This week was really helpful for me and answered a lot of questions that I have had about getting a job. We started off our discussion talking about where to look for jobs and how to prepare your resume. It was suggested that you look for a job in newspapers, websites (such as The Education Canada Network, Apply to Teach Network, Jobs in Education and Canadian Association of Independent Schools), school division websites and career fairs. We were then asked to find a position that we would be interested in by using these resources. I found a 0.5 term position at Major Pratt which is in Park West School Division. This is about an hour drive from where I live but could always be a possibility.
Next our discussion moved to talking about resumes. I feel that my resume is too long for what most people think is appropriate. I think that next year before I start applying for jobs I will have to have it looked over by someone else again and some things may have to be cut out. I hope that next year we get more direction on what should be in your resume and what it should look like.
Finally, we moved into the fun discussion of interviews. I feel a lot better about being in an interview after being given these potential questions. I know that I will prepare some potential answers before I ever go into an interview and I really think that this will calm my nerves. I think that some of the class was intimidated by this process after listening to Jackie interview. She is really well spoken all the time and I know I could never talk like that in an interview. However, I think one of the most important things to do in an interview is just be yourself and talk the way you would normally talk. If they like you and they like your ideas, then it should be based on that. I also found it really helpful to know that there will always be an assessment question, a curriculum question, classroom management and philosophy question. I think that this will be really helpful when preparing for an interview because whatever the question is on those topics, if I have a good grasp on my procedures then I feel that I could confidently answer those questions.
After having seen my sister go through the job hunt process I am less concerned also because I know that I will more than likely interview for more than one job before I get one. This will be good practice and hopefully will help calm my nerves eventually when doing interviews. Also, when my sister was applying for one job in the Brandon School Division she emailed the principal directly and just said how she was really interested in the job that was posted and a little bit about her. She got an interview for the job (didn't end up getting the job though) but the principal told her that he would never have considered her had she not done that. He said that in this profession you have to be aggressive and you have to show people that you really want the job. I think that this is good to know, especially in a situation where you are just another name on the paper. I do think that it is harder to get an interview and a job if you do not have some sort of personal connection to the job such as: student teaching, subbing, volunteer etc. which makes you known to the hiring committee. However, if this is the case then you simply have to make yourself known. You need to get your name out there!
I am nervous about getting a job after I am done school, however I do feel a lot more prepared to do so after this class. The interviews were really helpful and I hope that we have more discussion in some classes next year about resumes, portfolios and other things that will help us get jobs in the future.
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