 | | Trust your interviewer
Very few interviewers set out deliberately to trap you - even as you progress to higher posts. They genuinely want to find out more about you and see if you will fit their school and its needs at that particular time. Don’t forget, those needs vary; you might be a star, but not the particular star for their particular heaven at the moment.
You can play a good game of second-guessing the questions that come up, and thus help yourself to prepare because nothing should be that unexpected. Write down all the main areas you think they will want to explore – then write down the main points of your personal response to this. The questions are really not that dissimilar. I’m not going to help you further than that! But you really can anticipate what will come up, to a great extent.
Take your time - listen as well as talk
As you answer questions, try to structure your response into a logical format. You might think – there are three main points I need to make here, and then you answer two and can’t remember the third. Take a deep breath, run back over the question, and see if it returns. If it doesn’t, tell them so – someone on the panel may throw you a lifeline. Try to bear in mind that an interviewer (usually the most experienced one) who asks a further “probe” question is trying to help you. If they thought you were beyond helping, they wouldn’t bother. Listen really hard to their wording because there’s something vital lurking in there, which you need to see.
Some interviewers (usually the least experience done) ask long complicated questions in which it’s difficult to stay focused and remember all the parts. This is not funny and not clever, but you’ve got to make the best of it. If you know you’ve only given a partial answer, tell them you know you’ve missed something and ask them to repeat the question. Then, hopefully, off you go again. If you really don’t understand the question, you must ask for clarification – because the alternative is to run hard up the wrong track.
Wobbly knees and nervous rashes
Anyone except a really nasty person makes allowance for nerves, especially for NQTs. We know you’ve had the collywobbles the night before. You really can help yourself on the day by taking it steady and taking deep breaths.
A fascinating phenomenon I’ve noticed, having done masses of interviewing at all levels, is the neck-and-chest-rash. This appears half way through an interview, funnily enough, rather than at the start. I’m pretty clear it’s caused by shallow breathing, and afflicts many people, at all levels of being interviewed. The trouble is, you don’t know, as you can’t see it yourself. But if you do find out that this happens to you, you might consider wearing something that covers it. Men have an advantage here, as this bit of them is usually covered up. No further comment!
Interviewers are also stressed
People always say that it’s just as bad interviewing as being interviewed. True, people who are inexperienced at interviewing can find it stressful, and there can be a lot at stake. It’s also pretty tiring, which seems ridiculous when you’re just sitting around all day – but concentrating on content, putting in probes to extract the best from people, smiling to encourage them – well, it’s a tough life. I’m here to say that it’s not true –being interviewed is worse!
What not to wear
If you’re one of a long list of interviewees, make yourself memorable - but not too memorable. If you’re the fifth navy blue suit in a row, it’s a bit hard to keep you at the forefront of the mind when the summing up decision comes. We know you don’t wear suits every day; we know you’ve borrowed it…! What we’re looking for is the potential of becoming a smart professional, rather than the reality here and now.
Good candidates stick in the mind. I recall many good interviews when I can even remember what the candidates wore. These were seven or eight years ago, and I’m really proud to see these people progressing up the scale and doing brilliantly. In each case, each candidate wore or said something that made them stand out from the crowd.
You don't always need the right answers
The person I would choose to appoint for a particular post would be the one whose attitude and personality I liked, rather than the one who gave the “right” answers. In any case, there are not that many right answers. Things change all the time in teaching; flexibility allied to sound values is the key to survival. If someone wants to hear a particular response and your answer doesn’t coincide with their view, then it wasn’t the right school for you.
Green light: nearly finished
The very last question from the interviewers should be: “Are you still a firm candidate for this post?” It’s fine to show a Tigger-like enthusiasm at this point; quite charming, in fact. But don't say "Yes" and then change your mind later because something you judge to be better has cropped up.
Think about it – some poor person will then be offered the job, knowing they were second choice.
Think about it – you’ve burned your bridges at that school, and possibly in that Local Authority.
If job interviews come in the wrong order and your favoured school comes later, you must decide whether or not to accept the first interview. Going through with it just to see, then withdrawing later, wastes everyone’s time and endears you to no-one. You should also bear in mind that things are not always what they seem, and you might in fact be far happier in the school you initially fancied less.
Waiting for a decision
In the cruel old days, candidates were asked to sit around after interviews. This led to horrible situations where people had to pretend to be nice to all the other candidates, sometimes for hours – until they heard the footsteps coming up the corridor...too spooky. These days seem to be gone. The usual route is to send you away and give some indication of when you might expect to hear, usually by mobile phone. Could be a long evening.
What's next:
1) You go the job – congratulations! Now the real work begins...
2) You didn't get the job - it’s not "You" the "Person" that has been rejected, just the bit of you they saw on the day.
Be brave and ask for feedback on your performance. You’re entitled to this after any interview, and it really will help to hone your skills. The other thing you should do is to write down the questions before they fall out of your head, and what you think you said, then what you wish you’d said. This adds to your store of experience for the next interview, and should help your confidence greatly.
Good luck in your search for the job that fits you best!
Sue Bowen is an Independent Educational Consultant, former Local Authority primary adviser and primary headteacher
Resources:
Jobseeker advice
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