recommendation from an assortment of supervisors, mentors, and colleagues who can attest to your teaching skills and passion for working with children. They might also want to view a reference list of additional people they can contact. Letters of recommendation are not mandatory to begin the job search process with CS&A, so many candidates hold off on requesting these and adding them to their profiles. However, once you are a finalist for a position the letters will become necessary. Schools are quite discerning in their hiring practices these days, so these letters are very important.

To add letters of recommendation to your profile, go to the “My Portfolio” tab in CandidateConnect. You'll see the “Documents” section where you can upload letters that your recommendation writers send you (we suggest three, but you can show up to five letters). You can also ask your writers to email their letters to your Placement Associate, who will add them to your file, or you can use the “Request a Letter of Recommendation” button which provides writers a link to upload letters directly to your profile. This feature also allows your writers to add their letters confidentially without you being able to read them.

Want to add a reference list too? To create a reference list, you can complete the “References” section on the “My Portfolio” page, which will store a list for schools to view.

If your profile already has letters of recommendation (that are relatively recent), then pat yourself on the back! You're in good shape for when things speed up in your search. If you don't have these items but you're still actively looking for opportunities for the fall, we strongly encourage you to request and upload letters as soon as you can. Don't let a school interested in you move along to the next candidate because you're missing these important documents!

Are you an educator looking for your next job at a K-12 private, independent, boarding, religious, or charter school? CS&A matches teachers and administrators with opportunities at schools that are a great fit. By getting to know you personally, and because of our 40+ years of experience working with schools all over the world, we connect you with school communities where you'll thrive. Learn more about CS&A and apply to work with us today – our personalized job placement services are free to job seekers.

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