Today was the huge Mid America Job Fair at my University. My student teaching coordinator made a huge deal about this Job Fair and even brought in the assistant HR director to one of our seminars to give us some tips on how to stand out. I had big plans to spend yesterday preparing for the big day but those were foiled because I was sick! The bug came out of nowhere but I felt absolutely miserable all day. Fast forward to today....I feel better than I did yesterday, but still not 100%. Either way, I had to pep myself up for the Job Fair. I met with 5 districts and one of them was the district in which I'm student teaching now. I felt fairly well about 2 of the 5 districts, and totally uncertain about the other ones. It was difficult to read their body language.
After spending half a day at the Fair, I am still left feeling up-in-the-air about my job prospects. I know it's still early and I also know that most districts don't know what they can offer yet in lieu of the economic hardships they face. I plan on emailing some of the HR directors I met with today to thank them for the opportunity to meet and learn more about what their district has to offer new teachers. My reasoning is by putting my name out there again, they may be less likely to forget about me. I don't know if my logic is sound, but that is what I'm thinking right now. Do you have any tips on how to go about pursuing a position with a district outside of simply submitting my application? As always, all suggestions are welcome!!!
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4 months ago
#1- I think the thank you note idea is REALLY smart. Do that. Right now! haha
ReplyDelete#2- See if your connections at student teaching can call friends/principals at other schools to put your name in.
#3- Do you have a portfolio? I found that really helpful at interviews
#4- When is your student teaching over? Can you put your name in to sub in a nearby district (or even the same district) after it's over? Just a way to meet more people and gain more experience.
#5- Don't worry too much. Even when the economy was good people were usually not hiring this early in the year. You have time :) I got hired in June and I was one of the first people, that was when the economy was not terrible haha.
I agree with Kelly about thank you notes, but a handwritten note will stand out more than an email. It has a personal touch that doesn't come with email.
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