You've graduated! The four years of blood, sweat and tears has finally come to fruition. No more practicums, no more University supervisors sitting at the back of the class taking notes. All you can think about is the luxury of having your own class. It's all very exciting but first you need to land the job! So, how do graduates stand out from the pool of experienced teachers and score themselves an interview?
Firstly, as graduate teacher you shouldn't be disenchanted by the lack of interview calls. Remember, you are up against professionals with years of experience. You may also be competing against internal applications and these teachers are already part of the school community. Even if you are just sending your CV out for relief work, it is important to stand out from the rest of the pack (sometimes we have up to 60 CVs sitting in the relief in tray!). If you get to interview stage you should certainly celebrate as this means your CV stood out from the rest. But I hear you saying, "How do I stand out from the rest?" This post is all about the big and little things you can do to get yourself a job.
Firstly, as graduate teacher you shouldn't be disenchanted by the lack of interview calls. Remember, you are up against professionals with years of experience. You may also be competing against internal applications and these teachers are already part of the school community. Even if you are just sending your CV out for relief work, it is important to stand out from the rest of the pack (sometimes we have up to 60 CVs sitting in the relief in tray!). If you get to interview stage you should certainly celebrate as this means your CV stood out from the rest. But I hear you saying, "How do I stand out from the rest?" This post is all about the big and little things you can do to get yourself a job.
1. GET TO THE POINT Your CV should never be longer than three pages. That's right THREE PAGES. I've been teaching for 11 years and my CV is two pages long. Learn to be concise. Principals don't have time to read through your job duties from Kmart. YES! List this in your CV if it is part of your most recent job history but don't be too detailed about it (especially if it is not applicable to the current position). Employers like to see hard workers. They like to know that you worked several jobs throughout your university years. However, be picky about what you put in - space is of the essence! 2. SPELLING & GRAMMAR Regardless of how fantastic you believe your spelling and grammatical skills are, please get someone to proof read your application. When you have 100 applications and you need to cull it down to three, the most easy decision is to ditch the ones with typos, spelling and grammatical errors (even if you just made ONE error!). An application submitted with poor spelling and grammar implies that you lack attention to detail and you have poor written communication skills. Not good if you are applying for a teaching position. 3. COVER LETTERS See point No. 1 above. Please get to the point and get to it quickly. What is your qualification, when did you graduate, what exciting skills and talents do you have that will be an asset to our school? Get all that out in the first paragraph and if you've held the employer's attention he or she will keep reading. You can then elaborate on other qualifications and tell us all about how "dedicated" and "hard working" you are. 4. THE ESSENTIALS These should be listed at the top of your CV. It is ASTOUNDING how many applications are submitted that do not list;
Never, ever leave any of these things out of your application. They should be a permanent part of your CV. | 5. PHOTOS Photographs are not necessary. In fact, in some industries CVs containing photographs are binned altogether. This is due to fairness and equality for all applicants (because your photo reveals things such as race, gender, disability etc.. which normally wouldn't be specified on your application). Leave it off. If you really feel the need to include a photograph, it should be a professional one. This includes photos on your LinkedIn profile. If you don't have a professional photo, ask a friend to take one. Dress and pose, appropriately. No selfies. 6. READ THE CRITERIA Read the job criteria and attempt to answer this (as concisely as possible) in your cover letter. If the job description calls for a teacher who can integrate ICT into the curriculum, drop into your cover letter that you are an "...active member of TeachMeet W.A. in order to ensure you are kept up to date with the latest technology practices." Part of being concise is being creative about how you address the criteria succinctly. 7. IF YOU GET AN INTERVIEW Congratulations! If you don't get the job, be gracious in your rejection. Networking is everything. Applicants who are gracious when informed that they don't have the job are always remembered (and sometimes considered for second round offers!). Ask for feedback. Where did you fall down? What can you improve upon? ALWAYS dress professionally. Whether it is school holidays, or an internal position that you think you've already got sewn up, dress for the job. No sandals, no thongs, no sun dresses. If the employer asks you to bring something (e.g. programs), bring it. Smile, be polite and at the end, always thank them for the opportunity to meet with them in person. 8. SOCIAL MEDIA You would be insane to think employers do not Google your name. Even those Principal's who aren't tech savvy know how to Google. If they don't, they have administration staff who can. Your CV looks great, your referees check out and before we call you, we GOOGLE you. Now, personally, if you have any sort of professional career, your social media applications should be set on the highest privacy rating. This goes for Instagram, Twitter and the rest. But don't underestimate the power of social media. Used correctly, you can build a very high profile professional network through social media alone. I have three Twitter accounts, one is for professional purposes. I walked into conference one day with my name badge on and a lady called out, "I follow you on Twitter, your posts are great!" - bingo. I made a professional friend. Hopefully, she is a deputy principal and my application will cross her desk one day ;) |