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Teacher Fair 2008 is quickly approaching and its time to get ready for the all-important interview! After the evening of networking and scheduling on April 30, interviews will take place on the second day, May 1. Bring your Ball State University ID card to all Teacher Fair events. It will be required for check in and to print your nametags. This edition of Teacher Fair Tips will help you prepare for the interviews that will be conducted by the employers who will be attending this year. The best way to ace an interview is to prepare and anticipate the questions employers are likely to ask. Taking time to conduct research and prepare for an interview are great ways to make an impression and land the job you want! The structure of an interview:
(Keep in mind that Teacher Fair interviews are typically fifteen minutes long and are no longer than thirty minutes, so interviewers may not follow this structure exactly.) During an interview you should do most of the talking. In order to be sure you have plenty to talk about, prepare several stories that you can use to answer commonly asked questions. Some of the commonly asked questions that are used by interviewers are the following:
Additional questions used in education-related interviews can be found in the AAEE 2008 Job Search Handbook for Educators. Copies are available in the Career and Experiential Learning Resource Lab, LU 235. When answering interview questions, each story should include three distinct parts: the problem you faced, the action you took, and the results of your action. You can remember this approach as P.A.R. (Problem, Action, Result). Using your portfolio during an interview is an effective way to illustrate the main point of your story. Not every employer will ask to see your portfolio, but you can offer it as a visual aid while answering questions. Know the layout of your portfolio and use tabs when needed so you can easily flip to important documents. For the purpose of Teacher Fair, choose only five to ten documents to bring in a portfolio since the employer may not have time to look at it. Some other helpful interviewing links on the Career Center Web site include the following:
In addition to the information on our Web site, the Career and Experiential Learning Resource Lab has many print materials available to help you prepare for interviewing and the rest of your job search. If you have additional questions, a career advisor is available to help during drop-in advising. Drop-in Advising Teacher Drop-in Advising No appointment is needed for drop-in advising. If drop-in advising does not meet your needs, call 285-1522 to schedule an appointment. Grab a friend or colleague to help you practice answering interview questions before the big day. Interviewing is like any other task in life; you only get better at it with practice. Come to our Jump-Start program to further develop your skills and prepare for Teacher Fair networking and interview opportunities! Teacher Fair Jump-Start—April 22 and April 28 Both programs will be held in TC 102 at 5 p.m. Bring your Ball State University ID card to all Teacher Fair events. It will be required for check in and to print your nametags. A final issue of Teacher Fair Tips with last minute details and what to expect during the big event will be sent out a few days before the fair. Until then, best of luck with your job search and happy interviewing! Sincerely, Jenni Smith
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