Hello Jeffrey,
We allow the candidate time to prepare their mock lectures, however we have had potential instructors stop by to see if we have any openings and they have been willing to do the mock lecture on the spot. Usually this works out well.
Thank you for the course.
Jonathan,
Do you allow the candidate time to prepare a lesson at home or do you give the candidate a topic and a relatively short time to prepare? I have see this done both ways.
Jeffrey Schillinger
We use a structured interview process and last year we require all new and returning applicants to perform a mock lecture. This has proven to work well in the decision process. I will create a specific RJP for jobs as now we really only have the faculty manual. Thank you.
Don,
The key is to focus on what the person has done in the past in situations he or she is likely to face at your school.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Our past interviews have been somewhat structured but I feel we can make a drastic improvement after this training.
Brenda,
What kind of things other than the actual PPt are you looking for during this presentation?
Jeffrey Schillinger
have applicant do PPT .Invite 3-5 faculty to observe rate applicant and ask questions.
Our National Director of Programs conducts a phone interview with each potential candidate.
Angela,
Your National DOE interviews all of your teachers? Interesting.
Jeffrey Schillinger
We go through a strict process of knowledge and skill checks, years of experience in the field, and a current license. There is an extensive teach-back and hands-on portion that is performed in front of multiple staff members. A phone interview with the National Director of Education is required to move the process along. All in all I feel our process is thorough and clear.
I am searching for the demonstrated KSAOs, enthusiasm for the position, knowledge of the organization, communication skills, body language, etc. We mainly use the interview but I would like to see the use of employment tests as well. For our programs that contain a great deal of hands on training we do evaluate the candidate's skills in those areas to ensure that they will not be passing on incorrect techniques to the students.
Elaine,
How do you set up your teaching demonstration?
Jeffrey Schillinger
We first have them submit a resume and we review to see if this could be a potential employee. Then they are invited to an interview usually with 3 to 4 people. Then if everyone agrees that we see potential we ask them to come i and teach a lesson and they are observed. If everything works out then they do a drug test and an orientation.
Our interview process requires conducting more than one interview of a candidate on two seperate occasions before a final selection will be made. If a potential hire is serious, they will be more than willing to come twice to the campus. In addition we do take the candidate through a structured process and have them demonstrate their teaching skills.
I will create a more structured process by reviewing all applications ahead of the interview every time, and create a list of specific questions to use and help guide the interview.
I'm definitely guilty of being one of those interviewers that do 75% of the talking with the applicant doing only 25%. After this course, I'm definitely going to make it a huge priority to work on my structured interview questions and to be sure that I flip the "talk time" around, with the applicant doing most of the talking.
Maria,
Providing a realistic idea of what teaching for you will really be like is very important. Most folks who have not done formal teaching have no idea of the amount of preparation it takes to plan and deliver good lessons.
Discussing this up front may chase away a teacher or two, but they would have left fairly quickly anyway.
Currently we do a pretty diligent phone screen of every applicant. At the end of the phone call, if I feel comfortable with them I schedule the in person interview. When they come for the in person interview, they will bring their completed application and conduct a teaching demo. When the interviewee comes in they will interview with two senior administrators and then conduct the teaching demo. I have found that the process of the phone screen and setting up an extensive interview usually filters out many weak applicants. Since implementing this, we have had many no-shows or applicants drop out before the in person interview.
I will absolutely add the RJP or even just a detailed job description to the applicant at the end of the interview if I think they have a chance of moving forward. I like the idea of giving them a realistic idea of their responsibilities before they are offered the position.
We give the candidate about a week to prepare a 30 minutes presentation on a program related topic of the their choice. We hope that this will put the instructor in his/her confort zone. Also, we're treated as a class and participate in the interactive discussion, demonstrations and question and answer phases of the presentation. Unfortunately, this method still makes some of the candidates feel uncomfortable at times but we work at helping the presenter relax and interact with the group.
Charles,
The demo teach is a common practice. Some colleges give the prospective instructor time to prepare a full lesson. Others give the instructor a few minutes to put together an introduction to a topic they choose. How do you structure the demo teach?
Thanks, Charles. I have found following the guidelines offered in this course to be very effective. The structured process allows for more effective decisions.
