It goes without question that the best way to plan for a job interview is to gain knowledge about the different styles of interview questions that are commonly asked in interviews worldwide.

You mean I can simply learn and prepare for these questions ahead of time?

Yes, and here’s why. Generally, global companies share the same interview technique ideas all around the world. If it works in one country, it usually works in others. These questions then filter their way down to smaller companies as HR people leave the big companies and go to work for other companies. This is perfect for us. Over time, this has made a predictable pool of questions. Even though the question is probably not worded the same all of the time, the objective behind the question is exactly the same.

Listed here are the top 4 typical interview questions you’ll probably come across in an interview. I have provided a quick question analysis and some answering tips.

1. So, tell me a bit about yourself?

While it’s tempting, this is not an invitation to tell your life story. The interviewer is trying to understand your personality and if you can solve their problems. It’ best not to answer with what school you went to.

Don’t make up the information you talk about. It’s so easy to check out people’s claims.

Answering Tips:

• Don’t make up the information you talk about. It’s so easy to check out people’s claims.
• Rehearse your answer with friends and family.
• Keep your answer brief.
• Make an effort to give as much information in as possible in the short time possible.
• Eliminate irrelevant and unnecessary information like how you spent your years as a child.

2. Describe your biggest strengths?

The most effective way to get ready for this question is to review the job description carefully. Now, if you can , make everything in the job description your strength. If there is something required for the job you are very weak at, question if the job is right for you. it’s better to be honest now, than get found out later.

Answering Tips:

• Create a listing of your strong points in order to learn and apply them.
• You should carefully review the recruitment requirements so you can line up your strengths with the requirements.
• Provide evidence for your skills through the use of references or records.
• Consider communication skills, ability to adapt to change and the ability to solve problems.

3. Why did you leave your last job?

This question is about transforming a negative into a positive. If you were let go due to company downsizing be truthful, it’s completely understandable. The answer to this question you must always be positive. You wont win any friends by answering “I left because I hated my job”!

Answering Tips:

• Tell the truth but in a positive way. If you were let go be honest, and say that you really enjoyed what you did and love to continue with a new sense of purpose.
• You have to be careful when saying you weren’t being challenged. Why? Because most managers would not like a member of staff who’s always looking for work. Make it constructive, mention your self motivated.

4. What are your career goals?

Again research is the key, simply line up the goals of company and the job with your answer. Be sure that every goal includes a tangible benefit to the hiring company.

Make sure all goals are suitable to the job you are currently applying for.

Answering Tips:

• To obtain a professional certification, you want to be a specialist in your area (benefits the company)
• Make sure all goals are suitable to the job you are currently applying for.

Researching and knowing the answers to possible interview questions prior to the interview is going to give you a massive boost of confidence. You will not only feel more powerful you’ll be more at ease and less anxious.

Do you realize there is a proven strategy for responding to all typical interview questions? Check out http://behaviouralinterviewquestions.netto find out more.

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South Korea: In an intriguing news item from the Korea Times, a labour union, comprised of native English teachers working for a hagwon (Korean language institute), has been established in Incheon, with representation from a legal expert on labour.

Amazingly, well, for me anyway, this is the second teachers’ union in the country, the first one was established in 2005 in Gangam in southern Seoul.

Read more about this here.

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A fantastic guest piece on the perils of the TEFL job ad by Will Pearson:

Few professions in the world have such a unified online job market. Schools now see the Internet as the first place to advertise, while a great many teachers look for jobs, and are hired online. In this article we look frankly at online TEFL/ESL job adverts, trying to cast out the TEFL job horrors and discover those TEFL gems that do exist. To do this we need all our wits, a decent working knowledge of the global TEFL market and a strong dose of realism. What we have here is a list of clauses taken from a variety of online job descriptions which we are going to interpret. All of the following quotes were taken from November 2009 postings on the job forums at TEFL.com, Dave’s ESL Café (International Job board), and ESL Base.

1. Salary and money

One of the most disappointing aspects of the TEFL/ESL job search is the lack of information available about salaries. Unfortunately, not disclosing the salary is the norm, and not the exception. Instead, many schools opt for bland statements which don’t help an aspiring job applicant. Most prevalent is ‘competitive local salary’. Competitive with what? Local teachers? Few Western teachers would be able to live comfortably on a local teacher salary in Russia for example, especially being a foreigner. Some jobs have the audacity to state ‘salary allows for comfortable middle class lifestyle’. It is unlikely a language school has conducted research into what constitutes a middle class salary, nor do they even bother to define what middle class really means in the context of the named country. A less common advertised condition is this: ‘Salaries are generally above the average paid by other private language schools in the areas concerned’. Ultimately, it is irrelevant what other schools pay, and only reveals that this particular school is involved in a race to the bottom, by only just paying more than what they think their competitors do. Bad form. If schools expect quality language professionals, they need to advertise high salaries in full, allowing teachers to make their own informed decisions.

The entirety of TEFL salaries do not rest altogether on a main basic payment. Either because salaries are low or it’s just the way the market operates, schools tend to offer a plethora of financial and non-financial benefits. As we’re dealing with money, let’s look at the very common ‘contract completion payment’. For reasons unbeknown to most, the majority of schools offer a contract completion bonus – usually one that accumulates monthly – to teachers who stick out an entire contract. Such ‘payments’ start around $50 a month and tend not to be higher than $100. Nevertheless, wouldn’t you prefer to have such money incorporated into your basic salary, allowing you the luxury to resign should the job not be to your liking?

2. Perks to get you to sign

A company car is a perk. A coffee machine is a perk. ‘Visa and work permits organised’ is clearly not a perk, because if the company doesn’t do this, they won’t be able to hire any teachers. Watch out for schools that sound off similar so-called ‘perks’, which actually offer little substance and are meaningless. Take for example: ‘A salary increase of 10% is paid to teachers signing for a second year contract’. This sounds generous, but like the aforementioned visa carrot, it offers nothing. The particular job in question was for a monthly wage of Chinese CNY 6000 (around EUR 600). Few other professions would offer appalling salary increases of only EUR60 a month. Stinginess.

One perk which does make a real difference to teachers looking to relocate to another country is ‘airflight allowance’. However, watch the wording. In this example, it seems unlikely that the school will pay all of your return flight. I much prefer ‘paid return airfare’, although all too often teachers must wait a whole contract or half before they see their money again. For teachers from Australia and New Zealand, ensure your school pays your entire airfare as many schools are happy to hire antipodeans, but don’t want to pay for your whole airfare.

For a job that involves going abroad, the idea of holidays sounds a bit unnecessary. However, everyone needs time off work, and it is sad to see teachers disillusioned because they haven’t had the opportunity to explore their new country of residence. The number of holiday days per year varies enormously. When looking at job adverts, it’s all about the most amount of paid days you can get. Ignore nonsense like: ‘Teachers will have about twenty-five days unpaid holidays per year.’ Few other professions sink this low to try and state that all holidays have to be unpaid. One step better is: ’20 days paid holidays (for 12 month contract)’. Still, this amounts to less than three weeks in an entire year of holiday! People outside of TEFL/ESL laugh at this and no-one should sign a contract offering such minimal time off.

3. Working hours

From my research, bar far the most common amount of hours which schools offered on a full time contract was 24-25 hours teaching hours a week. Bare in mind that some schools consider these hours as ‘academic’ (45 minutes), and therefore the actual teaching load is smaller. Planning and preparation time obviously comprises the rest of your weekly hours (10-15 hours). Schools rarely stipulate how long this must be though. However, having 25 hours teaching a week may not be as simple as it seems as in the next example of poor practice: ‘Saturday is a working day, there are 2 long mornings off between Monday-Friday’. How long can a morning be to compensate for a whole lost weekend day? Even if you wake up at 07:00 you still have to go to work in five hours!

Some teachers swear by overtime, while others swear at it. Some companies tend to outline their requirements for overtime on their adverts. This is beneficial as they can always say they told you so if you complain about having to do overtime. For example; ‘[there is] the opportunity to teach extra hours to increase quarterly bonuses’. Be wary this isn’t the school inviting itself to offload more classes on to you. It also isn’t clear how these classes are paid. As a bonus?

4. Accommodation and local living

The golden rule when looking at the accommodation or local quality of life issues in job adverts is to be very wary. The classic TEFL/ESL recruiting trick is to compensate a contract with poor terms and conditions by highlighting all the beautiful temples, beaches, and historic old town that a country has. These beaches seem less beautiful, nevertheless, if you can’t get time off to visit them or your apartment is an hour away from the historic centre. If I want tourist advice on a country I will go to their ministry of tourism website, NOT the language school hoping to employ me. This is just an underhand trick to disguise their poor working environments.

If a school provides housing, ‘shared accommodation provided for teachers’ is the norm. Schools seldom say more than this, meaning your quality of life depends largely on the quality of your house mate, the quality of the apartment and the location of it. It is advisable to get as much info on this as you can before you depart so you are in a stronger position vis-a-vis the school. If possible, find out if the school offers money in lieu of the apartment if you want to find your own. This will give you an idea of how much your apartment is really worth as a part of your salary.

5. Teaching children

So important a good school is if you are teaching children that we wrote out this entire section of pitfalls and things to go for. First the dangers to watch out for: ‘bed time duties for teachers’ ranks as just about the worst thing that you could get as a TEFL/ESL teacher of young learners, closely followed by this: ‘must enjoy teaching children classes’. In no other job would an employer remark that the employee must ‘enjoy his/her work’! While, obviously their intention is to hire someone who has a genuine ability to motivate children, this remark smacks of a school that doesn’t want to support teachers with behaviour management.

The better schools should provide you with hard facts when it comes to kids’ classes. Take for example; ‘Classes are limited to 2-4 students’, ‘learners consist mainly of children between the ages of 3-14′, and ‘learners consist mainly of children between the ages of 3-14′. All these clearly sign post what lies ahead, so if you do like children, you know what you are getting, and if you don’t, you can get the hell out.

6. Final warning signs

By now, we have worked our way through a number of stipulations in TEFL/ESL contracts that are cause for concern for English teachers. In this final section, we bring together a nebulous array of worrisome devils that seem to plague job adverts and should be regarded as warning signs to prospective teachers. If you are applying through TEFL.com look out for how many vacancies there are available. A dual digit limitation means that the maximum number of vacancies a school can advertise is 99. ’99 vacancies available’ is bothersome because it indicates that the school has a high turnover of staff. Why would people want to leave a job if they were satisfied? It is most likely that they are not. On other websites the alarm bell is ‘DOS, ADOS and EFL Teachers required’. What has happened to their existing staff if they are hiring so many new people? One can only worry.

I have been in two minds whether or not to add ‘no teaching experience necessary’, as all of us have had to start our TEFL/ESL career somewhere. However, even teachers who are newly qualified with CELTA/CertTESOL have some teaching experience and therefore can do better than the large chains which seek wholly inexperienced teachers. If you do have experience, do not touch such places. In TEFL/ESL, every year of experience adds dollars to your pay check, get this rewarded by looking for incremental increases in job adverts.

Finally, let us finish this roller-coaster ride through the archives of TEFL/ESL job classifieds by looking at the most prevalent statement throughout; ‘The cost of living is low’. Please ask yourself when considering a job ‘to who?’ The cost of living is not low to everyone in Europe or the US, so it won’t be in a TEFL destination. More often than not, this statement is used to justify a weak salary. Naturally, a salary is only as good as how expensive a country is, but just remember if a school feels the need to mention it, you are probably being taken for a ride.

To sum up, when you look at a TEFL/ESL job advert again, use these tips and hints to make sure you are getting the good deal you deserve, as once you have arrived in your new country of employment it is very hard to akter terms and conditions. Look out for a salary you know is good relative to your currency, not local wages. Ignore bold-sounding, but ultimately hollow benefits such as a contract completion bonus, public holidays advertised as your annual holiday, and visa support. This will not only benefit you, but other teachers also, as unscrupulous schools will eventually go out of business.

About the Author

Having been an English teacher for three years in various destinations such as Russia, the UK and Singapore, Will has developed a keen interest in TEFL/ESL/TESOL resource development and management. He has established his own TEFL/ESL/TESOL supplementary handouts website handouthub.com, an Internet subscription database of over 1000 downloadable supplementary handouts.

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When you’ve been in the profession for a few years you might find yourself going for a big job in a location like the Gulf, and, more often than not, the actual selection process goes through a recruitment agency operating far away from your potential employer. You probably won’t want to screw up your chance at the big time, so try to make sure your interview goes well. Look at the following list of reasons (which I obtained via the hook or by crook technique) why teacher job candidates most often shoot themselves in the foot during the interview. Before you read any further, try to put them in order of importance, i.e. the one that most causes you not to get that job:

1. The candidate doesn’t ask questions
2. There is condemnation of their past employer
3. The candidate has an inability to take criticism
4. The candidate has poor personal appearance
5. The candidate appears indecisive, cynical and lazy
6. The candidate is an overbearing, overly aggressive, know-it-all
7. The candidate arrived late to the interview
8. There is a failure to look at interviewer while interviewing
9. The candidate is unable to express themselves clearly
10. There is an overemphasis on money

Take a minute to put them in the order you think would most turn off the recruiter. Now, look at the list below which ranks which factors were actually the biggest reasons why candidates were rejected:

1. The candidate doesn’t ask questions
2. There is condemnation of their past employer
3. The candidate has an inability to take criticism
4. The candidate has poor personal appearance
5. The candidate appears indecisive, cynical and lazy
6. The candidate is an overbearing, overly aggressive, know-it-all
7. The candidate arrived late to the interview
8. There is a failure to look at interviewer while interviewing
9. The candidate is unable to express themselves clearly
10. There is an overemphasis on money

So, are you surprised that they were already in order? That’s right, boys and girls, your job interview, if you’re lucky, will get to the ‘do you have any questions?’ stage, and what you do now controls whether or not you get an offer. Your résumé undoubtedly gets you in the door, but whether you leave as a job seeker or an employee depends on the way you conduct yourself during the interview.

Many candidates, possibly even you are among them, think that when the interviewer says, ‘now then, do you have any questions for us?’ it’s a polite signal that the interview is about to be over and they are winding down. Honestly, they, possibly even you are among them, couldn’t be more mistaken. This question really signals phase two, the important phase, of the interview. Everything that came before was mainly just an aperitif. I am reliably informed that recruiters are unanimous on this point: Job seekers who fail to ask at least a couple of intelligent questions are destined to remain job seekers. My boss has even told me that I got my current job on the strength of the questions I asked at the interview. If you don’t ask questions, you give the following impressions of who you are and what your personal philosophy is:

• You think this job is either unimportant or trivial.
• You’re uncomfortable in asserting yourself.
• You’re not an intelligent candidate.
• You’re easily intimidated.
• You’re bored or, even worse, boring.

Quite clearly, none of these factors work in your favour. Of course, not any old codswallop questions will do. If you don’t think about the questions in advance, you run the risk of missing a critical opportunity by not asking intelligent questions or by sticking your foot in your mouth by asking stupid ones. Good questions show the interviewer that you are interested in the job. Great questions tell the interviewer that you are a force to be reckoned with. I’ll be following up this with a few suggestions in the near future, so stop by again if this sounds of interest to you.

Basically, asking the right questions is your chance to show that you are the best candidate for the teaching job by showing off five different impressions of who you are:

• Interest: You have taken the trouble to investigate the job.
• Intelligence: You really understand the requirements of the job.
• Confidence: You have everything it takes to do to the job.
• Personal appeal: You are the type of person who will fit in well.
• Assertiveness: You ask for the job.

Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical questions: to help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The job interview is a two-way process. You get to assess the quality of the organization as much as the organization gets to assess your credentials. The other important thing is to avoid ‘What do I get?’ questions until after you actually get a job offer, or at very least a very strong expression of interest. ‘What do I get?’ questions are anything that refers to what you, the candidate, receives rather than what you, the candidate, offers. Remember this; you have two roles in the interview: buying into the school and selling yourself as a potential member of the organization. Remember: when the interviewer says, ‘do you have any questions?’ it’s not just a polite signal that the interview is about to be over, here’s when your work begins.

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You’ve just moved to a foreign country and started a new job. I’m guessing you don’t want to be sacked, right? If you turn up drunk, you’re probably not going to get into the good books, but commit a stupid, simple faux pas in your new professional context and it could be more than just embarrassing; it could damage your career. The last thing you need is a gaffe, doing something that would put you in the negative spotlight. Here are 10 things, all of which I’ve seen my countrymen do while working abroad, to beware of and to avoid:

1. Misspelling a name

A person’s name is one of the most important belongings, so bloody well make sure to spell it right. This is doubly important in our situation when we’re dealing with many names that are undoubtedly, well, foreign to us. There really is nothing that signifies a lack a professionalism more than misspelling a person’s name. Here’s how to solve the problem: when in doubt, ask. Most people won’t find your query annoying. In fact, they’ll be flattered that you thought spelling their name was important enough to check with them directly. Also, misspelling need not involve only a personal name, either. It could even be a key term used in your organisation, profession, or industry, even a company’s name is among these.

2. Mispronouncing a name

The same reasoning regarding spelling applies to pronunciation, only more so as it is going to be difficult for you to pronounce foreign names correctly, especially if the language uses a different alphabet or phonemes. As before, when in doubt, ask the person directly. If you have to, to be frightened to make a phonetic representation of the name and even practice it with the person. For example, in Turkish the letter ‘c’ is pronounced like an English ‘j’ and a lot of names begin with a ‘c’. Again, people really won’t mind your taking up their time this way; they’ll be thrilled that you care about saying their name correctly, well, as long as they don’t have to have the same conversation with you more that once.

3. Referring improperly to your boss

Different cultures have different ways of perceiving formality and this is particularly an issue in the work environment. In Turkey, for example, you wouldn’t refer to your boss by using their surname; this would be considered a bit weird to say the least. Rather you say the Turkish equivalent of Mr. Dave or Mrs. Anne. Again, people won’t mind you asking what the conventions are, they’ll be glad that you’re considerate enough to find out.

4. Failing to reset your voicemail or e-mail auto-reply

When you return from time off work, undo any absence greeting or auto-replies you’ve setup. Few things make you look more idiotic than having a greeting that references your return to work date from three months ago. I’ve had colleagues who have failed to do this and you wouldn’t believe the amount of ill feeling it can generate. If you think you’re going to forget, try placing a note on your phone or computer monitor, or adding your email to outgoing mailing lists, that way you’ll also receive your outdated ‘on vacation’ message.

5. Leaving a ‘departed’ employee in the contacts list

When an employee leaves your school, remove that person from voicemail and any online directories or Web pages that you may have. Leaving a person in place can make the company look foolish. I have a colleague, who I’ve worked with since he left his last job seven years ago, who is still on the contacts page of the university’s English program website of his former employers. We were running a bet as to when they would get around to removing him, but the choice of year made by even the least optimistic among us has long since passed. Also, you might create the opportunity for an unaware caller to still leave a message for that departed employee, leaving the message to get missed.

6. Commenting on a personal or family photo

Don’t, just don’t, OK? If you really must, simply stick to, ‘that’s a nice photo.’ If you see a personal or family photo on a person’s desk, avoid commenting on relationships. That young boy you thought was a grandson may possibly just be a son. Similarly, if you know the photo is an earlier one of the person you’re meeting with, avoid comments like, ‘You looked great back then.’

7. Asking about pregnancy

The next two are just general all round good advice, not solely issues affecting teachers working abroad. This is just something that is going to end badly if you bring it up in conversation. Please, please, no matter how much a woman looks like she’s showing, keep your mouth shut until she actually brings the subject up herself. If you ask, and the answer is ‘no’, you will have no elegant retreat. What’s more, if you’re conducting an interview, you have also opened the door wide open to a discrimination lawsuit.

8. Asking about an unseen or absent spouse

Like pregnancy, this is not a good subject to broach. Suppose last year you were at a school social and saw your colleague and their spouse. This year, you only see the colleague. As with the pregnancy situation, just keep our mouth shut. Don’t be in the position; asking about the spouse only to be told, ‘we’re divorced.��

9. Correcting the boss

Doing this anywhere in the world is likely to incur wrath, but in some cultures this is absolutely unforgivable. Correcting your boss will rarely, if ever, endear you to that person. If he or she made a mistake, try to correct it in as low-profile a way as possible. Perhaps you can talk to your boss discretely in their office, away from prying ears? Tread very carefully on this subject as incidents will not be forgotten, or forgiven.

10. Displaying lack of unity in public

If you have disagreements with another teacher or member of the admin staff, resolve them privately. Don’t air dirty laundry to outsiders. Doing so makes your whole organisation look bad. If this happens in front of paying customers, it may cost the organisation money. Let’s face it, this is only going to end one way, and it won’t be in your favour.

None of these are particularly difficult to avoid but they could, singularly or collectively, cause you a world of suffering if you fail to consider them. If you’re interested in looking at how cultural differences can impact on the workplace, you could do a lot worse than reading up on the ideas of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars.

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Over the the ELT World forum, Naturegirl321, author of the excellent TEFL Tips blog, recently raised this issue:

‘So here’s the thing, After six years I’ve learned to have a backup plan. Something always goes wrong. For example, here are reasons I’ve backed out of contracts after I’ve signed.

1. They said that since I lived in China I would have to first be quarantineed in Thailand for 15 days before going to Taiwan. This was during SARS.

2. I was told that there were mandatory prayer sessions afterschool.

3. The school was closing because one of the partners was embezzling money.

4. Teachers decided to stay so they didn’t need me.

5. After 3 tries and 2 months, I finally got a CRC notarised by the state of IL, sent it to be notarised. My mom put it ontop of the microwave and promptly recycled it the next day.

6. After two months of waiting for my invitation letter, I decided that they were too unorganised and went with another school.

Now I’ve accepted three positions and signed three contracts. And so far, they all seem like really great schools.

Don’t get me wrong, my intention isn’t to play one school off the other and say, “well, X school offered me Y, unless you give me a higher salary, I won’t teach at your school. ”

Now obviously I can’t start at all three schools. I know that the truth is the best method, but who wants to hear that you’ve signed with other schools just in case things don’t work out?

Any ideas on how to get out of contracts without stepping on people’s toes?

Any suggestions? Feel free to comment here or join the chat on the forum.

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Here are six of my favorite pieces of piss poor job search advice, for you to read and ignore at all costs:

1. ‘Only send your resume via an online job ad or the school’s web site, anything else is a waste of time’

The job ad may ask you to do this, but that’s exactly why you shouldn’t leave it at this; everyone else will be doing the same thing. Successful job seekers use friends, contacts and anybody else in their network to make contact with a potential employer. Playing by the rules often gets your resume to exactly the same place as everyone else. Ask yourself, do you want the same odds as everyone else, or better? If you’ve got a way into the decision maker’s office, use it.

From experience:

I already knew my current boss as she is a friend of my former boss. I’d met her at conferences and been to workshops she’d given. Although we have a ‘strict’ online application policy, I emailed her my resume and got an interview immediately, despite having not followed the accepted application process.

Ignore advice that instructs you to send one resume via the school’s web site and wait to hear from them. Do as they ask by filling in the form online but go beyond this. Even at this stage, extra effort to get you noticed.

2. ‘Wait for them to call you’

You can’t wait for schools to call you back. You just can’t, alright? You’ve got to call and follow up on the resumes you’ve sent and the applications you’ve made. If an ad says ‘no calls’, use your connections to put you in touch with someone who can put in a word with the hiring manager.

From experience:

When I was looking for my first job, I applied to several schools. A couple of years later, I happened to be sitting in a bar with someone who turned about to be the recruiter at one of the schools I’d applied to. I’d found a job fairly easily, so didn’t bear a grudge that he hadn’t at least called me, but I did ask why. He openly explained to me that either a) he’d filled up his desired number of interview slots before he’d gotten to my resume, or b) he’d called me but the phone was busy or he couldn’t get through, so moved on to the next applicant. Simple as that; no job for me.

Don’t sit and wait for the call to come. Your resume is in a stack with 100 others, and if you don’t take steps to push it up to the front of the line, no one else will.

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3. ‘Never send a paper resume, they never get read these days’

The response rate for sending snail mail letters is pretty high, and the approach is friendlier. A surface mail letter can increasingly often get you an interview in a case where an e-mail would get ignored or spam-filtered.

From experience:

One friend of mine sent her resume and cover letter via postal mail to a major university in the UAE and got a call a week later from a recruitment manager wanting to interview her in London, where she was living at the time. She showed up at the interview to see a fax copy of her actual, signed letter and resume sitting on his desk. An e-mail might have ended up in the spam folder to be forgotten forever. Don’t rule out the old-fashioned method.

What do you think recruiters do when they receive an e-mail resume? That’s right, by posting your CV, you are saving them the task of opening the email, downloading the attachment, opening it and then printing it. Whatever you do though, don’t use brightly coloured paper, stick to classic white.

4. ‘Bombard them with everything you have to make sure you get noticed’

Give them your CV, your cover letter, and your time in a phone call or face-to-face interview, but don’t give anyone your list of references or other documentation until it’s clear that mutual interest to move forward exists (usually after two interviews).

From experience:

A friend of mine decided to apply to a place I was working a few years ago, not a bad place and a definite step up from where he was working at the time. I arranged for an informal drop in meeting with the woman who did the hiring. A couple of days later, she came up to me and said, ‘I know he’s a friend of yours, but…’ He’d not only given his CV, but also practically a whole photo album of pics of him in the classroom and DVD with a video of one of his lessons. The HR lady told me that the pictures were total overkill and the lesson, which I was forced to watch as ‘punishment’ for some reason, really wasn’t very good: Too much too soon and my friend not only got noticed but had effectively applied his way out of consideration.

Let the employer know that you are happy to talk to see whether your interests and theirs crisscross. If there’s a good match and you want to take it further, you’ll feel better about sharing more time and energy on whatever measures they’ve constructed to weed out unsuitable candidates.

5. ‘Don’t bring up money’

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Do bring up money. In the first interview, make reference to expecting a salary that reflects your experience and skills. By the second interview, let the employers know what your salary requirements are before they start getting ideas that they can get away with paying you loose change for your hard work.

From experience:

I know a few recruiters and the thing that bugs them the most is going through an hour-long interview with someone, only for their final question to be about the money and then get up and walk out because it was unsuitable for their needs. Worse still, some candidates will accept positions despite having no intention of taking the job because they have already been offered a better compensation package elsewhere. Recruiters I’ve spoken to generally just wish that interviewees would be open about their expectations, for everyone’s sake.

If your requirements are beyond what they’re willing or able to pay, not mentioning it will be a huge waste of time, yours and theirs. Also, if you take the job without talking about money, you’ll have nothing to complain about when your first salary is nothing like as much as what you were expecting. You’ll be surprised how often this happens. Set them straight, professionally, at the first opportunity.

6. ‘Don’t write a personal mission statement, it looks pretentious’

The summary or objective at the top of your résumé is your own, personal mission statement; it tells whoever is reading it, ‘This person knows who they are, what they’ve done, and why it matters.’

From experience:

The same friend who blew it with the photo album and dodgy video lesson had actually gotten off to a great start. Although I no longer work at the university, I still know the HR lady and bump into her from time to time. She still brings up my friend, mainly because of his gross overdoing it, but also because she can practically remember his mission statement word for word after almost five years. It instantly made a great impression.

Your Summary shows off your writing skills, shows that you know what’s significant in your background, and it offers a focal point to your resume. Don’t skip it, no matter how many people tell you it’s not necessary or important.

Feedback on and additions to this list will be greatly appreciated, looking forward to your comments as ever.

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Here’s the continuation of yesterday’s post:

5 – We expect teachers to work in the school for about 8 hours a day, taking into account lesson planning and meetings. Do you have a problem with that?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

Will you take the job seriously? Are you a workaholic, which can cause more problems than it solves, or a person who requires balance?

Here’s how you could answer:

‘I have no problem working the necessary hours to get the job done properly. When it has proven necessary in the past, I have put in 12 or 14 hour days. What I have found works well for me is to work in a smart, organised way, not necessarily longer. My goal is to get the job done, whatever that takes, in the most efficient manner.’

Let the interviewer know that you’re not afraid of working while at the same time that you will not be taken advantage of.

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6 – When have you been most satisfied in your career?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

What motivates you, or rather, demotivates you?

Here’s how you could answer:

‘The job before the one I am currently at was my most rewarding experience. I worked in a wonderful team environment. There was a lot of camaraderie. I worked primarily within a team of four teachers and we did some really innovative teaching. It is that kind of environment I want to be involved in again.’

Indicate your ability to work with others and that your satisfaction comes from doing something that will also be beneficial to the school. Creating a new teaching program would be a more desirable achievement than, say, having passed the DELTA.

7 – Why do you want this job?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

Are you using the scatter-gun approach to your job search or do you really know what you want? Is there a specific reason you’ve applied to work at this school or will you work at the first place that offers you a job?

Here’s how you could answer:

‘I’ve been very careful about the institutions to which I have applied. When I saw the advert for this position, I knew I found what I was looking for. What I can bring to this job are my years of experience, my knowledge of the profession, plus my ability to work within the kind of environment which you have in this school. That, along with my flexibility and organisational skills, makes me a perfect match for this position. I see some challenges ahead of me here, and that’s what I thrive on. I have what you need, and you have what I want.’

8 – We are ready to make you an offer. Are you ready to accept today?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

We really don’t want you to go away and think about it and change your mind. We want you. If you don’t want the job, we don’t want to waste time that could be used trying to find another equally good candidate.

Here’s how you could answer:

‘Based on my research and the information I have gathered during the interview process, I do feel I’m in a position to consider an offer, however, I have a personal policy of giving myself at least 24 hours to make major life decisions. I could definitely let you know by tomorrow.’

You need to cover your bases here. Giving a time limit by which you’ll get back to the interviewer should be an acceptable way to deal with this question. If they want you, they’ll wait. If they want you to teach a lesson an hour from now, run and don’t look back.

Of course, there is no way you can completely predict the questions that you will be asked in an interview, but you can be ready and prepared by thinking about the factors that might be of concern to an interviewer before the interview. These eight questions are a good start. Now, the title of this post suggested ten questions, so I’d like you to come up with the other two.

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…and the answers you should be giving.

Having had the rare opportunity to sit down and have lunch with my boss the other day, I took the chance to ask her how she went about choosing staff. What is the point behind the specific questions she ask at san interview, what is she trying to decide about the candidate? Of course, behind every interview question there is a concern or another question. Your job as a person seeking employment is to process the question, thinking about what the interviewer’s concern might be. In other words, why is the interviewer asking you this question? Here are a few of the things I gained from my conversation, plus a few hints as to how you could go about answering such questions.

1 – How did you prepare for this interview?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

Have you a genuine interest in working here? Are you interested enough to do have done some research, or are you winging it? Good interviewers will size you up on the strength of your response to this question.

Here’s how you could answer:

‘When I found this position advertised on the internet, I was instantaneously interested. I took a look at the school’s website and your mission statement, looked at the profiles of the teachers who are working for you, and was impressed. As soon as we’d arranged this interview appointment, I talked with friends and acquaintances in the profession about your organisation. Also, I’m sure I’ll find out a lot more in today’s meeting with you.’

Show you actually have some interest in working for this school, rather than just needing a job at a school somewhere.

2 – What is your salary expectation for this job?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than budgeted? Believe it or not, organisations will look at your qualifications and experience and may be prepared to pay you more than you think.

Here’s how you could answer:

‘I’m sure you understand that I’ll need more information about this job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Could you give me an idea of the range budgeted for this position?’

Or…

‘I’m sure we’ll have time to discuss salaries at a later date, should you make the decision that you want to hire me. I’m confident you’ll be offering a salary based on my experience and qualifications and I’d be happy to come back for another meeting to discuss this with you.’

You need to show that your interest in working for the school is the main issue of the interview while also showing that you know what you’re worth and won’t settle for less.

3 – How do you keep current and informed about your job and the profession that you work in?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

Once you get the job, will you continue to learn and grow, in other words, stay challenged and motivated? Are you looking to use this as a way to finance your carefree, partying lifestyle, or do you have a genuine interest in teaching?

Here’s how you could answer:

‘I pride myself on my ability to stay abreast of what is happening in my profession. I do a lot of reading, profession journals and the like. I belong to a couple of professional organizations and often network with colleagues. I’ve taken professional development courses and attend conferences whenever they are of interest, or offer new insights into the profession.’

Show you care and that this isn’t just what you do during the day before meeting your friends in the bar after classes finish.

4 – What kinds of people do you have difficulties working with?

Insight into the mind of the interviewer:

We all know that there are plenty of ‘colourful’ characters in this profession. Do you have the ability to be flexible and work in a diverse environment?

Here’s how you could answer:

‘In my last couple of jobs, I’ve worked with people from extremely diverse backgrounds and cultures. The only time I had difficulty was with people who weren’t entirely honest about work issues. For example, I worked with one man who was taking credit for creating teaching materials that others had also been involved in making. I had an opportunity to talk with him one day and explained how his actions were affecting morale. He became quite saddened that others saw him in such a way, and said he was unaware of either his behaviour or the reactions of others. His conduct changed after our talk. What I gained from that experience is that sometimes what we perceive about others is not always the case if we take the time to follow it up.’

A specific anecdote is a great way of getting across your point. Be sure to link the event to what you gained from it in terms of working with others, showing that you are able to reflect on the daily events that occur in your working environment and benefit from these experiences.

The second half of my suggestions will appear tomorrow.

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