Tips on getting a job

If you follow my twitter feed, you will know that last Friday I was offered a full-time job. That means that in September I will be a fully qualified teacher and have my very own year 5 class. Even though I now have the job of my dreams, this definitely wasn't an easy experience and I had plenty of interviews and lesson observations before I was accepted somewhere. Over the past few weeks I have learnt a lot about applying for jobs and the interview process so I thought i'd share some of these tips with you.

Keep your CV short and concise 
One mistake people tend to make is to include every bit of information about themselves in their CV. Having a list of interests as long as your arm is great but doesn't always look good on a CV. Limit your list of interests to the ones that are relevant to the job. For example, does your potential employer really need to know that you went horse riding when you were 10 or you had a couple of flute lessons in primary school? Probably not. My list of interests tends to be reading, learning, ICT and blogging, art, running and tennis. These interests all support my application for a teaching job and may be something the employer is specifically looking for

Be prepared
Being prepared is one of the most important tips when getting a job. When applying for any job, it is important to do your research. Find out as much as you can about the role or company. Learn the names of your potential employers and look on the companies website for their 'ethos' or 'vision'. Don't just read their website back to them but use some of the key words to show you have a shared vision. 

Make yourself stand out
It is likely the interviewers will see a lot of candidates so you need to get yourself remembered. How? Offer them something they don't have. Every interviewee will say they are 'hardworking, work well in a team and they are organised' so you need to skip the obvious and offer something different. What employers want most is for you to be committed to the role and the company. People who see a job as more than just a job are much more appealing. 

The interview
This tip I got from my mum as she interviews people at her work quite regularly. She said that an interviewer will often be listening out for key words in your answers and you will often see them being written down. It means that if you have a question like "what behaviour management strategies do you find effective", the interviewer will be listening for key words like 'behaviour policy, high expectations, promoting intrinsic behaviour'.

Seem interested but don't overdo the questions
When I was visiting a school a few months ago, there was another teacher there who did exactly this. Obviously we were asking questions about the school and were all interested in the answers but there was one lady who was relentlessly drilling the head teacher on the tiniest details about the school. You do want to appear interested but only ask questions you actually want to know the answers to. Asking about things you can easily find on the companies website will not make you sound interested, just unprepared.

Be grateful
Even if you don't get the job, be very grateful for the chance you were given. Employers really appreciate a thank you and in the past I have even complimented a school on the way they ran the interviews and they were delighted. You never know what is going to happen (the person who was offered the job may decline) and you want to be remembered in a positive way.

Keep going
The hardest part of applying for jobs is bouncing back after rejection. If you have been unsuccessful, ring up and ask for feedback. Most companies will be happy to let you know how you did and any tips to improve. Use what you have learnt and apply it next time. I know better than anyone how relentless applying for jobs and interviews can be but you just have to realise that if you didn't get a job then it wasn't meant to be. You will get what you want in the end.