They are starting to fill up my inbox: cover letters and resumes for an opening in my department. As one of the department chairs, one of my big responsibilities this year is hiring a new music teacher to replace one is retiring.
Almost every year I’ve been at this school, I’ve been involved in hiring someone. It can be a stressful process, but it can also be engaging, thought-provoking and an important moment of reflection. It’s a commitment of extra time but it’s also a chance to have influence on the direction of the school. There is pressure to get it right, and the fear of getting it wrong. However, I’ve worked with great committees of teachers and administrators, and we've done well so far
I am not an HR person, and I’m not an expert on hiring, but I do know what works for me and my school when it comes to cover letters, resumes and interviews. So here’s a couple things about this process that work. My view may very well not work for other situations. Again, just my opinion, not an expert.
1. The cover letter
I want to hear the teacher’s voice, and passion. The cover letter is the place to make that happen. It’s pointless to me to have a cover letter that is simply a narrative version of the resume. One page is enough. Tell me a story, show me through a story the aspects of your personality and professionalism that you feel makes you a strong candidate. Don’t just state that you integrate social and emotional learning in your lessons. Share a story about how your stopped a lesson because a child got emotional over a topic and made it a teachable moment for the whole class.
Yes, summarize your experience. Yes, explain how you came about this job and why you want it. But please include a story to show us who you are as a teacher.
2. The Resume
I don’t actually mind long resumes, but I don’t need it to be fully inclusive. If you’ve been teaching for fifteen years, please don’t list the unrelated job you had in high school. Make sure headings are clear, and bullet points don’t have too much jargon. It’s okay, there’s not that many synonyms for the word “implement,” so just use it four times. One of first things I check is the “other skills,” or “special skills & activities,” at the end of the resume. Don’t be ashamed, and hesitate to list your hobbies or other passions outside of teaching.
One of the things that is important about being a teacher is embracing whatever you are geeky about, which allows kids to do the same thing. You are in roller derby, do event planning, teach yoga? Awesome. The cover letter shows who you are as teacher, and in this end section of the resume, you get to share a glimpse of the rest of your life. No shame, list what you love to do. If a school is turned off by one of your hobbies, there's a good chance it’s not a good fit.
Okay, that’s a start. I’ll talk about interviews later…
No comments:
Post a Comment