I WANT TO BE PRINCIPAL

Steps to become a principal

1. Two or more years as teacher.

2. Master’s Degree and certification.

3. Develop resume 4. Complete application 5. Letter to HR 6. Letter of interest

Steps to become a principal

Develop a resumeHeading needs to grab readerEducationCertificationExperience

All current to earliest

Steps to become a principal

ApplicationMost are on lineWatch spellingWatch grammarProfessional email addressDependable contacts—good

phone numbers

Steps to become principal

Letter to Human Resources or Personnel Department

Statement of completion

Special items of interest

Steps to become a principal

Letter of Interest Letter of Intent

Narrative of your resume. Keep it brief. Follow district instructions. If they request page—you will write page.

Steps to become a principal

Prepare a CD to leave with the committee.

You Have the Interview

Don’t Flub It

You Have The Interview

Internet—April 13, 2005 Adapted by Dr. Harold L. Smith

A weak handshake

Your handshake means a lot about you.

Strong, firm handshake. Limp, weak, hesitant—tells

interviewer that you are unsure of yourself.

No Eye Contact

Look your interviewer in the eyes

No eye contact=lack of confidence, uninterested

Look your interviewer in the third eye if more comfortable

Third Eye? Space between the eyes.

Answer Overkill

Important points will be lost if you talk too much.

Keep your answers focused and on topic.

Limit your responses to a couple of minutes.

You don’t want to bore the interviewer

One-Word Answers

Too much talking will turn your interviewer off. One word answers will do the same.

An interview is a conversation Be able to elaborate and answer

questions intelligently. One word responses indicate

lack of confidence, lack of interest or conceded.

Interrupting the Interviewer

Nobody wants to be interrupted Interrupting the interviewer what

you have to say is more important than what they are saying.

Candidate Misrepresentation

No padded resumes Be able to back up your resume Be able to back up your comments

about experience Don’t claim to be a perfectionist if

there are typos or spelling errors on your resume

Demonstrate that you have enough credibility to get the job done.

Arriving Late

What can be said? Late=I am not interested in the

position. Late=My time is more important than

your time. Arrange to arrive early Have a phone contact if you run into

trouble. Call if you will be late.

Knowing Nothing about the School

Study the AEIS, AYP reports Study the Campus Improvement

Plan Be able to discuss the desired

areas of growth for the campus If you know nothing about the

school, it will appear you are not really interested.

Ultra-Causal Conversation

Interview is a professional situation

Leave slang at home—”you know, um, like, sucks”

Answer questions in an acceptable language

Don’t be sucked in by the interviewers slang

Interview tipsStar Telegram

November 4, 2004

Watch for Word Ticks

Monitor and ask friends to point out any annoying habits. Pay attention to how many times you tend to overused phrases such as ‘you know” ‘kind of” and “like”

Cut out nonwords.

Constantly inserting “hmm”, “ah”, “er” and other noises conveys uncertainty. Simply pause if you aren’t sure what to say or are searching for a transition from one topic to the next.

Use Simple Declarative Sentences

Avoid starting with “I think” or following up

with question remarks such as ‘right’ or

‘see.’

Soften blunt yes/no answers by adding clarification

“Yes, I know Marshall” or “No, I haven’t had that

opportunity.”

Avoid Slang words

What needs to be said?

Take Your Time

Speak just a bit slower than you usually do and

concentrate on your words. You will seem more

thoughtful, and you may avoid some of the pitfalls listed earlier.

Be Prepared

If you’re preparing for a specific presentation, speech or interview, take time to rehearse what you want to say. Tape record your practice sessions so that you can hear any problems.

Do Your Homework

1. Know what the job will entail?

2. What are the school’s strengths?

3. What are the school’s desired areas of growth?

4. What will you bring to that position that will cause you to be the correct person for the job?

Follow up

1. After the interview, send a card of thanks for the opportunity to interview.

2. Few days later send a card stating you are available if they need additional information.