7 School Administrator Interview Tips

i got the job and that's what i want you to be able to say after putting into practice what i'm about to teach in this video because the feeling right the excitement of putting yourself out there and maybe you've applied to one five ten hundreds of jobs you finally get that interview and you've nailed it i want you to experience the excitement of landing that dream position and so in today's video i'm gonna share seven school administrator interview tips my name is danny bauer over at better leaders better schools i'm a chief ruckus maker and ruckus making is about being an out of the box leader making change happen in education so in just a sec i am going to share those seven school administrator interview tips see you in a minute all right tip number one and again i'm sure that you have never heard these tips before and so i encourage you take notes uh even while you're watching too in the comments if you find a tip super helpful let me know in the comments because that helps me understand what is actually serving you uh as a school leader so tip number one uh as a teacher we used to create seating charts right and that's because we wanted to know who was in the room and maybe it's a little bit about control if we're honest too uh but here's the thing with seating charts i'm going to encourage you when you come to an interview and i'm talking not an interview when it's just you and another person or two but you might use it with two but i remember when i was interviewing uh for principal positions i would have basically like a board you know of on the interview panel and there would be uh somebody from central office school leaders from the current building teachers parents maybe even students so i'm encouraging you write a seating chart because in the formalities of the beginning of an interview everybody's waving hello they're letting you know their name and their position and so you can you can take that information and actually leverage it to help you have a more effective interview here's why in how to win friends and influence people dale carnegie says that the sweetest sounding name the sweetest sounding name in all of the english language is somebody's first name first names matter and so by writing down everybody's name in a seating chart at an interview you can say well bill well natasha well whoever right thank you for that question and it builds instant rapport it's about relationships and sort of like subconsciously you are demonstrating that you're savvy at building relationships which is key if you want to be an effective school leader well that's all i have to say about seating charts that that idea is pretty easy so let's move on to tip number two tip number two we've got your body i want you to leverage your body right in terms of landing uh the job and crushing the interview so when i'm thinking about your body uh think about your face okay first of all one in a negative sense your face can betray you if somebody labs out you may know this if you've let you know been a leader before even as a teacher i guess uh somebody does something uh maybe it's silly maybe you disapprove what happens you scowl you might go roll your eyes you know that kind of thing that will absolutely sink you right so if you do that during the interview so scan your body be very mindful about how you're showing up and that's sort of a negative way of using your your body so one of the things that i have to remind myself of this when recorded videos i might forget to smile right so if i was just here like scowling or even just like plain face uh definitely scotland you would be out if i'm playing face you might give me a chance but if i'm smiling if i'm enthusiastic then it's more likely that you're gonna enjoy this video well the same thing's true with your interview so make sure you smile but it can't be a it can't be a fake smile it has to be authentic so some tips i have about getting into that like good place you know maybe you watch some funny videos and that kind of thing or whatever on on youtube that type of deal or you can i love playing just music that makes me happy i have a playlist that literally is called music that makes me happy and i'll play that and i'll dance around and stuff to get in a good mood that is a great way to just get your mind and put out the energy that you want to have when you got that interview and you want to crush it so that's smiling another thing too is leaning in right when you lean in that builds a rapport too uh folks only get closer to each other when they like each other right so that's a little relationship rapport hack as well and if you've ever had like a mentor or a coach or whatever right if somebody says come here come here lean in like you want to get closer to that person find out what's going on so that's something you could do too when you want to have a little more influence in a story you're sharing during an interview lean in a little bit and play with actually i didn't even realize i was going to share this in the video but i'm doing it now i kind of naturally do this i've worked a lot on presenting and storytelling and talking but you can speed up you can slow down you can use different intonation right and if you get quieter people tend to listen like you're making a very important point right so that's a little bit with body leading in okay reposition so reposition well thanks george george thank you for asking that question george is over here he asked me that so i am facing george at that moment maybe it's monique monique asked me a question and so i'm going to pay attention to her right so especially when we have these panel interviews you can use your body and reposition yourself to build more rapport with folks that ask you those questions you know if you're just moving your head that's okay but you know if you're if you're two friends and you're sitting together right they get closer and they reposition themselves to to show that intimacy and you can manufacture some of that smartly right by using your body that's all i want to say about body and that was tip number two so moving on number three tip number three is to mirror so this has to do with your body a little bit if you see somebody and they go like this then maybe you go like that too uh if they're scratching their hair so things we do this sometimes naturally with friends with partners with people in our family because we're comfortable with them but you will tend to if if you mirror folks body language right that will just show that we're the same and one of the questions people are trying to answer when you're in an interview is is this person the right fit are they safe right it really comes down to safety and danger can i trust them and so if you are doing and using your body in a way that they do as well they're going to say you're an insider not an outsider so that's something with mirroring we can also use mirroring with our words so when george monique latasha you know i've used all these words these names uh when they ask you a question use their name okay and then restate what they said you can also even uh talk about like reflecting back here's what i'm hearing right uh did i miss anything and you're just reflecting back you're mirroring and that just shows that you are savvy in communication so not only are they getting signals that you're an insider that you're great at building relationships but you're showing this emotional intelligence in terms of communication and active listening which is super important for leaders so that's all i want to say about miring which was tip number three tip number four nobody takes me up on this but i'm telling you that it has worked for me and it will work for you too build a web page specifically designed to your school that you're interviewing at so many of you school leaders are already putting content out there on social media and on a personal blog if you're not that's totally fine but uh you know resumes are one thing that is like so old school you know if you want to really make an impact you show people what you're all about by doing the work in public by showing your work and if you create results if you do your work in public then people know what you're all about before you even get there if you have that personal blog already whatever the url is for me obviously better leadersbetterschools.com i might do a slash and then the school's name and what i would put on that page then is a quick 90-second video hey this is danny i'm super excited for the position in principle at your school blah blah blah and just tell a real quick introduction story and then i would put on that uh page just some artifacts right showing how you've driven results within the school maybe your your personal values you want to build a bridge from what you're all about to what the school is all about and just show that on a specifically designed page a personal touch and one this like a business tip but it works in school leadership one of the easiest yet it takes a lot of time uh ways that i've actually grown my business is by making personal videos i literally just bought a house we're moving into a new place i'm not gonna you know talk about that too much or the school district but i looked up all the principles i made them literally a one minute video just to say hey i'm new to the district and i want to be a resource to you right maybe we'll start working together maybe not it doesn't matter i just want to build relationships my just cause is to connect grow and mentor every school leader who wants to level up and so even just uh being a resource and being available even if they don't become clients that's me living out that mission but the point is this or the just cause the point is this right going a little bit above and beyond and making it personal making it specialized will set you apart nobody else is doing that and when you get you know this many resumes or goes from the floor all the way up to here like how do you set yourself apart that is how okay do something like that and that's all i have to say about tip number four the web page tip number five do your homework and uh show how you live out their values so savvy school districts have a compelling vision mission and values right or purpose or you know i call them sticky core values doesn't matter what they're they're labeled but hopefully you could do some reconnaissance and do some homework and figure out what a district is all about now when you are invited into an interview it is your job and responsibility to have stories and examples where you're living out those those the purpose the values or whatever so paint that picture make it crystal clear and again that's going to set you apart from the rest it's going to show that you've done your homework that you do the little things attention to detail and again the insane insider outsider tension that i was talking about earlier it helps people understand that you are somebody they want to bring in that you the right cultural fit so that's all i'm going to say about tip number five two more tips tip number six tip number six is story so i've kind of touched on that throughout this video already and this is the way i teach which is why it's fun to be creating this content for you on youtube but you want to tell stories right and story in a very very high level simplistic way to describe it is you set the context you describe the challenge you show what you as the hero or heroine how you pivoted how you change and then you show the transformation that's that's essentially a story arc right and so as long as you you know people ask questions based on i don't know your philosophy about discipline what would you do in this scenario that scenario you want to have a story that illustrates that you understand the question that you've been through that before and here's how you've driven results now what do you do if you don't have any experience uh regarding a question you know that the interview panel asks just be honest tackle it and say hey i don't have experience with that and you might be thinking is this person then the right fit for the school well let me assure you that i am and here's why here's how i would approach it so you can still tell a story by pulling back the curtains by metacognitively talking through how you would approach something that you don't have any experience with now actually this is a good point in place for me to talk about the mastermind super quick and then we'll get to tip number seven but in the mastermind this is a leadership community that i facilitate where we on a weekly basis talk about education and leadership at a deep level you can learn more at betterleadersbetterschools.com mastermind but the idea that i want to share with you here and how it connects to the interview opportunity that you may have is this we meet weekly groups start with three or four school leaders and we close them at 15 and within every single mastermind meeting we talk about the number one challenge that people face and then we provide feedback we ask clarifying questions we share our own stories of success and failure and the reason why it's appropriate to bring up the mastermind while talking about interviews by consistently week after week engaging in these uh discussions then you get um just your perspective your world view in districts you can sometimes get into this sort of tunnel vision you have such a wide breadth of understanding what a school leader faces in districts literally around the world and even if you haven't approached the situation you're gonna get a preview of what's out there that you need to be preparing for reminders of what you need to be thinking about and you're gonna have the tools that everybody else who don't you know doesn't have that experience they're not going to have that and you could talk about the mastermind because how many school leaders are investing in leveling up like that on a consistent basis not very many so that would set you apart from the pack as well so that was tip number six which had to do with story tip number seven last tip you are also interviewing them so one way again to set yourself apart from everybody else in some kind of interview opportunity for school leadership is that you're interviewing them so ask tough questions right i would for sure ask how uh what is it what does it look like your onboarding process or what does it look like for consistent and ongoing support to help me level up my school leadership skill set right and you really want to hear what they say if they talk about generalities and they can't give you specifics they're full of baloney they don't have a program right they haven't had it well thought out and to be quite honest that's what you're going to find in most places and so then you have to decide is this the right place for me just because it's a job doesn't mean that it's the right fit for you and i want to encourage you to be super selective people can sense your energy right so we talk about positivity that you want to bring to the interview but they can also sense if you sort of have an abundance mindset or a scarcity one and if you really really just need the job you know it's gonna be uh they're gonna pick up on that and if that's like the only one you got lined up right then they're gonna think like then this person's a little bit uh needy potentially so that's something to think about so how are you supporting your school leaders the other thing and this is um this is controversial i get pushback on this all the time but what i want to say is in the interview you can ask listen this job seems like an ideal fit for me i really want this position during the last 60 minutes 90 minutes did i uh miss any question do you still have any questions about me and my leadership that i can clarify right now when i am here so that you know and i want to walk away from this interview that you know that i'm the best candidate for the position i think that's an incredible question to ask it shows that you have confidence it shows how much you want the position so the pushback that i've received is that maybe that's going a bit too far and maybe the interview panel won't be prepared to answer a question like that or they'll be a little uncomfortable with that type of question have i not answered the questions that you want do you have any questions about me and my leadership and if i'm the right person for the job so my answer to that pushback is this if this interview panel lacks the candor that can right look you into the eye and say yeah actually here is one question that i have regarding uh how you showed up and presented yourself today we're not quite sure that you have the skills on this topic then you don't want to work there right if they lack the candor in the interview and they can't lean into difficult conversations what do you think is going to happen in this district when you know what hits the fan and you need their support they're gonna pretend that it doesn't exist right they're going to uh basically like dig their own grave because they can't talk about difficult issues so that's all i have to say about that guess what i have a surprise for you it's a bonus tip bonus tip number one i've got two bonus tips i'm super excited all right bonus tip number one i see a lot of people putting in uh principal groups on facebook or i get this question a lot you know is it too much to email you know the interview panel the principal or whatever no that's not too much and actually i i would recommend that you if you email at all i'd say don't email but if you email it all just a quick thanks for your time but again what could set yourself set you apart from everybody else nobody writes handwritten cards any anymore right so honestly taking the time being thoughtful about how much you appreciated the interview experience and that and you keep it short but make it genuine make it heartfelt make it authentic do a handwritten card put it in snail mail and that nobody does so that'll set you apart from other people too bonus tip number two would be uh here's what you can actually put in a follow-up email sometimes when you get out of an interview you're like ah rats i could have answered this question better right now i'm not talking about beating yourself up in the imposter syndrome like oh man i just really screwed up that interview no if you if you're really thinking about it reflecting and wish that you could have added some depth some nuance or maybe you just didn't provide the story that you wish you would have told it's actually very appropriate and i've done this before and it's worked well hey interview panel or you know this person that interviewed um you asked this question you know upon reflection i'm not quite satisfied with the way i answered it and here's what i wish i could have shared with the interview panel i know the interview is over but i just wanted to communicate this as i've been processing now obviously you can't do that for the whole interview but if there's like one question or two that you really think that man i wish i would have approached a little bit better that's you could do that and here's what it tells the interview panel too is that you are a reflective leader so we've talked about the relational aspects we talked about uh clear communication and now it shows that you're reflective leaders reflective leaders are the best kind of leaders too because they think about what they've done and they learn from their mistakes right so every opportunity is an opportunity for you to level up and so that type of email just bonus tip number two send that reflective email if appropriate right don't manufacture it if you think you crushed it but there's something you could have done or an idea you wanted to add and keep it brief but you could send that off thank you for watching today's video on seven school administrator interview tips with two bonus tips i hope you enjoyed both of them uh if you got value from today's video i need to know and one way you can show it is to like this video make sure you do that and hit subscribe hit subscribe right now so that you don't miss any new content that i create for you a ruckus maker making change happen in education so here's the question i'd love for you to answer in the comments below of the seven tips or the two bonus tips which tip can you leverage to increase or improve your presence and performance during an interview because that's right an interview is a performance so which tip basically did you find the most meaningful and i would love to read that because that helps me understand too what content is resonating with you now you know that i've talked about little miss albert here and as these uh as this video channel grows uh alba has been growing as well and she is almost actually eight months at this point you see you see that she's wearing this cute little blue and white onesie i feel like if i had a white hat that i could pop on her there she'd look like an adorable sailor uh yes i do spoil this dog and yes uh she has all sorts of goofy stuff but this one was because little elbow went and got uh her spay and so she is recuperating in this onesie um it just shows iteration right and so it's a leadership tip here that i'm going to end with but remember dogs used to have to wear cones so that they wouldn't lick their wounds and you know open that stuff up or whatever to allow it to heal and so that's a pondering that i want you to share or not even share actually just reflect on sorry at the end of this video what's one thing that you can iterate that you can innovate within your own leadership that you can disrupt to make yourself a little bit better like going from a cone to a onesie and so it's danny from better leaders better schools and alba thanks for watching and go make a ruckus [Music] you

Channel: Daniel Bauer

Views: 23,413

Keywords: 7 School Administrator Interview Tips, Ruckus Makers in Education, Leadership lessons in education, Educational Leadership, Innovative teaching and learning, Leadership for School Leaders, Innovators Mindset, Education, Creativity, Educational Innovation, Better Leaders Better Schools

Id: idNjVcfHZhw

Length: 23min 46sec (1426 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021